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Scholastic Biography
Helen Keller
The bestselling biography of Helen Keller and how, with the commitment and lifelong friendship of Anne Sullivan, she learned to talk, read, and eventually graduate from college with honors.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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1588 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Davidson
71 books52 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Margaret Davidson grew up in New York City. As a child, she always loved to read.
She initially published books under her nickname and maiden name of Mickie Compere and also as Mickie Davidson
She has written many biographies, true stories about people's lives. Some famous people she has written biographies about are Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Golda Meir.
Margaret Davidson grew up in New York City. As a child, she always loved to read.
She initially published books under her nickname and maiden name of Mickie Compere and also as Mickie Davidson
She has written many biographies, true stories about people's lives. Some famous people she has written biographies about are Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Golda Meir.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
October 14, 2018
She wrote this at age 22 .Her prose frequently almost becomes poetry . She was close persoanl fiends with Alexander Graham Bell apparently as a child she had an inner love , joy and intelligence that attracted the friendship of Bell and many other great teachers with whom she came in contact . The story of her childhood was a fascinating and strengthening.
She was obviously very intelligent happy child with a very positive attitude and keen will to learn. .It was amazing how much she could intuit about her outer world even before she was to communicate with others. She had pets . Enjoyed flowers . Sunshine .
WATER ! WATER! WATER! In this GIF actress Patty Duke as Hellen Keller is having the epiphany the cool wet substance flowing on her hand is called “WATER” !!!!
Young deaf and blind Helen learns that the letters Ann Sullivan had been tracing onto her palms and that she had been tracing on Ann's palms was not just a game it was LANGUAGE !!!!!!
I thought it was cosmic when Helen understood what the word LOVE meant
Helen: I no longer could conceive of Ann as a person who existed separate from myself . It felt like the two of us were one. Our foot steps were one . We left one set of foot prints and cast one shadow
Helen : " I remember the morning that I first asked the meaning of the word “love.” THIS WAS BEFORE I KNEW MANY WORDS. I had found a few early violets in the garden and brought them to my teacher. She tried to kiss me, but at that time I did not like to have anyone kiss me except my mother.
Ann: puts her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, “I love Helen.”
Helen : I spelled back “What is love?” ( Her words puzzled me very much because I did not then understand anything unless I touched it.) I smelled the violets in her hand and asked a question which meant, “Is love the sweetness of flowers?”
Ann : “No,”
Helen : The warm sun was shining pointing in the direction from which the heat came.I spelled ,“Is this not love?”
Ann: puts Helen hands on her cheeks and shakes her head,
Helen: I was greatly puzzled and disappointed.
I concentrated my attention on what Ann meant by"I LOVE HELEN " and tried to think .... Ann touched my forehead and spelled on my palm with decided emphasis, “Think ! ”In a flash I KNEW that the word "THINK " was the name of the process that was going on in my head. This was my first conscious perception of AN ABSTRACT IDEA. For a long time I was still— trying to find a meaning for “love” in the light of this new idea. The sun had been under a cloud all day and THERE HAD BEEN BRIEF REFRESHING SHOWERS , but suddenly the sun broke forth in all its southern splendor.
Again I asked my teacher, “Is this [sun shine] not love?”
Ann: Love is like the clouds that sent us the cooling rain [it was hot summer] The clouds are too high to touch But you feel the cool rain they send and know how GLAD the flowers and the HOT THIRSTY earth are to have it . Love is like a rain that pours sweetness into everything and keeps it happy . Without love you would not be happy or want to play.”
Helen : The beautiful truth burst upon my mind—I felt that there were invisible lines stretched between MY SPIRIT and THE SPIRITS of others."(end quote) (quantum interconnectedness )
I thought it was brilliant that a child who knew so few words could so completely intuit that love connects all living beings ."
( Did Pete Townsend read the above and then write his famous lyrics :
"only love can make it rain -
a love that yearns to the sky -
only love can bring the rain
that falls like tears from on high !")???
At 16 Hellen aspires to pass entrance exams to get into college and finally she adapts and becomes a scholar learning many languages (french , german , latin , greek etc)
Hellen Keller in college reading Shakespeare( brail )
I would have given it 5 stars but then chapter on book reviews got a little tedious...
I liked it at the end where she praised Bishop Brooks and quoted him
As a young adolescent Helen asked Brooks why there are so many religions
Brooks said, “There is one universal religion, Helen—the religion of love.
Love your Heavenly Father with your whole heart and soul,
love every child of God as much as ever you can,
and remember that God is your Father and all people are your brothers
and that good is greater than evil;
and you have the KEY to heaven .”
She said after that she read many books on religion and philosophy but never ever found a greater truth than Bishop Brooks' religion of love
Helen is proof that if you are attuned to love no obstacle or defect can keep you from overcoming all barriers to a happiness.
Helen read lips by putting her hand on peoples lips as they spoke and answered in her own voice. She is proof that love will find a way
(note a few year ago some journalist started publicizing that at 35 Helen had a thwarted romance with Ann's male substitute but that her parents drove him off and say that she was failure in love and unhappy but I believe that if she was unhappy about this it was short lived and she lived as happy a life as if possible in this world right where we are prisoners of this flesh up to her death at 88 when she was reunited with her cherished beloveds as per Brooks principle of universal love and goodness .)
💖😃👍
She was obviously very intelligent happy child with a very positive attitude and keen will to learn. .It was amazing how much she could intuit about her outer world even before she was to communicate with others. She had pets . Enjoyed flowers . Sunshine .
WATER ! WATER! WATER! In this GIF actress Patty Duke as Hellen Keller is having the epiphany the cool wet substance flowing on her hand is called “WATER” !!!!Young deaf and blind Helen learns that the letters Ann Sullivan had been tracing onto her palms and that she had been tracing on Ann's palms was not just a game it was LANGUAGE !!!!!!
I thought it was cosmic when Helen understood what the word LOVE meant
Helen: I no longer could conceive of Ann as a person who existed separate from myself . It felt like the two of us were one. Our foot steps were one . We left one set of foot prints and cast one shadow
Helen : " I remember the morning that I first asked the meaning of the word “love.” THIS WAS BEFORE I KNEW MANY WORDS. I had found a few early violets in the garden and brought them to my teacher. She tried to kiss me, but at that time I did not like to have anyone kiss me except my mother.
Ann: puts her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, “I love Helen.”
Helen : I spelled back “What is love?” ( Her words puzzled me very much because I did not then understand anything unless I touched it.) I smelled the violets in her hand and asked a question which meant, “Is love the sweetness of flowers?”
Ann : “No,”
Helen : The warm sun was shining pointing in the direction from which the heat came.I spelled ,“Is this not love?”
Ann: puts Helen hands on her cheeks and shakes her head,
Helen: I was greatly puzzled and disappointed.
I concentrated my attention on what Ann meant by"I LOVE HELEN " and tried to think .... Ann touched my forehead and spelled on my palm with decided emphasis, “Think ! ”In a flash I KNEW that the word "THINK " was the name of the process that was going on in my head. This was my first conscious perception of AN ABSTRACT IDEA. For a long time I was still— trying to find a meaning for “love” in the light of this new idea. The sun had been under a cloud all day and THERE HAD BEEN BRIEF REFRESHING SHOWERS , but suddenly the sun broke forth in all its southern splendor.
Again I asked my teacher, “Is this [sun shine] not love?”
Ann: Love is like the clouds that sent us the cooling rain [it was hot summer] The clouds are too high to touch But you feel the cool rain they send and know how GLAD the flowers and the HOT THIRSTY earth are to have it . Love is like a rain that pours sweetness into everything and keeps it happy . Without love you would not be happy or want to play.”
Helen : The beautiful truth burst upon my mind—I felt that there were invisible lines stretched between MY SPIRIT and THE SPIRITS of others."(end quote) (quantum interconnectedness )
I thought it was brilliant that a child who knew so few words could so completely intuit that love connects all living beings ."
( Did Pete Townsend read the above and then write his famous lyrics :
"only love can make it rain -
a love that yearns to the sky -
only love can bring the rain
that falls like tears from on high !")???
At 16 Hellen aspires to pass entrance exams to get into college and finally she adapts and becomes a scholar learning many languages (french , german , latin , greek etc)
Hellen Keller in college reading Shakespeare( brail ) I would have given it 5 stars but then chapter on book reviews got a little tedious...
I liked it at the end where she praised Bishop Brooks and quoted him
As a young adolescent Helen asked Brooks why there are so many religions
Brooks said, “There is one universal religion, Helen—the religion of love.
Love your Heavenly Father with your whole heart and soul,
love every child of God as much as ever you can,
and remember that God is your Father and all people are your brothers
and that good is greater than evil;
and you have the KEY to heaven .”
She said after that she read many books on religion and philosophy but never ever found a greater truth than Bishop Brooks' religion of love
Helen is proof that if you are attuned to love no obstacle or defect can keep you from overcoming all barriers to a happiness.
Helen read lips by putting her hand on peoples lips as they spoke and answered in her own voice. She is proof that love will find a way
(note a few year ago some journalist started publicizing that at 35 Helen had a thwarted romance with Ann's male substitute but that her parents drove him off and say that she was failure in love and unhappy but I believe that if she was unhappy about this it was short lived and she lived as happy a life as if possible in this world right where we are prisoners of this flesh up to her death at 88 when she was reunited with her cherished beloveds as per Brooks principle of universal love and goodness .)
💖😃👍
April 11, 2013
Helen Keller
My book was about Helen Keller’s story. I first heard about her story from my friend and I couldn’t wait to learn about her. I asked myself is it true? Blind, deaf and dumb girl can do this? Can she read and do everything that she wants until she got a college degree?! So I started looking for Helen Keller’s story until I found it. It’s really an interesting story that will hook you to read more and more about this lady. This lady faced a lot of problems in her life but she succeeded to pass these difficulties. If you read her story you will see how she succeeded who helped her to face her problems. Her teacher Annie Sullivan helped her until she became a very famous lady. She met a lot of famous persons. She even met the U.S.A president in that time John Kennedy. She went to colleges to give lectures. It’s a really very nice story.
We can learn a lot about her life and Helen can teach us that. Nothing is impossible for any person. Also, her teacher Annie Sullivan taught me how to be patient because everything needs time to change. I saw how the patiently Sullivan changed wild animal child into famous lady.
The English level for this story is average and not hard so it’s appropriate for our English level. It’s a short book so you can finish easily in a short time. The vocabulary in this book is easy for understanding. It’s a good book to learn new vocabulary. Also it’s good book to improve our English language.
The size of this book is small so you can carry it anywhere. It’s a cheap book it costs $5.99. The most important thing it’s an actual story that happen to a girl. So we can learn a lot from her life.
My book was about Helen Keller’s story. I first heard about her story from my friend and I couldn’t wait to learn about her. I asked myself is it true? Blind, deaf and dumb girl can do this? Can she read and do everything that she wants until she got a college degree?! So I started looking for Helen Keller’s story until I found it. It’s really an interesting story that will hook you to read more and more about this lady. This lady faced a lot of problems in her life but she succeeded to pass these difficulties. If you read her story you will see how she succeeded who helped her to face her problems. Her teacher Annie Sullivan helped her until she became a very famous lady. She met a lot of famous persons. She even met the U.S.A president in that time John Kennedy. She went to colleges to give lectures. It’s a really very nice story.
We can learn a lot about her life and Helen can teach us that. Nothing is impossible for any person. Also, her teacher Annie Sullivan taught me how to be patient because everything needs time to change. I saw how the patiently Sullivan changed wild animal child into famous lady.
The English level for this story is average and not hard so it’s appropriate for our English level. It’s a short book so you can finish easily in a short time. The vocabulary in this book is easy for understanding. It’s a good book to learn new vocabulary. Also it’s good book to improve our English language.
The size of this book is small so you can carry it anywhere. It’s a cheap book it costs $5.99. The most important thing it’s an actual story that happen to a girl. So we can learn a lot from her life.
October 30, 2012
Helen Keller
by Margaret Davidson
95 pages
Biography
Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson is the story of Helen Keller’s life from the day she was born until after she died. The book started by telling of the strange fever that left Helen blind and later deaf. It tells of her childhood with her teacher Annie Sullivan and how Annie taught her how to spell and read. It wasn’t until one day outside when Helen understood that the words had meanings. Annie took Helen outside to the water pump to let water run on Helen’s hand then spell W-A-T-E-R out on her hand from then on Helen learned many, many words. Helen Heller ended up being able to go to collage when she was older like she had wanted and graduated from Radcliffe College. Helen was the best educated deaf-blind person in the world at her time and she is an inspiration to all until this day,
I really liked this book because it taught me a lot about Helen Keller’s life that I did not know. I knew who she was of course. I knew she was a blind and deaf person, who lived along time ago and had a teacher named Annie Sullivan but that was it. I didn’t know that Helen was such a spoiled child and I did not know how much patience and persistence Annie had to have to teach Helen. I thought it was very smart how Annie put Helen’s hand under water and then spelled out water so Helen could make the connection between the word and the object. I was amazed how far Helen had come and how much she had overcome to be where she was when she died. It was very impressive that Helen graduated from college at a normal age because even some people who aren’t deaf or blind don’t even do that. Helen must have been very, very determined and persistent to be able to do what she did. After reading this book I learned lots more about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. Now I understand why they are such inspirations to people even many, many years after they died.
by Margaret Davidson
95 pages
Biography
Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson is the story of Helen Keller’s life from the day she was born until after she died. The book started by telling of the strange fever that left Helen blind and later deaf. It tells of her childhood with her teacher Annie Sullivan and how Annie taught her how to spell and read. It wasn’t until one day outside when Helen understood that the words had meanings. Annie took Helen outside to the water pump to let water run on Helen’s hand then spell W-A-T-E-R out on her hand from then on Helen learned many, many words. Helen Heller ended up being able to go to collage when she was older like she had wanted and graduated from Radcliffe College. Helen was the best educated deaf-blind person in the world at her time and she is an inspiration to all until this day,
I really liked this book because it taught me a lot about Helen Keller’s life that I did not know. I knew who she was of course. I knew she was a blind and deaf person, who lived along time ago and had a teacher named Annie Sullivan but that was it. I didn’t know that Helen was such a spoiled child and I did not know how much patience and persistence Annie had to have to teach Helen. I thought it was very smart how Annie put Helen’s hand under water and then spelled out water so Helen could make the connection between the word and the object. I was amazed how far Helen had come and how much she had overcome to be where she was when she died. It was very impressive that Helen graduated from college at a normal age because even some people who aren’t deaf or blind don’t even do that. Helen must have been very, very determined and persistent to be able to do what she did. After reading this book I learned lots more about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. Now I understand why they are such inspirations to people even many, many years after they died.
July 18, 2024
"The best and most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." 🥺
March 2, 2010
Helen Keller is a really sad, old book. Is a biography on Helen Keller's tragic life in not been able to speak, see, or hear. In the book illustrates you how, with the commitment and lifelong friendship of Anne Sullivan, she learned to talk, read, and eventually graduate from college with honors. She encourage herself to talk and to do great in life and she actually put all her effort and made it there.
May 14, 2014
One of the few short novels I've read. It shows me how different life can be when you're blind or deaf. Loved it.
The realism of how life could take us into dramatic stages were shown in this book. It showed how Helen survived in our world with only her touch and smell. The books showed me that the world isn't a perfect place for everyone but that certain group of people could use that disadvantage and help themselves succeed through life's great obstacles.
The realism of how life could take us into dramatic stages were shown in this book. It showed how Helen survived in our world with only her touch and smell. The books showed me that the world isn't a perfect place for everyone but that certain group of people could use that disadvantage and help themselves succeed through life's great obstacles.
November 18, 2015
It was ok but I thought it should have more to the story about her life. When I was reading it I found myself feeling very inspired by her because of how much perseverance she had. I would look up to her any day as a hero to our world. She found out that she had to keep on trying and never give up. I recommend this book to all people who would like to feel inspired by a hero. It was really good so you should give it a chance and read it.
March 16, 2011
"whatwasthatbook" helped me out - I'm pretty sure this was the one I read in the school hall in grade 5 or 6 that had the braille alphabet on the back :) And if it wasn't this one, it was
because I distinctly remember there being a green cover!
because I distinctly remember there being a green cover!December 30, 2010
This is a short simplified version of Helen Keller's story. L. is very fascinated by Helen and never gets tired of rereading this, asks questions. The first couple of times through, I edited a little bit, for example there is a section that discusses WWII and Helen visiting soldiers, but in later readings I went ahead and read it as it is.
April 22, 2016
The book Helen Keller was amazing.She had some disabilities, but that didn't stop her from doing a lot of things.The boom talked about how Helen had many disabilities and about her childhood, but this book really inspires people.It's like if, the book has a special message that it's trying to tell you.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Helen Keller, or who likes inspiring books.
April 25, 2016
This book was amazing. Helen Keller is an inspiration. She has disabilities but it didn't stop her. she kept fighting to do what she wanted to. If you like strong persevering girls this is the book for you. I also recommend this book to people who like learning about people who make a diffrence.
March 24, 2017
She is nothing short of heroic.
November 20, 2017
Truly inspiring and I couldn't put this book down. Made me cry when I read this book.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
February 6, 2018
A pretty basic book. It was a favorite of mi Eva’s a child and I enjoyed reading it aloud to my daughter.
December 10, 2020
This is the shcolastic edition of Helen Keller’s life. It was written for grade school kids. I read this book (same author) in 4th grade and loved it, and was curious to read it again today.
I gave it four stars for what it is, simply because any Helen Keller story is great. But my personal opinion is that over the course of 50 years, all of the reprints of this book have gradually DUMBED DOWN the writing this book. It reads more like a 1st or 2nd grade reader now. It’s really sad. Because frankly it was kind of boring. They left out so many great details that publishers may have thought were “over the heads” of children today. Sad commentary on our children’s educations these days.
I learned to read when I was age 3, and was reading at a 6th grade level by age 5 and on an adult level by the age of 8. And I remember clearly that this book was NOT this juvenile when I read it.
I’m about to start Helen Keller’s own autobiography, which will no doubt be more enriching.
I gave it four stars for what it is, simply because any Helen Keller story is great. But my personal opinion is that over the course of 50 years, all of the reprints of this book have gradually DUMBED DOWN the writing this book. It reads more like a 1st or 2nd grade reader now. It’s really sad. Because frankly it was kind of boring. They left out so many great details that publishers may have thought were “over the heads” of children today. Sad commentary on our children’s educations these days.
I learned to read when I was age 3, and was reading at a 6th grade level by age 5 and on an adult level by the age of 8. And I remember clearly that this book was NOT this juvenile when I read it.
I’m about to start Helen Keller’s own autobiography, which will no doubt be more enriching.
May 5, 2025
I recommend these books for the 3rd-5th grade age range. They’re so enjoyable and accessible! A great way to introduce historical figures without boring them. My 9 year old read this but it could have just as easily been read aloud by me to the kids to capture their interest. I’m going to now show the kids some clips from the 1962 movie The Miracle Worker because it’s such a great classic.
Personal note: Maybe since I grew up in Alabama we focused on Helen Keller A LOT (she was born there) but I feel like a lot of homeschool curriculum doesn’t seem to focus on her for some reason. This wasn’t apart of any boxed curriculum I used, but rather a book we incorporated into our homeschool for further study.
Personal note: Maybe since I grew up in Alabama we focused on Helen Keller A LOT (she was born there) but I feel like a lot of homeschool curriculum doesn’t seem to focus on her for some reason. This wasn’t apart of any boxed curriculum I used, but rather a book we incorporated into our homeschool for further study.
October 31, 2020
Read specifically for the benefit of my 6yos. He rated 3 overall; he struggled with the chapter where Helen said “I’m not dumb now!” That’s a “bad” word, and although we talked about the literal meaning and how then she could talk, it seemed to make him uncomfortable and detracted from his overall enjoyment.
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January 19, 2021My third graders really enjoyed this one!
February 10, 2021
Le livre le plus marquant de mes années de primaire 📖
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February 13, 2021cw abuse, ableism
the way this book describes in detail these adults abusing Helen and we're supposed to think everything is great because she's learning proper manners or whatever is...yikes
the way this book describes in detail these adults abusing Helen and we're supposed to think everything is great because she's learning proper manners or whatever is...yikes
May 31, 2023
The scholastic books are so good 🥺
February 7, 2024
A quick read for my second grader. She loved it! And I loved that SHE loved it! :)
January 26, 2024
Easy, quick read. Very informative. Kept the children engaged.
November 14, 2022
Had 6yo jumping up and down screaming, "Helen Keller is amazing!!!"
February 18, 2013
Summary:
The book, Helen Keller, by Margaret Davidson is the heart-wrenching true story of Helen Keller, a girl who lost her sense of sight and sound. She was born with all her senses and when she was a toddler she got a fever which stole her sense of sight and hearing from her. From that time on, she became a volatile child. This was based on her confusion at the world around her. She would often run into things or purposefully push her baby sister’s crib over. Her parents were desperate for some answers. Her father wrote a letter to Perkins Institute, begging them for help. Perkins Institute finally answered the letter by sending Mrs. Ann Sullivan. Ann was devoted to helping Helen Keller learn. She taught her to communicate using Sign Language in her palm as well as reading and writing in Braille. Helen Keller learned at a rapid pace and Mrs. Sullivan was running out of things to teach her.
About that time, Mrs. Sullivan received a letter from her alma mater asking Ann and Helen to make a trip to the school. They wanted to know more about the techniques that Ann was using. While making the trip, they stopped at Perkins Institute as well. During this trip Helen told Ann that she wanted to learn to speak because other deaf children could speak, and other blind children could speak, so why couldn’t Helen? At first Ann told her “No,” because she did not want Helen to be disappointed when she was unable to. However, after much convincing Ann had a colleague at Perkins, Miss Fuller work with Helen. Miss Fuller helped Helen by letting Helen feel her lips, tongue and throat while speaking so she could duplicate it in herself. Helen was never able to speak clearly, but she was still able to use her voice.
Helen Keller was able to do many things that people with their sense of sight and sound could do. She was able to find a way to swim by herself, ride a horse and many other “normal” activities. Helen was even able to go to college and earn her degree. She had many trials throughout her life and she was able to overcome them all.
Response:
This story is very close to my heart because I am learning American Sign Language. I think how adaptive Mrs. Sullivan had to be to teach Helen is incredible. My favorite part of the story is when Helen is learning to speak and her first sentence is “I’m not dumb now!” This seems to be her victory cry. No one thought she would be able to do the things she did. This book is an incredible testament to me as a teacher. Helen learned many of these things because of the time and work that her teacher put into her. I only wish to be half as inspiring as Mrs. Sullivan when I am a teacher.
Classroom Connection:
I would use this book to give children a glimpse at what it would be like to be blind and deaf. I would also teach the children ASL and have them try to put the letters in each other’s palms. This book would be good to read at the elementary level to help children understand that there are people with differences who are still fun-loving children. I believe this book could help them realize that they are children too.
Text Complexity:
This book has a Lexile measure of 520L and a Guided Reading level of M. This book would be a suitable self read book for upper 3rd grade through 5th grade. As a read-aloud book this could be read in grades 2-5.
The book, Helen Keller, by Margaret Davidson is the heart-wrenching true story of Helen Keller, a girl who lost her sense of sight and sound. She was born with all her senses and when she was a toddler she got a fever which stole her sense of sight and hearing from her. From that time on, she became a volatile child. This was based on her confusion at the world around her. She would often run into things or purposefully push her baby sister’s crib over. Her parents were desperate for some answers. Her father wrote a letter to Perkins Institute, begging them for help. Perkins Institute finally answered the letter by sending Mrs. Ann Sullivan. Ann was devoted to helping Helen Keller learn. She taught her to communicate using Sign Language in her palm as well as reading and writing in Braille. Helen Keller learned at a rapid pace and Mrs. Sullivan was running out of things to teach her.
About that time, Mrs. Sullivan received a letter from her alma mater asking Ann and Helen to make a trip to the school. They wanted to know more about the techniques that Ann was using. While making the trip, they stopped at Perkins Institute as well. During this trip Helen told Ann that she wanted to learn to speak because other deaf children could speak, and other blind children could speak, so why couldn’t Helen? At first Ann told her “No,” because she did not want Helen to be disappointed when she was unable to. However, after much convincing Ann had a colleague at Perkins, Miss Fuller work with Helen. Miss Fuller helped Helen by letting Helen feel her lips, tongue and throat while speaking so she could duplicate it in herself. Helen was never able to speak clearly, but she was still able to use her voice.
Helen Keller was able to do many things that people with their sense of sight and sound could do. She was able to find a way to swim by herself, ride a horse and many other “normal” activities. Helen was even able to go to college and earn her degree. She had many trials throughout her life and she was able to overcome them all.
Response:
This story is very close to my heart because I am learning American Sign Language. I think how adaptive Mrs. Sullivan had to be to teach Helen is incredible. My favorite part of the story is when Helen is learning to speak and her first sentence is “I’m not dumb now!” This seems to be her victory cry. No one thought she would be able to do the things she did. This book is an incredible testament to me as a teacher. Helen learned many of these things because of the time and work that her teacher put into her. I only wish to be half as inspiring as Mrs. Sullivan when I am a teacher.
Classroom Connection:
I would use this book to give children a glimpse at what it would be like to be blind and deaf. I would also teach the children ASL and have them try to put the letters in each other’s palms. This book would be good to read at the elementary level to help children understand that there are people with differences who are still fun-loving children. I believe this book could help them realize that they are children too.
Text Complexity:
This book has a Lexile measure of 520L and a Guided Reading level of M. This book would be a suitable self read book for upper 3rd grade through 5th grade. As a read-aloud book this could be read in grades 2-5.
June 26, 2018
The story of Helen Keller always intrigued me. My mother was the one who bought me this book when I was young, and I was pleased. The illustrations really helped Young-Me understand further what Ms. Keller was going through.
January 16, 2008
This book was the first of many books I was exposed to as a child that I would classify as my "sheroic development" biographies. I read them all between third and sixth grade.
These women with special abilities were my childtime heros. I never considered Helen Keller "disabled" as I didn't consider my own father disabled. He was a hero that happened to do what amazing things he did...better than most could do in any case... and he did it on one leg. To me, that was a special ability, not a disability.
Helen, to me, was similar. She was a woman with a special ability to communicate brilliantly and succeed fantastically as a speaker and intellectual. She did this overcoming, not only great odds, but also great bigotry of the people around her. Wonderful SHEro to have as a child!
These women with special abilities were my childtime heros. I never considered Helen Keller "disabled" as I didn't consider my own father disabled. He was a hero that happened to do what amazing things he did...better than most could do in any case... and he did it on one leg. To me, that was a special ability, not a disability.
Helen, to me, was similar. She was a woman with a special ability to communicate brilliantly and succeed fantastically as a speaker and intellectual. She did this overcoming, not only great odds, but also great bigotry of the people around her. Wonderful SHEro to have as a child!
November 10, 2012
I really enjoyed the book Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson.It is a brief overview of Helen Keller's life from the time she was born to the time she died. Helen was born a normal baby. Then one day Helen got a very bad fever. Which later left Helen ill, blind, and death at only 9 months old. The story later speaks about how Helen's mom got her help from a teacher named Annie Sullivan. Annie never gave up on Helen and taught her how to read, write, and communicate with others through sign language. Helen eventually graduated from college with all honors. The authors purpose of this book is to inform people that even though in life you may have obstacles you can overcome them with hard work, determination, and perseverance.
August 29, 2011
I really liked this book. Its written in very plain English so it was very easy to read and it moves along quickly focusing only on the important events. Its amazing following Helen's journey of learning how to read as she starts out having no knowledge of words. Her teacher miraculously gets through to her, spelling out letter shapes into Hellen's hand then introduces her to an alphabet of raised letters on a card. Eventually she learns how to read braille and her world grows exponentially. The story is very uplifting because it shows that even though she had to face enormous challenges, she was able to achieve so much taking only baby steps at a time.
December 17, 2015
Helen Keller is a nonfiction book written by Margaret Davidson. It's a nonfiction because it's based on a true life story about a girl who is in a quiet dark world. She's been deaf and blind or whole life and no one understood her until a woman named Anne Sullivan who was almost blind but not quite. She helped her and gave her lessons, she even taught her how to speak proberly and became who she is. I rated this book 5 stars because it's really interesting if how Helen's life had been a huge success. I would recommend this book who is interesting in history and how famous people's life came to be.
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