Helen Keller

by Stewart Graff, Wayne Alfano (Illustrator), Polly Anne Graff

From the age of a year and a half, Helen Keller could not hear. She could not see, and she did not speak. She lived in a dark and lonely world--until Annie Sullivan came to teach her. Annie traced letters and words in Helen's hand, and made Helen realize she could "talk" to people. Eager to make up for lost time, Helen threw herself into her studies. She decided to teach others about the special training deaf and blind children need. Helen traveled all over the globe and raised money to start up schools for deaf and blind children. Her courage and her determination to help others conquer the odds against them earned her the respect and admiration of the world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Biography Memoir, Classics, School

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen Keller (Paperback)
by Stewart Graff
Helen Keller book is about learning about the history how Helen Keller life was and how she changes the perception of disabilities. Helen Keller was a young girl blinded, and deafened by a high fever, Scarlet fever. She was unable to communicate, tell her needs, or even indicate what she wanted. It was her care give who found the magic hidden with in this remarkable child. When she learned to talk, she learned to behave. She became an advocate for children with disabilities and changed countless lives. 

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

She was a blind girl who felt that she was in a different world because she was blind and deaf.

[Michelle]

This is the first book that I had as a child about Helen Keller.
I felt that it needed to be with me today… when I got to visit ivy green with my family.
Thankful.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found!

I have been thinking about this book for quite some time, but I knew I would get nowhere by typing in "Helen Keller." I knew if I did that, I'd get 400 results (hyperbole) and probably wouldn't have the time and patience to wade through all of them to find the one I was looking for. Also, if there was no image of the cover of the book, I'd never even know if I came across the book I was looking for.

Today I was looking on another person's page and saw she has a kids/young adult bio of Helen Keller. I wondered if that was the book I have been looking for. I looked at the entry for the book the other GoodReads person has listed, but I was unsure. Her book had been published in 1969, early enough for it to be the book I was looking for. (I read my Helen Keller book in the late 70s/early 80s.) I decided to look at a different Helen Keller book listed on a sidebar. I clicked on that book, then looked over to see the other editions listed. Lo and behold, there was my book.

I remembered the cover was green, but I thought Helen was alone on the cover. But as soon as I saw this cover image, I knew it is the one. YES!

I can't remember where my copy of this book came from. I got it used, but I don't remember picking it out myself. I do remember reading it multiple times throughout my life and being inspired by Helen's intelligence and spunk.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Keller is a non-fiction book by Stewart and Polly Anne Graff. It's about the life of the famous, Helen Keller, who grew up both blind and deaf.
Her parents didn't think she would be fully functional because of her loss of sight and hearing, but then they found Anne Sullivan, who would change Helen's life. Anne Sullivan taught Helen that she was just like anyone else, and being blind and deaf wouldn't stop her from being successful.
I love how the book told about Helen's feelings and her journey to all of her accomplishments. It acknowledged the challenges she faced along the way. I think this book sent a good message about overcoming obstacles.
I think this book was written for elementary school aged children, but really anyone could enjoy this book.

[Kelsea Breedlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Keller, is an inspiring story about a young girl who can see or hear and seems completely helpless to the outside world, but with great determination tackles everything in her path and proves to everyone just how capable she truly is. In your classroom one could use this when talking about health and how people are all made differently. You could have your students write down things that makes them different from their peers and then have them discuss how those differences make them unique and can be used to make them great someday.

[Samantha Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography about a lady named Helen Keller. Helen was blind and deaf. Initially, it was so hard for her to function in the world. She found determination and started to become skilled in so many things. She wanted to prove that she was capable and able to do things normal people could do. She did just this. She was a talented and determined lady. This would be a great way to bring in history in the classroom.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read a biography for a book report and my mom recommended reading about Helen Keller because she read about her when she was young. This book told a lot of interesting facts about Helen, who was blind and deaf. Her teacher was Anne Sullivan and they were friends for Helen's whole life. Helen lived to be 88.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book (and a lot more Helen Keller books) for my book report on Helen Keller and I thought it was really interesting. I like how Helen Keller always stuck to what she wanted to do and never gave up. She was a really interesting person to do my report on.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite's as a kid! I have read this and many other Helen Keller books AND movies and never get tired of her. I probably learned from her to never give up on anything, even if I have to suffer to get what I really want.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think everyone should know about the life of Helen Keller. Her life story in itself is very inspirational and teaches perserverance. This book is well written for children as well as adults to understand some of lifetime achievements in everyday life to national accolades.

[Salar K · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book, something to read quickly

[Samantha Jayakody · Rating 5 out of 5]

hellen keller was an amazing person

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very brief overview of Helen Keller's remarkable life. My daughter really liked it, and she wants to read more about her.

[Zoë Katherine Littlefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was interesting because it told us about Helen Keller and her growing up in Alabama and about how she grew up to be very famous even though she was deaf and blind.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was obsessed with the story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan as a girl, and still am, really.

[Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple read. Always an inspiring person to learn about.

[Marina Ever vidal]

the book is so good and is kind of sad i loved it so much i read it two times

[Diana Osorio]

SHE IS DEAF

[Sarah Giaccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Keller Crusader for the Blind and Deaf is a children’s book written by Stewart and Polly Anne Graff and illustrated by Wayne Alfano. In this book, the readers are able to learn about the life of Hellen Keller. The book discusses the challenges that she faced after becoming blind and deaf from an illness she suffered from when she was one and a half years old. Annie Sullivan became a very important person in Helen Keller’s life. She would trace letters and words on Helen’s hand repeatedly, explaining who people were and what objects she was feeling. She never gave up on Helen even when she would act out at first because her parents would choose to let Helen do whatever she wished to do. Annie helped Helen become the accomplished person that we are taught about today. The major themes in the book were determination and overcoming challenges. The theme of determination can be seen through her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who never gave up when trying to teach Helen Keller. Anne had her mind set on teaching Helen how to understand words and giving her an education. Even when Helen acted out, Anne never gave up on her. The theme of overcoming challenges can be seen throughout the entire book. Helen grew up blind and deaf, she did not know how to behave, and that other people had feelings. Giving her an education is not an easy task because she cannot be taught the same way as other students. She soon overcame the obstacles in her life and learnt how to read through braille, write, and speak. The main genre of this book is biography. Children reading this book could learn about the life of Helen Keller and how she was able to overcome the challenges that she faced. Children can also learn about the importance of education and to not take what they have for granted. This book was a WOW book for me because it was simply written and easy for children to understand but still discusses all of the key parts of Helen Keller’s life.

Two of the writing craft techniques the author used in this book were imagery and chronological structure. The authors used imagery by writing things like “suddenly the screen door slammed. Helen turned. She could not hear the slam, but it made a shake. It was a vibration that she could feel” (p. 4-5). The reader is able to create a picture in their head of the scene that is happening. The authors used chronological structure by telling the story of Helen Keller’s life in the order that it happened, from her youth to her old age. These writing craft techniques enhanced the quality of the writing in this book because they help the reader image what is happening and what Helen Keller’s life was like when she did not understand the world around her. It also helped the audience to understand all of the events in her life because the events are told in the order that they happened, instead of jumping around. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because the authors did research and accurately told the story of the life of Helen Keller.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography is perfect for young readers who have some experience with children's novels, as it has full pages of text broken up by some pictures every few pages.

This biography chronicles the story of Helen Keller, who discovered how to communicate despite her deafness and blindness. What I really appreciate about this book is it goes past her time with her teacher Annie Sullivan, and continues to tell the reader of Helen's adulthood accomplishments. Many know Helen's childhood story, but that really is only the tip of the iceberg of not only the obstacles she faced, but the incredible achievements she trailblazed for access for those with disabilities.

Helen is a historical figure many know about, but do not know the depth of her legacy. Students can use this book as a framework for many topics in social studies (American women, disability studies, American activists, American educators, etc). It could be an introduction to teaching the American Sign Language alphabet, since Helen and Annie used a variation of ASL and fingerspelling to communicate.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful story was one that marked my life in 3rd grade, I still remember how I would asked my fellow classmate to read this book to me as I didn’t had learn well to read difficult words. It was indeed a beautiful story that I still find so special. The movie that Disney made to adapt it as well.

I feel every parent should watch or read the book not matter which version as it’s really beautiful how they demonstrate u cannot have pity for those special kids or “normal” ones, as you are only making them dependent to do whatever they want without knowing some day they have to work and do it by themselves.

[Heybookface · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just re-read this book purely for nostalgic purposes. The first time I read it I was 6 or 7, and I remember loving the part where she runs into the kitchen and starts to grab warm chunks of a freshly baked cake. Reading it as an adult of course I was blown away by how intense her life was, but I also thought it was cool how they showed the practicality of it all; how she had to continuously find jobs and ways to support her livelihood, and herself. Definitely a great book for a child to use for a book report.

[Marilyn Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biography
3rd-5th reading level
I thought this book was super inspiring. As a soon to be teacher it really helped me to consider how all students can succeed if given enough help no matter their disabilities. I think any student can benefit and be inspired from this book and from Helen Keller’s life. I think this book did a great job of summarizing and explaining all her life’s work in a children’s book.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chosen as a christmas present for my granddaughter. I wanted to read it first. What remarkable women who are very inspiring

[Aallyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was nice and educational :)

[Blanca Urbieta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read for kids!

[Lieke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I read this when I was about 8 and this story fascinated me endlessly.

[Perri Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve got a lot of thoughts on Hellen Keller but the kids liked this book.

[Cws]

J92Kel