Helen Keller: A photographic story of a life

DK Biography

by Leslie Garrett

Tells the inspirational tale of the spirited crusader, Helen Keller. In this groundbreaking new series, DK brings together fresh voices and DK design values to give readers the most information-packed, visually exciting biographies on the market today. Full-color photographs of people, places, and artifacts, definitions of key words, and sidebars on related subjects add dimension and relevance to stories of famous lives that students will love to read. Supports the Common Core State Standards.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens

127 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginner biography of Helen Keller, aimed at lower elementary students. Focuses heavily on Helen's pivotal relationship with Annie Sullivan. Text is augmented by both illustrations and photographs from the time period. Contains a glossary and index, but no sources are cited.

[Lenox]

It was a good book. It had a good story line about her life. The detail was good and very descriptive.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my biography unit in reading class and it was perfect. It contained important facts that I used for my project. This book also contained no bias and I enjoyed getting to know the insides of Helen Keller's life and legacy! I would recommend this book to readers who are researching currently because it is the perfect material to take notes with!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very nicely done biography on Helen Keller. Its intended audience is the young reader but I found it interesting and satisfying as an adult. I love old photographs and was impressed by how many were included in this brief book, it's aptly named "a photographic story of a life".

I liked the way the author was able to appeal to a broad range of readers by inserting explanations for concepts and words younger readers might not yet know off to the side of the general text of the story. For example abstract, proctor, inauguration and Bachelor of Arts are all defined inside an unobtrusive text box at the edge of a page.

I also liked the way the author didn't sugar-coat issues, she included the fact that Annie Sullivan had detractors and at one point Helen was separated from Annie in an attempt to protect Helen. I found this book very interesting and informative and would recommend it to young and old alike.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really informational and intriguing. It's hard to grasp the concept of learning language and speech without seeing or hearing, but by feeling and connection. Helen Keller was a really amazing woman. I admire how she could do all that she could and still wanted to do more and help out others with disabilities. It warmed my heart especially when she visited the wounded veterans and encouraged them to still be happy and make the most of their lives.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent overview of Helen's life, but Helen Keller: Rebellious Spirit is (in my opinion) a better book (with better pictures) and covers the same material with a little bit more in-depth analysis, without sacrificying readability.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn’t understood all that Helen had done. There is so much focus on her childhood due to the play and movie that her own abilities and accomplishments have been easily dismissed. She did a lot especially since she was able to get the support she received.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would reccomend this book because it is cool to see how she learns everything because she was deaf and blind!!

[Carlos Amado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book a 5/5 since it's really interesting and It's kind of fun and easy to understand one of the best books I have readed in a long time.




The Idea of this book is to explain you the life of a girl called Helen and she is blind and deaf but she lost her sight and hearing at a really young age so she had to learn communicate in sign language and the learn about how to talk and she even won nobel prizes, since she loved to write and it was one of her dreams to become a writer.




Something in this book that caused me to reflect about my life is how capable a 12 year old is about learning things and that if she wants to do it she can do it. So this book leaves me with a lot of persistence messages. But this book doesn't only have things that make you reflect life for example a dilemma that was in the book was when a teacher wanted to get fired the teacher and legal tutor of Helen so It was hard time for helen and that dilemma leave us thinking about our heroes journey and how everyone has his own hero's journey, but all of them are really similar.


I think this book relate to my hero's journey because it helps me understand about persistence and that you can follow your dreams and you should never give up because you are able to do it and a example of this is when helen didn't know yet how to communicate so she kept struggling until she mastered it and finally understood but she never gave up and even practiced a lot when she learned how to communicate with people.




This book change my form of seeing books because this one is the first biography that i read and It's one of the best ones I ever heard because i know some people that are inspired because of Helen and that they follow their dreams just because of her since she showed them how you are able to do it If you try. But not only this because the book is short and easy to understand while also having a deep meaning that impacted me and I would definitely read it again since I really enjoyed it very much.


If you are searching for a book to read I really recommend this book since it shows about life and hero's journey by showing us the life of little helen growing by moments and learning how to talk, write and do daily task like changing her dress. That this book shows of that everybody is capable of achieving their dreams and if you really try you can make it and you don't have to surrender because with constant perseverance the

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary. Though aimed at children (specifically, young teens), adults can also enjoy this well-laid-out, clearly written biography. The book is worth having for the photographs alone, many of which I'd never seen before. As to the story--

If you've read Helen Keller's own (really beautiful) autobiography, or seen the play or movie "The Miracle Worker", you'll know the main facts, especially of the early sections. This book is by no means a substitute for those, which enter much more deeply into Helen's lived experience as a child. Where this book shines is in giving an overview of the great woman's entire life, including some unexpected struggles and difficulties, her great compassion for the poor, her fight against blindness, her mature writings, and her politics. In short, I thought I knew Helen Keller's life story. I only knew half of it. And those photos!

As I said, this short book can't substitute for Ms. Keller's own words, which it often quotes. But it's a terrific supplement, and a very good introduction to a very great woman. Recommended.

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This informational book goes through all of Keller’s milestones throughout her difficult life. She is also still seen as a symbol of human resilience and determination to overcome limitations. The several chapters discuss her impact on others facing similar limitations, her difficult upbringing, how she learned to read and communicate, her teacher Annie, her journaling and education, her work for the American Foundation for the Blind, and her support of troops during WW2. I think this book is very important because it can give children hope, especially those who feel like they can relate to Helen Keller. Also, even though she lived in a time before us, she still stands as an incredible female figure. The author does a great job at laying out the information into categories and timelines. The illustrations and sidebars also do a great job at keeping young readers engaged.

[Alyssa]

This book tells the story of Helen Keller through her challenges. Although it is aimed for a younger audience, this book has valuable information about Helen’s struggles and how she overcame communication with others being blind and deaf. I read this book to gain more knowledge about women in the late 1800s for History class, and Helen Keller was a prime example of how women were faced with major challenges and overcame them, even with little say in the society. The theme of this biography about Helen Keller is to show how she never let go of her dreams, and although at first, she didn’t want to learn or speak to anyone, she was determined to prove everyone wrong, and just because she was different, it didn't make her different.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it all began when I was going through my bookshelf looking for books to give away. I happened to pick up the Helen Keller biography and decided to read a few pages thinking that I may want to get rid of it. Boy was I wrong! I could not put this book down. It is an easy read so I casually read 68 pages before I set it asides. Such a lovely documentation of a beautiful person. Helen Keller was incredibly intelligent, compassionate, and curious. A life well spent. I highly recommend this biography.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for good readers, high readers in the late elementary grades and up. I learned quite a bit from this book, including the fact they did vaudeville and she starred in two movies, Deliverance in 1920 and a documentary Unconquered, which won an Oscar in 1954. The book is highly recommended by me. Superb!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick read!

This is a great quick read on the biography of Hellen Keller. However, I feel like is should been the biography of Hellen Keller and Annie Sullivan (her teacher). Annie was such a larger part of her life. It seems as if Annie took on the role of her mother more than teacher. This book would be great for middle school students who need to write a report on influential people.

[Maya Geissinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade Level: 3rd- 5th Genre: Biography
This book gives some much information on Helen Keller's life. I enjoyed how it was written in a more story form, instead of just facts about her life. It had a good flow throughout and the pictures helped imagine the stories even more. Her life is very inspiring, she was an amazing woman.

[Micheal Teague · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting! Well written! Love the photos! Well done!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy reader, more details than I knew from the play

[Kay Mcaloney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for my advanced reading group.

[Alejanrda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly it really tells how Helen Keller lived her life. It gives very interesting facts and details. If you really like reading Helen Keller like me then you should read this book.

[Josh Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read ..yet very informative

[K G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good overview of Helen's story that is aimed at kids, but you'd think there'd be less ableism.

[Enzo Steiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

vereee gud buk

[Bowen Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

LITERALLY LOVE THIS DAMN BOOK, I USED TO READ IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

[Tricia Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

A follow up Book to her first Book The story Of My life . Helen Keller was truly an amazing person.

[Brittany Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I learned a lot.

[Dawn Mannion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read with your children. Very interesting and informative.

[Kelly Borton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The DK Readers biography series are full of information and pictures of people, places, and items related to the person. I like how there are definitions of key words and sidebars with real pictures explaining places and things in more detail. For example, a real picture of braille and The College of Girls had detailed information. The organization with subheadings keep the biography organized and helps the reader identify a timeline of events, people, and places. The photographs are a combination of drawings and real black and white images. It is an easy read that keeps the attention of a young reader as you want to keep reading to see the progression of the individuals life.

Helen Keller is one of my favorites to study because she exceeded everyone's expectations, including her own. Her life story is of the many obstacles she faced while being deaf and blind. Her strong will power and the help from a wonderful teacher that stayed in her life contributed to helping others learn as she did. She is a true inspiration of hope and success.

I would use these DK series in the classroom to do biography studies of interest. It would be fun to create a wax museum where the student's dress up as their character and share timelines and storyboards constructed during their readings. They could do a mini presentation introducing themselves as the character.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of Helen Keller, keeps the reader engaged by including multiple photographs that give the reader a better sense of who and what they are reading about. It was interesting to read about all the steps of learning how to communicate. A lot of the story includes Helen's teacher Annie, who found unique ways to teach her. Helen even said that if she were to have to choose between Annie and her mother, she would choose Annie. Helen made speeches and met many people including the president. She became very famous and even went to college. Annie helped her all along the way.

I liked the way the author was able to appeal to a broad range of readers by inserting explanations for concepts and words younger readers might not yet know off to the side of the general text of the story. For example abstract, proctor, inauguration and Bachelor of Arts are all defined inside a text box at the edge of a page. This short novel is 123 pages, with pictures included and is a great biography for a younger audience to read. I would recommend it to 4th-6th graders. I would accompany it with a class discussion and possibly a movie on Helen Keller's life.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Helen Keller a girl who suffered from a strong fever at an early age. One day, Hellen could not see, hear, or speak. She grew up while throwing temper tantrums and her parents did whatever they could to find a cure but when they found out they couldnt, they hired someone to look after Hellen. Hellen's life changed drastically and amazing things happen. You have to read the book to find out!
I can relate Helen to many people in the world who are either blind, deaf, cannot talk, or all. They go through alot and I admire them for getting through the tough times.
I rate this book 4 stars because I felt that it gave a powerful message and the book was heart warming and inspireable. I would recommend this book to people who like autobiograph and non fiction books.