About this item

This "magnificent account" (New York Times) of Helen Keller's life presents a moving portrait of one of the world’s great luminaries. When Helen was nineteen months old, an illness left her unable to see or speak. She struggled to make herself understood, and often lashed out when she couldn't. With the help of a teacher named Annie Sullivan, she learned to spell words with her fingers, opening her world immeasurably. She soon learned to write and to read Braille, and even to read lips by touch; with Annie by her side, she went to college, and wrote an autobiography that shared her story with the world. She was lauded as a genius and became an advocate for people with disabilities, workers' rights, women's rights, and racial justice. With her signature style of accessible prose laced with stirring quotes, Doreen Rappaport brings to life Helen Keller’s poignant narrative in this addition to the Big Words series of picture book biographies. Acclaimed illustrator Matt Tav