November 2008 Book Club Selection
Print/braille edition, $16.99
Ages 4-8
Young Helen Keller cannot hear, see or speak, but she knows the scent of vanilla cake coming out of the oven, the feel of her mother's fancy silk dress and that the dog is tense because the horses are outside. A brief flashback explains the illness that left Helen deaf and blind, and the subsequent lack of communication that rendered her a wild and unmanageable child. Then the story transitions to the moment when teacher Annie Sullivan enters her life and expects something more from her: an ability to learn. Told from Helen's point of view, the book takes readers from her dislike of this demanding stranger who continuously traces shapes in her palm, to her revelatory moment by the water pump, and finally to the realization that "Teacher" loves her.
This evocative portrait reminds us that there are many ways to experience the world through the senses - but the most important things in life are savored within the heart.
An excellent, accessible introduction to a fascinating woman.
- School Library Journal
See also:
Helen Keller Refrigerator Magnet (print/braille)
The Hickory Chair
Knots on a Counting Rope
A Picture Book of Louis Braille
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