I love this series -- some are better than others, but I've found all of them interesting. This is one of the more mediocre ones, perhaps because I already know more about Helen Keller. But I still think it's a good introduction to her life.

Like other books in this series, it is a fun little introduction to historic figures. Definitely a great way to introduce kids to biographies and a nice read for adults too. I would recommend all the books in this series.

Helen Keller by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara explores the life of this amazing blind-deaf woman. I appreciate that the author handled certain parts of Keller's life with gentleness and compassion. That's been the case with many of the people who've been covered in this series.

At age one, a terrible illness stripped the little girl of sight, sound, and speech. But Helen didn't let that stop her. She and her family explored different ways of communicating. Thanks to her determination and spirit, Keller became the first blind-deaf person to earn a university degree.

At the end is a section with more detailed information on life, suitable for older readers. Inspirational and educational both, this entire series is great, and full of delightful art to engage younger audiences!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A great little book to tell the story of a very famous woman. I thought it was very well done, and summed up the importance of this historical figure.

5★
“She was just one when she said ‘water,’ a word she would never forget.”

What a remarkable woman Helen Keller was. Born on a farm in northern Alabama, she was a bright, curious toddler, 19 months old, when she was struck by some kind of feverish disease which left her blind and deaf.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“By the time that she was six, Helen had created more than 60 signs to communicate with her playmate Martha, like a pull to mean ‘come’ or a nod for ‘yes.’ She could even recognize people by the way the floor shook as they walked.”

There is no doubt she was a clever cookie! But she was frustrated that she couldn’t move her lips because she could feel that other people did and it meant something. She was so frustrated she would break down screaming. Tantrums know no bounds.

Her parents found an institute that sent a teacher to them, Anne Sullivan, who became Helen’s lifelong friend. Anne brought a gift for Helen and gave it to her.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“She slowly spelled the letters of the name of the gift into her hand: ‘d-o-l-l.’ Helen repeated it with her fingers, without knowing she was spelling a word, or even what a word was.”

She may not have had any idea what all this writing in her hand was, but as I said, she was a curious child who wanted to learn everything. If someone was going to make shapes in her hand, she was clever enough to copy them. The big breakthrough came when Anne splashed water on Helen and then spelled it in her hand.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“…a memory of that word came back to Helen. She realized that words were related to things, and that everything had a common name!”

The key that unlocked everything. That must have been such a moment! I still remember the wonderful film with Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan and Patty Duke as young Helen (who was a terror and a handful of a kid).

She learned Braille, and then there was no stopping her. She still couldn’t see or hear, but she could communicate.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“…and the following year, she attended a school for blind people.”

Later she learned speech by feeling lips and throats, so she knew what speaking should feel like.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Helen learned how every sound felt, and, before long, she was able to speak, too.”

From there she went from strength to strength, travelling around the country with Anne, giving a voice to disabled people. She earned her BA from college, the first deafblind person to do so, wrote books, and enjoyed visiting and talking with people like Mark Twain and Alexander Graham Bell. She really did get around.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Still, she also found time to defend women’s votes and the rights of African-American people.”

She travelled around the world, visiting 35 countries on five continents, meeting world leaders. Note that in almost every picture is a small brown and white dog, and sometimes other larger dogs. She was a dog-lover, although it isn’t mentioned here.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Helen Keller remains one of history’s greatest campaigners: a person who devoted her life to making the world a better place for everyone.”

I’m sure I remember seeing her on television meeting President Eisenhower after she’d visited wounded soldiers in hospitals. She had given hope to so many who had new adversities to overcome, and he wanted to thank her.

Watch this short video, and see her grace and kindness and the welcome she was given (with equal grace and kindness) wherever she went. It’s only a minute and a half, but says it all.

Helen Keller Meets President Eisenhower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dLtnyTAFr4

What an incredible woman – makes you feel ashamed to complain, doesn’t it?

Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the copy for review.

As a child I knew about Helen Keller and admired her for all she achieved, but I don't think our young people today know who she is, or all that she did to advance education for the deaf and/or blind. She was born with all her sensed intact, but at 19 months, she contracted an illness that gave her an extremely high fever and she was left blind and deaf. Her life changed forever. Using gestures, she developed some rudimentary communication, but her parents wanted more for her. Being well off, they hired a teacher, Anne Sullivan, from the Perkins Institute for the Blind. She began to teach Helen to finger spell, use braille to read and she eventually was able to speak after meeting a well known teacher of deaf people, Sarah Fuller. Sarah showed her how to use her fingers to feel lips and throat vibrations to learn how sounds felt. She went on to get a Bachelor's degree, write many books and give speeches. She was responsible for setting up schools for the blind and deaf around the world, as well as making sure that Braille became the world's writing system for the blind. This is a great book to introduce the new generation to a woman who dreamt as a young girl, and overcame major obstacles to make the world a better place. The illustrations by Sam Rudd are wonderful. They add much to this book, with their whimsical style, expression and bright colours. This is an excellent addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series and one I recommend be in every library (family, classroom, school, public)

i always enjoy the books from this series. despite being aimed at educating young children about famous people throughout history, i always find i learn something new. for example - that helen wasn’t always blind & deaf and was able to see & hear up until she was 19 months.

We all began life as children, often with a dream we hoped to achieve. Some people overcome monumental challenges to achieve their dream and Helen Keller is one of them. This children’s book from Quarto Publishing Group-Frances Lincoln Children’s Books tells her story differently from what we have heard before.
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara begins Helen’s story with her childhood in Alabama, raised by loving parents, facing the challenge of raising a child rendered deaf and blind from a serious illness as an infant. Despite their attention and her own innate resourcefulness to cope with this devastating disability, she remained isolated and frustrated-that is until Annie Sullivan, a teacher for the blind, came into her life.
With Annie’s help, and eventual friendship, she learned to understand words and to read Braille. She also learned to speak from a teacher of deaf persons. With these skills, she went to college, becoming the first deafblind person to earn a college degree and wrote a book about her life.
But Helen’s remarkable life did not stop there and neither does this story. Ms. Vegara chronicles Helen’s life as an activist and advocate for other people with disabilities, for women’s right to vote, and for African Americans’ civil rights. She travelled the world giving speeches, met United States presidents and other famous people.
The pictures are attractive to children without looking childish. Mr. Rudd’s colorful illustrations capture Helen’s personality and interactions with various people who played important roles in her life, including her childhood playmate, the daughter of the family’s Black cook, and adult friends Mark Twain and Alexander Graham Bell show up too.
Parents will find this book a valuable resource to introduce this remarkable woman to their children. The author tells Helen's story tastefully,explaining the severity of her condition but not emphasizing it over her achievements.
I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley and agreed to write a candid review.

'Helen Keller' by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara with illustrations by Sam Rudd is book 84 in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series.

Helen Keller was born seeing and hearing and a childhood illness left her blind and deaf. She found ways to connect to the people and world around her. With the right teachers, and a distant memory of the word 'water' she was able to unlock language.

This is another winner in the series and the illustrations are lively and colorful.

This book series is one of our favorites and this latest book is the top (I may say that about all of them!)

I thought I knew about Helen Keller but this book proved how little I did! Fascinating and empowering! As always the illustrations are lovely.

Helen Keller was a name I knew of, but I didn't know know specifically why she was a famous figure. I learned that she became deaf blind at the age of one, and this book depicts the challenges she faced and how she overcame them with the beauty I've come to expect from this series. Considering the time period she was alive in, I found her particularly inspiring- there was obviously nothing like the technology we have today, but she still learned to read, write and communicate successfully. I think this is a great book to read with young people, as it helps them to learn about disability, hopefully helping them be sympathetic and understanding to the struggles others may face- this seemed to be the case for my younger brother at least. This is one of my new favourites in the series, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced ebook copy of this title!

Another great biography that is suitable for young children that is accompanied by cute illustrations and easy to understand text

This is another appealing installment in the Little People, Big Dreams series. The illustrations are nice, and the text introduces children to Helen Keller, the challenges that she faced because of her disability, and her story of perseverance and triumph against the odds. It briefly touches on her advocacy for social issues, but doesn't go into specific details. "So Much More to Helen: The Passions and Pursuits of Helen Keller" by Meeg Pincus would be a good follow-up to this book to learn more.

Most of us know who Helen Keller was, and the story of her life. But the author of this book, pointed out how Helen's effort, despite her weakness, can struggle to be a remarkable person, even well known till this era. The obstacles didn't stop her, and she had the tools to keep her moving forward.

My daughter and I loved learning about Helen Keller through this book - I had watched The Miracle Worker a few times as a child but didn't know much else about Helen, so it was fascinating to read about how much she achieved.

I think the book was written really well to be accessible for younger children (my daughter is just about to turn 6) while also not being too simple for older children.

Helen Keller by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another release in the Little People, Big Dreams series, which I have reviewed frequently on here. I just love these little books. They are always packed with facts about the person who they are writing about and full of colourful illustrations throughout.

This book is about the amazing Helen Keller she was curious and very eager to learn about the world. After contracting an illness during childhood, she became deaf and blind at the age of one and was unable to talk. Helen and her family found ways to connect with each other, such as hand-signing.

But when Anne Sullivan, a teacher, came into her life, Helen discovered more ways to communicate with the wider world, learning finger-spelling and how to talk. This saw her become the first deaf-blind person to earn a university degree, and led her to tour the world advocating for the rights of disabled people.

This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of this amazing woman’s life.

This book has inspiring features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the athlete and actor's life. It's full of easy to read, with great Illustrations throughout this small book.

It's one you should definitely buy for your little readers so they can learn about this different famous people.

I am so glad these books are being published and I highly recommend all of these books I loved this book.

Great little book about Helen Keller. Very inspiring.
I love this series and they are always perfectly pitched to the young audience.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

Helen Keller was a remarkable and inspiring woman. After an illness that left her both deaf and blind before she reached her second birthday, Helen’s determination to communicate with friends and family led to her learning how to speak, read, write and even become an activist fighting for the rights of women, African-Americans, and minorities. A great addition to the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ collection.

These biographies are age appropriate; inspiring and interesting, but not overwhelming. They have bright, beautiful illustrations, striking covers, and look great on a shelf together. I love the diversity of the people featured in this series. Artists, athletes, authors, activists, actors, explorers, entertainers, musicians, and scientists.

Thank you NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another lovely child-friendly biography about an important woman in history. However once again in this series of books, I feel that a major piece of Helen Kellers life is excluded from the story —her faith. I think that excluding peoples faith (whether it be Christian or not) from these stories is not really a true representation of who they were. It’s a nice story, with nice illustrations, but missing some major themes.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Myself and my 7 year old (will refer to him as RJ) are massive fans of the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ book series’. So I couldn’t wait to get access to this one so could read them together.

True to form, these books were beautifully illustrated, told great stories of remarkable people and left lots to talk about and discuss afterwards.

Review from RJ -
‘It was really good. I think Helen was really good and amazing. I liked when she was leaning to read the book (braille) and when she was learning the words by touching mouths.’

This one really helped in opening up conversations about disabilities and the effect they have on different people. It helped with his understanding of differences and ways to overcome them. It was a very powerful book and will definitely be recommending it.