Member Reviews
So informative and creative. The pictures are adorable and this had my child's interest from the very beginning! I even learned things while reading this, and I thought I knew so much about Helen Keller!
I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books through NetGalley.
Another in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series.
Young readers meet Keller as a baby and see how an illness changed her life. The fever left her blind and deaf. So, she had to overcome struggles and major challenges to learn how to communicate again. Her perseverance and determination made her a strong advocate for disabilities inclusion, women's rights and rights for all races. Her own commitment to learn took her far, but it was the added perseverance of Annie Sullivan, her teacher, that drove the breakthroughs.
Sanchez Vegara is a master at offering informative text for lower to mid level elementary readers. She shares the facts as a story and then includes further information in a timeline included at the end.
Another great addition to the Little People Big Dreams collection! This one is about Helen Keller, who is one of the most famous disabled people of history. Her story was inspirational to people even in her own lifetime and this book does a great job of talking about her life as a deafblind person and how a disability didn't stop her from getting Bachelor's degree, writing books, or travelling. With great illustrations as always!
Thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures.
This little book tells the story of Helen Keller, the first deaf-blind person to earn a university degree. Helen set an incredible example of how, with the power and strength of the spirit, it’s possible to overcome hardship. She spent all her life touring the world advocating for the rights of disabled people while inspiring each one of us.
Another good addition to the 'Little People, Big Dreams' series. Although, I was a little surprised that it hadn't been written before now.
Her incredible life story is outlined simply, highlighting her sickness as a child and the unimaginable frustration she must have felt in those early days before she had developed her way of communicating. The text describes the key people in her life who help her to unlock language, reading and writing and her accomplishments as an adult in advocating for the disabled. I was pleased that the book also touched on her activism, something that doesn't always get included in other retellings.
The inclusion of the timeline at the end helps to support our understanding. And, as always, the beautiful illustrations included only enhance the reading experience.
I did wish there was a little more included about Braille. Whilst not her invention, this development in her life was important and it became greatly significant. I think this was a missed opportunity to educate young children on it a little more, without detracting from her main story or adding a heap of extra words. I really hope there are plans for an addition to this series on Louis Braille.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Another fantastic read, from an amazing series of books.
I am from the UK and I feel ashamed to admit that I have never heard of Helen Keller, which is a real shame as she was an amazing little girl, which carried her through her adult life too.
Such a significant figure in the deaf blind community - everyone needs to read this book and learn about her.
Another exceptional title to add to the phenomenon that is the Little People, Big Dreams series.
Heller Keller was born seeing and hearing until she was 19 months old and her life changed forever. She was the pioneer of the braille system and she was a powerful orator who championed blind and deaf children.
The illustrations are a perfect fit and the text makes it easy for children to read. To be enjoyed by all ages.
This is the first book I've read in Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's Little People, Big Dreams series and I really enjoyed it! The artwork is wonderful and I learned something without having to read an entire Wikipedia page and end up in an internet black hole. 😅
I'll definitely be picking up more from the series. It seems like a great way to educate kids on important people in history (and today), and even adults such as myself who want to learn in a quick & accessible way.
I remember watching a movie about Helen Keller's life when I was a kid and have thought it was such an incredible story how she managed to find ways to communicate. I think this will teach kids a great lesson!
A superb book about an absolutely fascinating woman!
As an adult I really enjoyed the book - the images are brilliant and I loved learning about her life
She was truly inspirational and she overcame so much too
I wish all biographies were this fun and interesting - great facts and some absolutely wonderful images too
The author did a fantastic job bringing her story to life
It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended!
Thank you so much to Quarto/ Frances Lincoln for the ebook to read and review.
Helen Keller becomes deafblind as a very young child and had to learn everything in such unique ways and then she over achieved way more than anyone dreamed she would.
I had always known about Helen Keller but I don’t ever believe I knew some of the things within this book, I knew she had a lot to overcome and that she started braille but she did a lot more than I ever knew.
She was such an incredible human, she had so much courage and determination to be able to try, to learn and to overcome her adversaries. She learnt how to communicate in so many ways and helped set a path for others like her to know that can do anything too. She was incredible.
I love this series, it always finds the most fascinating and important people to focus on and tell their stories, they always have the most beautiful illustrations which I always love looking at. I will always recommend this series, they will help inspire so many young children to over comes issues and to be who they truly are.
Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕟 𝕂𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕣
Little People, Big Dreams
Children’s Book
Author: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇 𝗩𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗮
Illustrator: 𝗦𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝘂𝗱𝗱
32 Pages
Helen Keller is a short story describing significant parts of Helen’s life. She has always fascinated me, but I haven’t read anything about her in quite a while. I had forgotten that she wasn’t born deaf and blind. An illness caused her to lose her hearing and sight. There were other facts that I didn’t know or forget about. As an adult, I enjoyed this book. It would be spectacular for children.
Other great features of this Little People, Big Dreams book are extra facts with a timeline and photos in the back of the book. In addition, the illustrations are detailed and beautifully done. I am not a huge fan of the color scheme, but I’m sure many others are!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.
I love reading the Little People, Big Dreams series! This book in the series shows the life of Helen Keller, who
ended up deaf and blind, and unable to talk when she was one year old. Despite her disabilities, she grew up to be strong, and I was inspired by the way she was able to obtain a university degree and fight for the rights of disabled people.
The book itself has easy to read text, and bright, colourful graphics, which are lovely to look at.
I highly recommend this book, which I found very interesting and inspiring.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
This is a lovely book about Helen Keller, though I wish it did more to communicate what kind of person she really was. Like most books about Keller, it focuses on her overcoming being deaf and blind and going on to accomplish great things in a sort of sweet, generic way. It does say that she spoke out for disadvantaged people but it doesn’t go into nearly enough of it.
Helen Keller was a radical socialist, pacifist, and founding member of the ACLU. She was a suffragette and supporter of the NAACP. She was fiercely political and passionate about defending the rights of workers, women, people with disabilities, the poor, and people of color. This is generally left out of biographies but in today’s day and age we need these loud activists as role models for our kids more than the pretty, meek versions of the past.
Helen Keller was a childhood hero of mine, after reading a book about her when I was 8. So you can imagine my excitement to see she was getting a Little People, Big Dream book. If I hadn’t already admired her before I would after reading this book. A tough life, the challenges thrown our way don’t have to stop us succeeding in life. Be brave and live the fullest life you can. A great addition to the collection.
Helen Keller is an inspiring historical figure, who at a young age became deaf and blind.
She was a trail blazer for disability rights and a tireless social campaigner. I loved reading this telling of her life as I knew nothing about her. Not only did she do things for people who were deaf and blind but also for women's right and african-american rights.
An amazing woman who 100% deserves to join this collection
Yet another amazing addition to the Little People Big Dreams series. Just when I thought I knew everything about Helen Keller, this book taught me more about an incredibly remarkable woman. My daughter loved all of the gorgeous illustrations and was inspired by Helen’s story. When we were done, she closed her eyes and had me reread it, and put her hands on my neck and lips, like Helen would do, so she could try and experience a bit of how Helen learned. Thank you for giving us another book in our favorite series!
A gorgeous children’s book. I love the Little People Big Dreams books and this new edition featuring Helen Keller is no different. Helen Keller is an inspiring historical figure, a trail blazer for disability rights and a tireless social campaigner. I loved reading this telling of her life and sharing it with my son. I can’t wait to buy him the print version for his bookshelf. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I received a free copy of,Helen Keller,by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Helen Keller is such an inspiration. Blind, mute, and deaf, and very independent as she came be. Great story for kids of all ages, to learn about this hero.
I adore this series. I have been lucky enough to read a ton of books in the 'Little People, BIG dreams' series and they are all brilliant. This book is no exception.
I'm ashamed to say that I had never heard of Helen Keller before reading this book, so for the first time with the books in this series, I was reading as a complete novice. Usually the people in the books, I have heard of/know a lot about. This was the first time I didn't.
I loved Keller's story, and the writing/illustrations had so much heart within it. It's clear to see why Helen Keller is so admired!
Continue to love these books. Definitely recommend.
This beautiful book contains a fabulous exploration of one of the world's most heroic trailblazers for vulnerable people. Helen Keller set a wonderful example of the power of the human spirit to overcome hardship and the author, Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, brings Keller's story to life in a simple format for children to understand.
Children will learn about this little girl who became deaf and blind after a childhood illness. Her sadness disappeared when a teacher came to show her different ways of communicating. Instead of complaining about what she couldn’t do, Helen Keller decided to focus on what she could do and as a result, she left a legacy as the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree! You’ll need to read this book to discover the rest of Helen’s legacy.
Children will learn that despite obstacles in our way we can use our hearts to navigate and find the best things in life; after all, the best things in life are those things we can feel with our hearts.
After reading this with my niece and nephew we talked about everyone having a few hurdles to jump over in life and how easy or difficult they were often depended on our attitude and outlook. It’s obvious this book had an impact on their thoughts. We went online and researched some of Helen Keller's quotes, adding to our understanding of Helen's life.
This is a fantastic addition to the series and a great discussion starting point about braille and sign language.
I was gifted this advance copy by Quarto Publishing Group, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review