She Persisted: Helen Keller

by Courtney Sheinmel, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator), Gillian Flint (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Helen Keller!

In this chapter book biography by acclaimed author Courtney Sheinmel, readers learn about the amazing life of Helen Keller--and how she persisted. 
 
Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing after a childhood illness, but she didn't let that stop her from learning to read, speak, and make a difference. She was the first person who was both deaf and blind to go to and graduate from college, and she continued to write books and articles, speak in public, and stand up for the rights she believed everyone should have, inspiring others to do the same.

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Helen Keller's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.
 
And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Temple Grandin, Sonia Sotomayor, and more!

Praise for She Persisted: Helen Keller:

"An engaging portrait of a fascinating woman." --Kirkus Reviews

"A must purchase for all libraries." --School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593115701
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Series:	She Persisted Series
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Courtney Sheinmel (courtneysheinmel.com) is a chocolate-lover, mac & cheese expert, mom to Archer, and the author of nearly thirty books for kids and teens, including several series for young readers--Stella Batts, My Pet Slime, Magic on the Map (co-written with Bianca Turetsky), and Agnes & Clarabelle (co-written with Adele Griffin). She received a National Scholastic Outstanding Educator Award for her work as a writing instructor at the nonprofit Writopia Lab. Follow her on Twitter @courtneywrites.

Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their children and their dog, Soren. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/chelseaclinton.

Gillian Flint (gillianflint.com) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.

Alexandra Boiger (alexandraboiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.

Read an Excerpt

Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. 

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. 

I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. 

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,
Chelsea Clinton


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Baby Helen
Chapter 2: Changes
Chapter 3: The Most Important Teacher
Chapter 4: Life Lessons
Chapter 5: Dream It, Do It
Chapter 6: Helen's Legacy
How You Can Persist
References


Chapter 1
Baby Helen

By the time Helen Keller was ten years old, people all around the world knew her story—the little girl from Tuscumbia, Alabama, who was blind and deaf, and who had learned to write and speak. Helen would later use those skills to go to college, write bestselling books, and give speeches around the world. She inspired millions of people to not let their challenges hold them back.

But before all that, Helen was an ordinary baby.

Of course, Helen’s parents didn’t think she was ordinary. To them, she was precious and extraordinary.

Helen Keller was born on a summer day in 1880. She was a baby who started talking befor she was even a year old. Here are some of the first things she said:
Tea tea tea
How d’ye (an informal way of saying “How do you do?”)
Wah-wah (Helen’s way of saying “water”)

Helen was curious and active, too. She loved the sounds of the birds and the colors of the fields and trees on her family’s farm. By her first birthday, she’d started to walk. Her parents marveled at all the things she could do. It was a very happy time.

Then something terrible happened. When Helen was just a year and a half old, she became sick. So sick that doctors told her parents she could die. Her body was hot with high fevers. Helen’s mother stayed beside her and tried to soothe away all the bad feelings.

Eventually, Helen's fever broke. Her parents were grateful to know that their little girl would live. But they began to notice her life would be different.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Baby Helen 1

Chapter 2 Changes 8

Chapter 3 The Most Important Teacher 15

Chapter 4 Life Lessons 23

Chapter 5 Dream It, Do It 31

Chapter 6 Helen's Legacy 39

How You Can Persist 46

References 50

Editorial Reviews

Praise for She Persisted: Helen Keller:

"An engaging portrait of a fascinating woman." --Kirkus Reviews

"A must purchase for all libraries." --School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

Gr 2–6—Two more volumes in the inspirational chapter book "She Persisted" series. Helen Keller, born in 1880, contracted a fever when she was just a year and half, causing irreversible vision and hearing loss. Keller's parents sought the help of Anne Sullivan, a special teacher from the Perkins School for the Blind. Keller learned to read, write, speak, and read lips. Finally able to communicate, she took it upon herself to help those less fortunate, write 14 books, and graduate from Radcliffe College with honors. She changed the way people viewed those with hearing and vision loss. Oprah Winfrey was born with talent, intelligence, and a whole lot of grit. Memorizing scripture, reading and speaking well by age three, and requesting to skip kindergarten by writing her teacher a note stating, "I do not think I belong here" were just some of young Oprah's accomplishments. She endured poverty, sexual abuse by a cousin, and a stillborn child by the time she was just 18 years old. Determined to overcome, she found success by going to college and landing a job as Nashville's first Black television anchor. From there, Oprah's success grew with her ability to speak candidly about her feelings on air. Black-and-white illustrations are peppered throughout both books. VERDICT A must purchase for all libraries.—Tracy Cronce, Stevens Point Pub. Sch. District, WI

School Library Journal

2021-10-13
This entry in the She Persisted series provides a detailed look at the life of Helen Keller.

Helen Keller was born in rural Alabama in 1880. After suffering a severe illness as a toddler, she lost both her sight and hearing, leaving her isolated and unable to communicate with those around her. Her parents secured help for her when she reached the age of 7. Anne Sullivan was sent from the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts to attempt to educate Helen. Sullivan would remain Keller’s companion for decades, accompanying her as she campaigned around the world for individuals who were disabled. This short work features Flint’s cheerful black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations; unfortunately, they don’t always match tonally with moments depicting Keller’s early struggles. The few brief paragraphs per spread explain the major details of Keller’s life, provide some insight into the difficulties she faced, and highlight the impact she had on the world. Although print is large and there is plenty of white space, some of the vocabulary seems fairly sophisticated for those just transitioning to chapter books. Although Sheinmel’s efforts are necessarily constrained by the nature of early chapter books, this one largely succeeds, partly due to the exceptionally inspirational topic. The series will include 12 other female subjects. With the exception of two children on the cover, all characters in this book are depicted as White.

An engaging portrait of a fascinating woman. (references, online resources) (Biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews