So Much More to Helen: The Passions and Pursuits of Helen Keller

by Meeg Pincus, Caroline Bonne-Müller (Illustrator)

Overview

We all know Helen Keller's story—but what else do you know about her? Did you know she was an activist, a rebel, a performer, a romantic… and so much more! Most stories about Helen Keller focus on the story of her deaf-blindness and scholarship, but there is more to Helen than her disability. This bouncy, rhyming story is an excellent tool for teaching children to see beyond the surface with everyone they encounter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534111516
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2022

Gr 1–4—Pincus makes it her goal to expand on students' cursory knowledge of beloved biography figure Helen Keller. With a few lines of primary rhyming text on each spread are accompanied by secondary text, in a smaller font and ordinary prose, the author explains an aspect of Keller's identity: she was a student, an adventurer, an activist, a performer, a dog-lover, a traveler, and more. This thorough look at the subject's life goes beyond the handful of facts readers may already know, beyond her childhood and her time with Annie Sullivan. Illustrations show Keller as she ages, through changing fashions, as she travels, performs, and protests. A useful explanation of each spread follows the story. Other material includes photos, author's note, bibliography, and quote sources available online. VERDICT A highly recommended purchase for filling out reports or enjoying on its own.—Jenny Arch

School Library Journal

2022-04-27
Helen Keller’s life and achievements are recounted in rhyme.

Most people know the story of Keller learning the word water, but many don’t know about the life of activism she led after that. Pincus tells us about all the things Keller was—deaf-blind, yes, but also an author, activist, friend, and dog lover, among many other things. The didactic and earnest text is accompanied by chunky, colorful illustrations that offer more details for readers to find. Younger children can stick to the sometimes-awkward couplets (rhyming Helen with retellin’), while those who want to know more can read the explanatory paragraphs (rendered in a small font) on each page, and those who are really curious can read the additional information at the back of the book. It is difficult to bring a fresh perspective to Keller’s story, and the effort made here surpasses many others. In the backmatter, Pincus refers to Keller’s being a member of the Socialist Party, and there is an attempt to acknowledge the elephant in the room of Keller’s belief in eugenics (described too gently as “some theories now disregarded”). However, her friendship with Alexander Graham Bell (who argued that deaf people shouldn’t marry each other for fear of passing on deafness) is presented without comment, and her method of communication is described as “signing,” which is only technically true and implies a closer relationship to Deaf culture than she had. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A better-than-most addition to the Helen Keller children’s book canon. (author's note) (Picture-book biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews