Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller

Narrated by Eileen Stevens, this iconographic-animated adaptation of author Doreen Rappaport and illustrator Matt Tavares's 2012 picture book explores the life of blind and deaf writer/activist Helen Keller. Helen's parents knew something was wrong when their 19-month-old daughter exhibited troubling effects from a strange illness: no sight, hearing, or speech. While young Helen made up her own signs to express herself, she also engaged in famous kicking and screaming fits of sheer frustration, and things only became better around the age of seven, when legally blind teacher Annie Sullivan found a way to break through to the girl and help her relate words and ideas. Keller caught on quickly, and over the years she became a master of Braille, traveled widely (and went tobogganing!), and excelled in education, all with Sullivan by her side. Backed by the music of Ernest Troost, this biographical profile also touches on Keller's writing, civil and women's rights activism, and stage acting. Featuring a read-along option, extras include a guide to important dates in Keller's life, and an American Sign Language alphabet demo and manual language chart. Recommended. Aud: E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)