Helen’s Big World

This “magnificent account” (New York Times) of Helen Keller’s life presents a moving portrait of one of the world’s great luminaries. 

When Helen was nineteen months old, an illness left her unable to see or speak. She struggled to make herself understood, and often lashed out when she couldn’t. With the help of a teacher named Annie Sullivan, she learned to spell words with her fingers, opening her world immeasurably. She soon learned to write and to read Braille, and even to read lips by touch; with Annie by her side, she went to college, and wrote an autobiography that shared her story with the world. She was lauded as a genius and became an advocate for people with disabilities, workers’ rights, women’s rights, and racial justice. 

With her signature style of accessible prose laced with stirring quotes, Doreen Rappaport brings to life Helen Keller’s poignant narrative in this addition to the Big Words series of picture book biographies. Acclaimed illustrator Matt Tavares beautifully captures the dynamism and verve of Helen’s life and legacy, making Helen’s Big World an unforgettable portrait of a woman whose vision for innovation and progress changed America—and the world—forever.

★ “Stirring and awe-inspiring.” —The Horn Book
★ “While there are many books available about Helen Keller for this age group, this title offers a unique and beautiful perspective on her life.” —School Library Journal
“No child could read this book without imagining herself, as Helen put it, ‘in the still, dark world in which I lived.’ But it makes Helen’s path to self-expression all the more resonant and inspiring.” —New York Times
“A worthwhile addition to biography shelves.” —Booklist

Don’t miss these other titles in the Big Words series!
Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Wilma’s Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller
Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• * “Stirring and awe-inspiring.”
  The Horn Book, starred review
• * “While there are many books available about Helen Keller for this age group, this title offers a unique and beautiful perspective on her life.” 
  School Library Journal, starred review
• “This magnificent account immerses young readers in the dark lows and subsequent highs of Keller’s story. Rappaport’s text, interspersed with quotations from Keller, is perfectly attuned to the mind of a child. Tavares’s paintings are steeped in emotion, especially in their depiction of young Helen’s anguish and frustration. No child could read this book without imagining herself, as Helen put it, 'in the still, dark world in which I lived.' But it makes Helen’s path to self-expression all the more resonant and inspiring.”
  New York Times
• “One of Helen Keller’s greatest achievements was learning to speak. Rappaport pays tribute to that accomplishment by incorporating Keller’s own words into her prose in the signature style seen in all the author’s children’s biographies, from John Lennon to Martin Luther King, Jr. But the move especially complements this book, where words have such significance. Keller’s story wasn’t just about learning to speak; it was about putting her words to use. There’s no better way to capture that aspiration than seeing the woman herself on the page.”
  Entertainment Weekly
• “A magisterial account.”
  Kirkus Reviews
• “Appearing beside broad, horizontal illustrations, Rappaport’s narrative is spaced out in poetic form.  [The] sometimes dramatic illustrations show just how big Helen’s world could be, picturing her in a college classroom, in a tree, on a stage, and in a factory with child laborers. The back endpapers illustrate the alphabet of hand signs that Sullivan taught Keller. Readers intrigued by the Braille alphabet can feel the raised red dots on the jacket, which spell out the book’s title. A worthwhile addition to biography shelves.” 
  Booklist