Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller (review)

Reprising the format of Martin’s Big Words (BCCB 1/02) and subsequent titles, Rappaport offers a picture-book biography of Helen Keller, distinguished by carefully chosen and integrated quotations from Keller herself. This is an effective introduction to the blind and deaf woman whose life story has perennially held strong appeal for children, most of whom will be particularly interested in her breakthrough tutelage by Annie Sullivan: “Annie gave Helen a doll and with her fingers traced the letters D-O-L-L on Helen’s palm. Helen thought Annie wanted the doll back, so she kicked and screamed.” After describing the misunderstandings and tantrums between teacher and student, Rappaport quotes Keller’s summative comment, “In the still, dark world in which I lived, there was no tenderness.” Figures appear stiff and waxen in many of Tavares’ mixed-media scenes, and poses are frequently sentimentalized. The oversized format, however, allows him to feature hand movements, Braille reading, and grooved writing board techniques, which will assist readers in understanding the many ways Keller communicated with and studied the world around her. Author and illustrator notes, a list of important dates in Keller’s life, a list of sources, and a manual language chart are included. No guide, however, is provided to decipher the Braille title embossed on the dust jacket, but libraries’ ubiquitous mylar covering will probably render this point moot.