Helen's Big World

The Life of Helen Keller

Contributors

By Doreen Rappaport

Illustrated by Matt Tavares

Formats and Prices

Price

$18.99

Price

$23.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Hardcover $18.99 $23.99 CAD
  2. Trade Paperback $9.99 $12.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around October 16, 2012. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

A heartwarming portrait of an unforgettable woman by the critically acclaimed author of Abe's Honest Words and Martin's Big Words.

This picture book biography is an excellent and accessible introduction for young readers to learn about one of the world’s most influential luminaries. With her signature style of prose laced with stirring quotes, Doreen Rappaport brings to life Helen Keller’s poignant narrative. Acclaimed illustrator Matt Tavares beautifully captures the dynamism and verve of Helen Keller’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.

Genre:

  • “Helen’s Big World covers the whole span of Helen’s life from birth through her many years with Annie and after. Rappaport characteristically uses quotes to extend and heighten the emotion. A timeline at the end helps put important dates in perspective. Though this book focuses more on Helen than on Annie, readers get a more acute awareness of how much Annie sacrificed for Helen, Tavares’ illustrations are, per the title, big and bold and often in intense close-up. 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
  • “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

On Sale
Oct 16, 2012
Page Count
48 pages
ISBN-13
9780786808908

Doreen Rappaport

About the Author

Doreen Rappaport has written numerous award-winning books for children, including Freedom Ship and The School Is Not White (both illustrated by Curtis James); Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book illustrated by Bryan Collier; and John’s Secret Dreams: The Life of John Lennon, also illustrated by Bryan Collier.

Gary Kelley is well-known for both his fine art and his illustration work. He has received awards from the New York Society of Illustrators (including twenty-seven gold and silver medals), American Booksellers Association, Print magazine, Los Angeles Society of Illustrators, the Bologna Book Fair, and others. His clients include the New Yorker magazine, Rolling Stone, and many major publishers and advertising agencies. Mr. Kelley lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Learn more about this author