Helen Keller (Kids Can Read) - Hardcover

Elizabeth MacLeod has written many children's books, including nine titles in the Snapshots Biography series, numerous titles in the Kids Can Read, Kids Books Of and Kids Can Do It series, Why Do Horses Have Manes?, What Did Dinosaurs Eat?, and Monster Fliers. She lives in Toronto.

Grade 3-6-This biography tells Keller's story in a readable, sometimes fictionalized narrative and busy, colorful page layouts. On each spread, the main text appears on the left, while the opposite page consists of a visually appealing collage of black-and-white, full-color, and tinted photos and interesting tidbits set against a pastel background. MacLeod includes many well-known facts about Keller's life as well as a few less-familiar details. The controversy over her story, "The Frost King," which she wrote at age 11 and was accused of plagiarizing, is mentioned but not dwelled upon. Overall, the portrayal of Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, is very complimentary. The illustrations include a sample of Keller's handwriting and charts that demonstrate sign language and Braille. The book ends with a detailed time line, a useful index, and a list of places to visit. This offering is livelier than Deborah Kent's Helen Keller: Author and Advocate for the Disabled (The Child's World, 2003) and better suited to reluctant readers.
Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.