Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller

02 Nov 2012 54 Comments

by Patricia Tilton in Blind, Deaf, Doreen Rappaport, Perfect Picture Books Tags: , , , , , ,

Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller

Doreen Rappaport, author

Matt Tavares, illustrator

Disney Hyperion Books, Biography, Oct. 16, 2012

Suitable for:  Ages 6 and up

Themes: Deafblind people, Sign language, Braille, Courage, Wisdom

Opening/Synopsis:  ”Helen gurgled and giggled in her crib.  At six months, she crawled and  said, ‘How-d’ye,’ and ‘wah-wah’ for water.  When she was one, she ran after a ray of sunshine.  She loved the mockingbird’s song and the sweet smell of climbing roses.  But best of all was being on her father’s lap and in her mother’s arms.”   When Helen was 19 months old, an illness took away her sight and speech.  She was surrounded by silence and darkness.  Helen tried to make up signs to communicate with her parents.  But her failure to make them understand turned into outbursts.  Annie Sullivan came to work with Helen when she was seven years old.  Helen learned sign language quickly and was considered a genius.  Annie taught her Braille so she could read books.  She learned to write with a pencil, read lips, speak, and to experience the world with enthusiasm.  Helen graduated from college with honors.  Helen’s journey out of darkness led to freedom and she taught people how very large her world was.

Why I like this book:  The title says it all “Helen’s Big World,”which is rich, full of life and not limited in any way.  This is an excellent introduction for young readers to learn about this most remarkable woman.  Doreen Rappaport beautifully captures the essence of this very inspirational child and woman, Helen Keller.  It is written in prose with quotes from Helen woven into the story on every page.  The book not only chronicles the story of Helen’s challenging and courageous life, but shows children how one can move beyond physical limitations, find their own gifts and change the world for the better.  The book is large and Matt Tavares’ illustrations are bold, colorful, emotional and lively.  The illustrator emphasizes what Helen can do.  This book is a feast for the soul.  Adults will also enjoy reading this treasure.  I love that the book title is also printed in braille on the front cover.

Favorite Quotes:  “We do not think with eyes and ears, and our capacity for thought is not measured by five senses.”

“The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the attitude of seeing people toward them.”

“I have the advantage of a mind trained to think, and that is the difference between myself and most people, not my blindness and their sight.”

Resources:  The book alone is a great resource.  There are back pages of resources and materials, as well as a page of the manual alphabet chart Annie Sullivan used with Helen.   The American Foundation for the Blind has great resources or kids and teachers, especially if you scroll down and click on the Braille Bug link.  Check out author Doreen Rappaport’s website.  This is an excellent book for the classroom.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book.  To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.

GreenBean: True Blue Family

24 Sep 2012 28 Comments

by Patricia Tilton in Adoption, Children's Book Review, Elizabeth Blake Tags: , , , ,

GreenBean180801648GreenBean:  True Blue Family

Elizabeth Blake, author and illustrator

Nisse Press, LLC, Fiction, 2012

Suitable for:  Ages 4 and up

Themes:  Adoption, Different Families,  Identity, Visual Impairment

Opening/Synopsis:   “Oh No! Green Bean thought.  Maybe I don’t belong in this family.  I am green.  They are blue.”  GreenBean one days realizes that she doesn’t look like the other members of her family.    She has long ears and they have short ears.  She frets about all the differences and compares herself to her friend Anna who is the same color as her family.   It isn’t until GreenBean’s blind brother is surprised by her statement and offers her a new perspective of family.  GreenBean begins to see the diversity among her friends.  And, she learns that being loved and accepted by her blue family is what counts.

What I like about this book:  This is the first book written and illustrated by Elizabeth Blake.   The language is simply written as are her bold and colorful illustrations.   Both my children are adopted and struggled with identity issues and feeling different.  I would have welcomed her book.  In today’s world, there are many different kinds of families – divorced, single-parent, foster, mixed multicultural and ethnic, and gay families.  Blake’s excellent book  helps children understand diversity is part of who we are globally.   Otherwise we’d be pretty boring.   Blake’s credits her blind brother  ”who taught her that sight is not necessary for insight.”   He has been inspiration to her in learning about uniqueness and differences.  Visit Elizabeth Blake at her website.

This book has been provided to me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review of the work. 

Reaching for Rainbows – A uTales e-Book

02 Jul 2012 36 Comments

by Patricia Tilton in Children's Book Review, Nessa Morris, uTales, Visual Impairment Tags: , , , ,

Reaching for Rainbows

Nessa Morris, Author

Caroline Lee, Illustrator

uTales eBook, May 2012, Fiction

Suitable for: Ages 3 and up

Themes: Rainbows, Blind, Visual Impairment, Friendship

Opening:  ”A rainbow,” said Betsy.  “It’s so beautiful.  “Where?  I want to hold it,” said Amelia, who is blind.   Betsy sees a rainbow and describes it to her friend, Amelia.  Amelia wants to touch the rainbow, but Betsy tells her that no one can touch a rainbow because it is just colors.  But, through a surprising twist, Amelia teaches Betsy that you can touch, smell, taste and feel colors in a way Betsy has always taken for granted.

Why I like this book:  Nessa Morris has written a charming book with an inspiring message about a visually impaired girl who teaches her friend how to “see” in her world.  I love this theme!  Nessa’s book will certainly encourage children to think and see in a new way.  Very clever ending.  Kudos to the author.  As you can tell from the cover, Caroline Lee’s illustrations are a feast for the eyes.  Each illustration is simply beautiful and draws the child into the story.

Nessa Morris is the director of a library that serves people with visual impairments. Before becoming a library director, one of Nessa’s favorite jobs was being a children’s librarian.  As the “Storytime Princess,” she enjoyed introducing puppetry to children. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children.   You can reach her by clicking on her website.

What prompted  you to write about a visually-impaired child?

[N] I work with people who have visual impairments.  I also write stories for children.  Combining the two was natural.  After I realized that there weren’t too many book with visually-impaired children as main characters, I just knew I had to write this story.

Did the rainbow idea come first, or a child who was blind?

[N] The idea of a color-concept story with a visually-impaired main character appealed to me, because the two don’t necessarily seem to go together.  The rainbow came about because it’s the ultimate way to combine colors and yet it’s also difficult to describe on a physical basis since it has no substance.  I tried to think of how I would describe it in detail.  The story just flowed from there.

What was your experience like working with uTales?

[N] I found out about uTales through a member of my critique group.  Sandra Hershenson, who had published her story Annie & Me.  After seeing her story, I felt that Reaching for Rainbows would be a good fit with uTales.  I signed up for a free trial, and read several stories.  Once I was sure that uTales was the route I wanted to take, I pitched the idea to the uTales collaboration group on Facebook.  Caroline Lee was interested in illustrating the story.  She showed me a few of her illustrations, and we agreed to work together.  Caroline did some rough sketches of her ideas.  After we agreed that the story was on the right track, she colored the illustrations, and Reaching for Rainbows truly began to take shape.  Caroline’s illustrations made the rainbow come to life in a tangible way.  Also, the rainbow belonged to both Amelia and Betsy.   I loved the idea that no one can reach a rainbow, but everyone can find a way to hold a rainbow in their heart.  After a bit of minor tweaking, the story was submitted to the uTales editorial panel.  It was accepted and published within a few days after submission.

How has the experienced helped you as an author?  Would you recommend other authors publish on uTales?

As a new author, it’s great to see my work come to life.  The best part is being able to read the story with my three-year-old daughter.  She loves flipping through and “reading” the colors to me.   Publishing on uTales is a much quicker process than with a traditional publisher.  You have the benefit of working one-on-one with an illustrator and the two of you set the pace.  Creating a book with uTales also means that you have greater artistic control over your work than you would have with a traditional publisher.  Since uTales uses an editorial panel, the finished book will be a quality product.  I would definitely recommend that other authors take advantage of the uTales free trial period, review the books and decide whether they feel that uTales publishing is right for them.

About uTales eBooks:   Click here to learn more about uTales children’s ebooks and to sign up for a free trial.  uTales was initiated by Swedish businessman, Nils von Heijne.  Emma Dryden, of drydenbks, oversees the Editorial Quality uTales Panel.  Authors and Illustrators are from all over the world and  form a unique community.

Keep Your Ear on the Ball – Perfect Picture Book

04 May 2012 46 Comments

by Patricia Tilton in Genevieve Petrillo, Perfect Picture Books, Visual Impairment Tags: , , , ,

Keep Your Ear on the Ball

Genevieve Petrillo, Author

Lea Lyon, Illustrator

Tilbury House Publishers, Fiction, 2007

Suitable for:  Grades 3 to 6

Theme: Visual Impairment, Disability, Self-reliance, Sports

Opening/Synopsis:  “Davey looked like every other new kid that ever came into our class.  Ms. Madison walked him in and said, ‘Boys and girls, this is Davey.’  He was medium height.  He had medium brown hair and medium brown eyes.  A regular kid.”   When Davey asks the teacher if he can look around, he walks around the room touching the book-case, blackboard and his desk.   Davey is blind.  The students realize that Davey is very resourceful and can do just about everything the others do.  All of the kids try to be helpful and offer to do things for Davey.  His response is always “Thanks, but no thanks.”  When they play kickball, things escalate a bit and no one wants him on their team.

Why I like this book:  Based on a true story, Genevieve Petrillo has created a heartfelt story about how students respond to a blind student.   Lea Lyon’s illustrations are colorful, expressive and full of action.  Once again she uses students from a visually impaired classroom to act out scenes for her sketches.  Davey is determined to be self-reliant.  He doesn’t want anyone doing anything for him.  He wants the kids to see what he can do.  When he has difficulty playing kickball and still refuses help, the kids are frustrated.  But together they begin to observe Davey, recognize what he can do, and figure out how to help him in an unusual and respectful way.

Resources:  Click on Reach and Teach  for special classroom activities designed especially to go with Keep Your Ear on the Ball.   There is more information about the real Davey.

To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.  Or click on the Perfect Picture Book Fridays  badge in the right sidebar.

Just a reminder for May 7:   I will be interviewing NYT bestselling author Kristin Hannah about her new book Home Front.  There will be a book giveaway.  Her interview will launch my focus on Military Families in May. 

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