Member Reviews

An excellent biography about Helen Keller for elementary readers (I'd recommend 2nd through 4th grade.) It's also beautifully illustrated. A great nonfiction book for young kids. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. My daughter and I read it together and I enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed teaching her about Helen Keller snd all of her amazing accomplishments. This is a great read!

Was this review helpful?

An inspiring addition to the "The Story Of" series! This engaging biography of Helen Keller is a great introduction to her life for young readers. What an amazing woman she was! One of her accomplishments is especially relevant this year- 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ACLU, which Helen Keller helped to found. Each chapter contains one or more questions that puts the reader of Helen's shoes, and has them think about what they would do. After the main text, there is a quiz to test how well the reader absorbed the information, as well as a glossary and a bibliography. The illustrations are sweet and colorful, very appealing. Definitely recommended!

#TheStoryofHelenKeller #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

It is so pleasant to learn new things.

You will be giving your children a gift introducing them to historical biographies. Helen Keller loved to learn and she overcame many obstacles to do so. Her name is familiar and if your family has not watched any movies of Helen Keller's life, I would encourage to do so. This young reader's guide starts from the beginning of Helen Heller's life as a baby. Each chapter touches on a milestone and ends with a timeline. It is easy to read and challenges you to think about those milestones. I didn't realize that Helen Keller help create the ACLU with her activism. I am sure you and your child will make some wonderful discoveries of your own.

A special thank you to Callisto Media and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
1 like

Was this review helpful?

This is a quick biography of Helen Keller. I remember studying her in elementary school, but didn't remember much. I am in awe of how amazing she was, and there are few people who could overcome her circumstances and thrive as much as she did. I enjoyed that this book is interactive with the reader by asking questions and providing a quiz at the end.

Was this review helpful?

This was a cute and informative biography. This book series is slowly becoming one of my favorites for children and I will be recommending them to my students in the future.

Was this review helpful?

This is another in the excellent series of biographies for beginning chapter book readers.  This time the story of Helen Keller, her life and achievements is engagingly told.  Helen's story is put into the context of her time; she was born in the South not long after the Civil War to a family that had owned slaves. 


Young readers will learn that Helen's life was changed forever when she became ill at 19 months of age.  She would never hear or see again.  Readers will find out how Helen reacted, began to adapt and what and who changed her life, again forever.


Helen studied, learned to read, write, speak and more. She attended college and became an activist and inspiration to many. She went on to meet more than a dozen presidents, testified before Congress and was involved with the ACLU>


This book has winsome illustrations. As in all the titles in the series, there are extras including a bibliography, a family tree, questions to think about, a quiz and more.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for another good entry in a good series.  All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyed this biography of one of my childhood heroes. I think the cover art and colorful illustrations inside the book were very appealing to the eye, sweet, as well as relevant to the material. Nice to see real life photos of Helen and Anne at the end, as well. I felt like I already knew the facts about Helen Keller's life, but I learned some new things, such as her friendship and secret language with Martha Washington...I would be interested in the author doing a follow-up book. maybe a picture book, about their friendship. I also never knew Helen was instrumental in helping to create the ACLU! The section where the author provides reflection on the text for the reader with open-ended questions ( "Jump-in the-Think Tank") was a clever add to lead kids into discussion of the material. The quotes scattered throughout were succinct and poignant. My ONLY constructive criticism would be that I found the timeline notations in each chapter to be oddly placed. I got the sense the author did it to recap what was covered in the chapter, however I found it to be an unnecessary distraction. I prefer the timeline to be at the end of the book, as an encapsulation of the entirety of the material.

Was this review helpful?

The Story of Helen Keller is a new biography for kids being released this month. We've read several books in this series and they are all fantastic. They are great for kids in upper elementary school grades. The book is broken into several chapters. Each chapter includes a timeline and colorful illustrations documenting moments in Helen Keller's life. We also like the myth vs. fiction and talking point break outs that help lead to discussions.

This biography will give an understanding of who Helen Keller was and why she was important. The author discusses how Helen grew up on a plantation in Alabama. She was born after the Civil War ended, but the area was still strongly impacted by the end of slavery and the war. Helen's family wasn't as wealthy as they were before the war. When Helen was a toddler she got sick and as a result lost her sight and hearing, becoming deafblind. Her parents were able to hire a personal tutor for her who helped Helen learn sign language and how to read. As she got older, Helen went away to school in Boston. She attended a school for the blind and then one for the deaf. As an adult, she as a strong advocate for disability rights and helped found the ACLU.

This would be a great addition to any child's library. It is important for kids to learn about people with disabilities to help them empathize.

Was this review helpful?