(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Tails from History series. Illustrated by Rachel Sanson. The latest installments in this easy-reader series about famous animals in history present two new compelling protagonists: a Japanese Akita adopted by Helen Keller and a cat dubbed "mayor" of a small town in Alaska. Nakamura imposes mild drama on both "tails," while Sanson's straightforward and appealing cartoon illustrations give new readers lots of visual help with the narratives. Further facts are appended. Review covers these Ready-to-Read: Tails from History titles: The Cat Who Ruled the Town and A Puppy for Helen Keller.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 National Geographic Readers series. These level-two biographies (for "reading independently") provide chronological accounts of their subjects' lives and cursorily touch on obstacles faced by Douglass and Keller. "In Her/His Own Words" boxes spotlight quotes from the subjects themselves. Captioned photos and illustrations help break up the serviceable texts. In both, a several-page timeline footer, unaligned with the narrative, starts toward book's end. A quiz is appended. Glos. Review covers these National Geographic Readers titles: Helen Keller and Frederick Douglass.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Cub Reporter Meets Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Doug Jones. Cub Reporter "interviews" American figures who overcame challenges to achieve their goals. Each subject responds to simplistic questions about his or her complicated life (e.g., "Were you ever afraid?" in Tubman) in a hokey first-person voice. Cartoons of a microphone-holding bear cub alternate with captioned photos or illustrations that extend information. The premise may work for reluctant readers. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Cub Reporter Meets Famous Americans titles: What's Your Story, Harriet Tubman?, What's Your Story, Abraham Lincoln?, What's Your Story, Cesar Chavez?, What's Your Story, Helen Keller?.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. This simple biography covers the landmarks in Keller's life: her childhood illness, the arrival of Anne Sullivan, and the moment at the water pump. But it also emphasizes Helen's love for dogs and implies that a particular reward for her learning to speak was verbal communication with her favorite dog, Belle. Lightly drawn illustrations in soft colors complete the warm narrative.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raul Colón. This book looks at challenges Helen Keller and teacher Annie Sullivan faced and surmounted. Annie's point of view is considered as much as Helen's, and Annie's strength of character is highlighted. Peppered with excerpts from Annie's letters, the book concludes with the first letter Helen writes on her own. Colón's line and watercolor pictures are rather sedate; endpapers provide photographs. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(2) YA A silhouette of a child in a dark room opens this latest in the exemplary line of comic strip biographies from the Center for Cartoon Studies. Cartoonist Lambert employs these silhouettes to give a sense of how Keller's world might have felt from the inside--dim, bewildering, rageful, and, eventually, enlightened by language. Sullivan's own words convey her determination to teach Helen. Bib.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Tavares. Rappaport covers the span of Helen's life from birth through her years with Annie Sullivan and after. The focus is on Helen, but readers get an acute awareness of Annie's sacrifices for her. Tavares's illustrations (ink, watercolor, and gouache) are bold and often in intense close-up, while quotes heighten the emotion of this stirring and awe-inspiring book. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Rich with facts, these biographies go beyond basic information and personal mythologies to reveal the lasting achievements and human foibles of six incredible women. Each thoughtfully designed volume draws readers in, vividly bringing to life the various places and times, from Joan of Arc's fifteenth-century France to Amelia Earhart's twentieth-century America, through informational sidebars, photographs, and document reproductions. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biographies titles: Helen Keller, Cleopatra, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, and Joan of Arc.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) K-3 Illustrated by James Ransome. This picture book biography focuses on Helen Keller's early years in Alabama, from the illness that caused her disabilities to her transformation--under teacher Annie Sullivan's tutelage--from a frustrated, intractable girl to a promising young woman. The thoughtful narrative and emotionally charged paintings successfully convey Helen's attempts to understand the world.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) 4-6 This book covers Sullivan's life, from her horrific childhood to her education at the Perkins Institution for the Blind to her first job as Helen Keller's teacher and beyond. Delano skips lightly over some complexities (including Sullivan's troubled marriage) but shapes the basic facts into a concise and readable narrative. The many photos help make an accessible work even more inviting. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 Miller uses letters written by Annie Sullivan as the basis for this fictional account. Narrator Annie describes the difficult early relationship between herself and her student, Helen Keller. Miller's writing is respectful without sugarcoating the subject. End matter, including an afterword and period photographs, help differentiate between fiction and biography. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) 4-6 Biographical information takes second place to the photographs--two or more on most spreads--of Keller from childhood through old age. Many are of her with artists and political leaders (Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Martha Graham; Eleanor Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nehru), giving readers a sense of the scope of Keller's life. A picture of the Braille alphabet is on the copyright page. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 4-6 DK Biography series. Well-rounded biographies of four twentieth-century notables are hampered by an occasional glibness of tone (e.g., a discussion of overcrowded hospitals in Kennedy includes the phrase "you do the math"). Nearly every page contains a photo or a reproduction, increasing the books' accessibility, although the pages are a bit crowded due to the small trim size. Each book features an illustrated timeline. Websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these DK Biography titles: Helen Keller, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Anne Frank.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Through text, period photos, and graphics, MacLeod tells of Keller's transformation from a bad-tempered child into a woman of influence and advocacy, a remarkable if familiar story. Each double-page spread is a small chapter of the life of Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. Coverage is balanced, and a paper-doll style Helen addresses readers directly throughout. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by John Wallner. This brief biography of Helen Keller, which includes quotations from her writing, covers the highlights of her life from her childhood illness and Anne Sullivan's arrival to important events during her adulthood. Although her life makes interesting reading even in a beginning reader format, the short sentences are often flat. Detailed watercolor illustrations add additional information. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Photo-Illustrated Biography series. Occasionally dry but easy to read and understand, these simple biographies adequately retell each subject's life story and contribution to society. Archival photos and reproductions enhance the text; however, the images are occasionally paired with boxed quotations, while the captions confusingly appear on the opposite pages. Timeline, websites, reading list. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Photo-Illustrated Biography titles: Clara Barton, Helen Keller, John Adams, and Rosa Parks.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Breakthrough Biographies series. Clear, concise, and easy to read, these biographies include not only details about the subject's life but historical background as well. The open layout adds ease of use. Photos, illustrations, and a list of other famous women of the time add more information. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Breakthrough Biographies titles: The Story of Anne Frank, The Story of Harriet Tubman, and The Story of Helen Keller.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by Nancy Harrison & Nancy Harrison. Jefferson offers an adequate introduction but occasionally gets bogged down in detail (however, his sexual relationship with Sally Hemings is included as fact). Keller reads more smoothly. Black-and-white drawings and boxed sections on topics such as the Boston Tea Party and Braille expand the biographical information, but the overall presentation is lackluster. Timeline. Bib. [Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Was Thomas Jefferson? and Who Was Helen Keller?.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Meeting Famous People series. These highly readable basic biographies should inspire interest in their remarkable subjects despite some clumsy writing (after Keller's teacher Annie's death, "Helen was so sad") and sketchy information (we're told that young Earhart's family frequently moved but not why). Both books include photos of their subjects and related items and locations. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Meeting Famous People titles: Amelia Earhart and Helen Keller.]

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Diana Magnuson. Each of the early readers in this series takes an anecdote, true or not, from its subject's youth and presents it as a reflection of the notable figure he or she grew up to become. Although the realistic illustrations are rather stiff, the books do give fairly entertaining glimpses into the three individuals' lives and personalities. A timeline of the subject's life follows each story. [Review covers these titles: Betsy Ross and the Silver Thimble, Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig, Helen Keller and the Big Storm.]

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann