Colleen Adams (1)

This picture book is informational. There are black and white photographs on every other page of Helen Keller throughout her life. The content of this book is about the life of Helen Keller and how she dealt with growing up blind and deaf. She was born with sight and hearing, but after her second birthday she came down with a fever and became deaf and blind. Anne Sullivan came to her rescue and helped her understand the world around her. Helen Keller became one of the most influential women show more in history. The reading level of this book is around 3rd grade. Some curricular connections include finger spelling, braille, history: civil rights and women's rights. show less

This book from PowerKids Press is very a uneven production.

One of the problems is how the text was set. The letters are large, which I have no problem with, but there isn't any spacing between paragraphs and the overall effect is nothing short of ugly.

The other problem are the images. I really liked the use of classic artwork and the wood cuttings. But the switch over to garishly printed modern photographs was less than appealing.

Factually the book is better. Although I thought it was show more strange that the author wrote that during the first winter in Plymouth that the pilgrims planted crops. [Given the snowy environment that sounds strange.] And the I think the author missed out on an opportunity to point out that one reason that the treaty between the Wampanoag's and Pilgrims took place was because the Native Americans were tired of the Pilgrims robbing and stealing from them.

The BIG debunk is actually very mild. Mostly having to do with the feast taking place over 3 days, rather than one. And with small things like food selection and standing up insteading of sitting.

Can't really recommend. For a book at the 5th grade reading level, it's conceptually too simple. show less

This is a great biography for kids to read because there are real live black and white pictures on one side of the book, and information on the other. It tells a brief overview of Helen Keller's life and how she got sick and became deaf and blind and learned to deal with it with the help of Anne Sullivan who taught her how to fingerspell so she could understand what people are saying. In the end, she taught other people how to learn to deal with being deaf and blind. This book is easy to show more read and does not bog the reader down with details. It is easy to understand so I would say it is a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level. This book would be good to read in a history lesson because it deals with civil and women's rights and introduces some influential people in history. I would suggest this book to young readers because it conveys accurate information. show less

The true story of the first Thanksgiving highlights the story of what actually happened on the first Thanksgiving. This is very important to teach children what actually happened that day. There are many stereotypes about that day that are taught in schools. It is important that children do not grow up learning negative things about other cultures. This story gives the simple story about thanksgiving told in a way that shows both sides. This was a large topic of discussion in our class that show more brought up many good points. This is a very impotent topic for not just children, but for adults as well. This is a problem that has faced our country for years. Hopefully there will be a switch in the opinion about native americans in our society, an the try story will begin to become the story that is alway told. show less