Margo Lundell (1942–2020)

I liked this book because it was a simple read yet was able to provide enough necessary details to describe Helen Keller's experiences when and after she became deaf and blind. I also appreciated the illustrations that clearly depicted Keller's childhood and struggles. One thing I've never seen before in a book was a graphic organizer in which there was a sign language chart at the end of the book. I thought this was great for kids to learn a little more about sign language. This book is show more about perseverance. show less

I liked this book A Girl Named Helen Keller by Margo Lundell. This book offered a simple and condensed biography of Helen Keller. One reason I liked this book is because it was short and to the point, it gave me the ability to learn about someone I knew little about. This book was compressed to only include key details and doesn't indulge in unnecessary facts. “Helen lived. But she was not the same after her illness. Helen was deaf and blind, but she was bright too. She copied everyone.” show more I also liked the end of this book, it had the hand sign alphabet printed on one page. This was fun to try even though I failed miserably. It made me connect with those who need to do this every day. I couldn't imagine the speed and knowledge needed to hold a conversation. The big idea for this book is to inform. This story informed me about the trials faced in the life of Helen Keller as she grew up deaf and blind. show less

At first I thought this story was going to be boring because it is a biography and a lot of times I find biographies to be boring. Once I started reading it I started to really like the book. I liked the book because of the illustrations. The illustrations do a great job showing the years in which the story takes place. For example, Chapter 1 starts out in the 1880's and in all of the illustrations, the woman are all in dresses and aprons, and the men are in suits and ties. They wear big show more hats and the furniture is very antique looking. Another reason I liked this book was because of its extra page in the back of the book that will help the students be engaged with the book. Since Helen Keller was deaf and blind they have a sign language chart in the back of the book to teach you the alphabet. This gives the students a chance to learn sign language themselves and connect more with the story. The big idea of this story was to inform readers about Helen Keller and her experiences as a child growing up deaf and blind. show less

ISBN 0307128865 – This Disney edition of Pocahontas, adapted by Margo Lundell, is a lot better than 0307302008. Lundell’s version feels slower paced but still packs in most of the important details of the story. For simplicity, I’m re-using the recap from the other edition.

Pocahontas is expected to marry Kocoum, a man chosen by her father, but she feels that this isn’t the right path for her. Grandmother Willow, a tree spirit, encourages her to follow her heart and her dreams. These show more lead her to meet John Smith, a man who has just arrived from England on a ship that is looking for gold. When it begins to look like their people plan to go to war, Pocahontas and Smith attempt to put a stop to it and risk death to keep peace.

The illustrator of this edition is Jose Cardona and his work lives up to Disney’s reputation. It’s interesting to compare certain of his works with the ones in the other edition, by Don Williams, because they chose some of the same images. Cardona misses some of the delicate beauty that Williams captures, but his images are equally appealing. Lundell is still forced to deal with the sudden ability of Smith and Pocahontas to speak to one another, but she handles it slightly better. Worth picking up!

- AnnaLovesBooks show less