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estherfilbrun's review against another edition
4.0
To my knowledge, this is the first graphic novel I’ve ever read. I really hope it won’t be my last, because I loved it! I’ve been intrigued by Helen Keller’s story for years, and this is a fresh, new way to experience her story (and find out about Annie Sullivan’s story, as well!). I loved everything that was crammed into this book—backstory as well as the main story, which was tastefully done and not over-done, quotes from Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller’s writings, and more. Although the art style wasn’t my favorite ever, it delivered the concepts perfectly, and my favorite panels were the ones from Helen’s perspective—I loved watching her world expand as she started learning from Annie rather than fighting against her. If you’re looking for an interesting way to read about these women’s stories, I’d highly recommend this book. I picked it up one afternoon and found myself sucked into it, to the point I couldn’t put it down when I had another job come up. My eight-year-old sister also found it quite engaging and spent an hour or two reading it one afternoon. An enjoyable read!
zabcia's review against another edition
5.0
90%
I never would have expected a graphic novel to so elegantly capture how it is to teach/learn language to the deaf-blind, and I am so pleased to be shown otherwise! The depiction of Helen Keller's point-of-view through vague shapes and colours was an absolutely brilliant idea, and really helped drive the point home of how incredibly monumental a task it must have been to get the concept of language across to a child without our two most prominent senses.
I especially appreciated that her teacher, Annie Sullivan, was treated of equal importance in this book; I remember learning about Helen Keller in elementary school, but Miss Sullivan's role was severely downplayed (actually, I'm not sure I knew about her existence at all before this book).
I only wish this book was longer! It sparked a curiosity in me to learn more about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller in her adult life, but learning via graphic novels is just so much more interesting and fun. Oh, and I suppose I also wish there was a table in the back for the sign language alphabet, since it was shown in the book quite a bit. Other than that, a superb learning experience!
I never would have expected a graphic novel to so elegantly capture how it is to teach/learn language to the deaf-blind, and I am so pleased to be shown otherwise! The depiction of Helen Keller's point-of-view through vague shapes and colours was an absolutely brilliant idea, and really helped drive the point home of how incredibly monumental a task it must have been to get the concept of language across to a child without our two most prominent senses.
I especially appreciated that her teacher, Annie Sullivan, was treated of equal importance in this book; I remember learning about Helen Keller in elementary school, but Miss Sullivan's role was severely downplayed (actually, I'm not sure I knew about her existence at all before this book).
I only wish this book was longer! It sparked a curiosity in me to learn more about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller in her adult life, but learning via graphic novels is just so much more interesting and fun. Oh, and I suppose I also wish there was a table in the back for the sign language alphabet, since it was shown in the book quite a bit. Other than that, a superb learning experience!
erine's review against another edition
3.0
If I knew nothing of either Annie Sullivan or Helen Keller, this might not have been the best first choice to find out, but the graphic format is very creative. I was especially impressed with how the illustrator alternated between Annie Sullivan (with full color and detail) and Helen Keller (beginning with more basic colors and very little detail, but as she learned more words, the pictures also became more rich). My biggest complaint is the skipping around - at times it was hard to tell where in Annie and Helen's timeline the story was taking place. There were multiple flashbacks into Annie's young life, which gave some nice insight, but created a very non-linear story.
kirstenrose22's review against another edition
4.0
I really love how this depicts Helen's inner awareness, and how it grows once she grasps language concepts. I didn't know the bit about the story Helen wrote, and that was interesting. It does end pretty abruptly, which is too bad. I found myself contemplating how brilliant Helen must have been, and what she might have been like without her disabilities, or in a modern time, or otherwise.
trevoryan's review against another edition
5.0
A great way to learn about the amazing relationship between two extraordinary women.
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
4.0
Using mostly small panes, Lambert tells the story of Annie Sullivan and her deaf and blind student, Helen Keller. Beyond the initial story (the 'water' breakthrough, which I learned in elementary school), Lambert spends some time discussing Helen's potential plagiarism. All of that was new to me, and I wished that THIS was the text I had as a youngster, when I first heard about Helen Keller.
I learned a lot about Annie, and bonded with her in a way I didn't when watching that really old movie about Helen. Plenty of background is given, and both Annie and Helen's strong personalities shine.
The back matter provides a panel discussion, boasting even more background information. A bibliography & suggested reading guide is also given.
My 12 year old son liked it, would give it 3.5 stars. He says that it's nice, but it's just not his preferred subject matter.
I learned a lot about Annie, and bonded with her in a way I didn't when watching that really old movie about Helen. Plenty of background is given, and both Annie and Helen's strong personalities shine.
The back matter provides a panel discussion, boasting even more background information. A bibliography & suggested reading guide is also given.
My 12 year old son liked it, would give it 3.5 stars. He says that it's nice, but it's just not his preferred subject matter.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Very neat portrayal of Helen Keller's education that goes beyond the "Miracle Worker" story and into her later life. I particularly like how the author depicts Helen's understanding of herself as a shadow in darkness that's gradually shaped and developed as she learns.
chchchazley's review against another edition
5.0
You think you know this story, but this is the most amazing representation of it I've ever seen. It was so powerful to show Annie Sullivan's childhood alongside the story of her work with Helen Keller. I've never been particularly interested in their story -- probably overexposed to it in grade school -- which just tells you how remarkable this book is. I wouldn't have ever decided to read it except that I opened it as I was working on a cart of books at the library, and I was instantly hooked. I'm hoping this is the first of many graphic biographies from Joseph Lambert.