This book tells the story of Helen Keller, an extraordinary person who overcame extraordinary circumstances. She accomplished what many thought would be impossible and achieved much in her life. She serves as an inspiration to us all that anything is possible.

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880. She grew up on a farm called Ivy Green and lived a very happy and healthy life as a baby.

She had a mom named Kate and a dad named Arthur. Kate took care of the house and doted on baby Helen. Arthur, who used to be an army captain, worked as a newspaper editor.

Arthur H. Keller

Kate A. Keller

One day, when baby Helen was just one and a half years old, she became very ill with a bad fever for several days. Even though she survived the illness, it left her deaf and blind.

Because Helen could not see or hear, she also could not learn to speak. As she got older she desperately wanted to communicate with others but it was extremely difficult. It was so frustrating for Helen that she sometimes threw temper tantrums, hitting and kicking others out of anger.

Helen’s mom saw her daughter’s frustration and began looking for someone who could help. The Perkins Institute for the Blind suggested an old student of theirs named Anne Sullivan. Anne had been blind herself, but was able to see again after having an operation.

When Helen was seven years old, Anne tried to help her communicate by teaching her to form the letters of words into her hand. She did this by placing an item, like a doll, into one of Helen’s hands, and pressing the sign letters D-O-L-L into her other hand…but Helen did not understand.

One day, when Anne and Helen were outside at the water pump, Anne placed Helen’s hand under the water and spelled the word W-A-T-E-R. Suddenly, something clicked and Helen finally understood! W-A-T-E-R meant water!

That day, Helen learned many new words from Anne. Learning to finger spell opened the door to a whole new life. She finally had a way to communicate with the world and she wanted to know more.

Helen wanted to do what everyone else could do, so Anne taught her how to read. Because Helen could not read with her eyes, she used her hands to read special letters made from bumps called Braille.