Auther by Johanna Hurwitz
Illustrated by Neverne Covington
Helen Keller was born on June 27 1880 on a farm in Alabama. Mr and Mrs. Keller were thrilled with their beautiful healthy baby.
But then something happened when little Helen was a year and a half old she became very sick. She had a high fever Her parents were afraid that she would die.
''Helen Keller'' Page 2 part 1
A few days later the fewer was gone. But something was still very wrong. Little Helen couldn't hear and see longer. The illness had left her blind and deaf.
''Helen Keller page 2 part 2
The Kellers sweet little girl became a wild child. She kicked and scratched her parents when they tried to touch her.
''Helen Keller'' Page 2 part 3
She yelled and screamed in a loud voice. How else could she let anyone know when she hungry or tired or afraid.
Mealtime was terrible for the Keller family. Helen stuck her hands into everyone's food. She threw things across the dinner table. Helen did whatever she wanted. Her parents could not make her behave. Once Helen woke in the middle of the night. Since she
could not see she thought it was morning. Mrs. Keller tried to put her daughter back
to bed. However, Helen insisted on getting
up and getting dressed.
Then she went into the kitchen.
Though it was nighttime she
screamed for the breakfast.
Helen Keller's parents didn't know what to do.
They wanted to help their little girl. But how?
They didn't know any blind or deaf people. They didn't where to turn for help. In addition,
one day Mrs Keller heard about Dr. Chisholm.
He was a special eye doctor in Baltimore Maryland. Some of his patients were blind and deaf just like Helen. For the first time,
Mrs. Keller felt a little bit of hope. Maybe
Dr. Chisholm could help Helen. In addition,
the Kellers took their daughter to Baltimore right away. Dr. Chisholm could
not cure Helen. However, he told the Kellers
not to worry. He said, that even a blind child
could learn many things. He sent them to
Washington to meet Alexander Graham Bell.
Mr. Bell invented the telephone. And because
his own wife was deaf he knew a great
deal about teaching deaf people.
Mr. Bell told the Kellers about the Perkins Institution for the Blind. The Perkins Institution was a special school in Boston
Massachusetts. One of its students was a girl
named Laura Bridgman. Like Helen, Laura was both blind and deaf. Teachers at Perkins taught her how to sew. Mr. Bell said that a teacher from Perkins might be to help Helen.
The Kellers' hopes soared.
Mr. and Mrs. Keller wrote a letter to
the Perkins Institution. A
Teacher wrote back.
Her name was Anne Sullivan.
Friends called her Annie.
come and live with
the Kellers and to
teach Helen.
Helen was now
almost seven years
old. In addition,
On March 3, 1887
Annie moved to
Alabama it would
turn out to be
the most important
day of Helen's life.
As a child Annie had
been almost blind herself.
Luckily several operations
helped her see again. But
Annie never forgot what
it was like be blind.
She hoped would be
able to help young Helen.
Right away Annie saw
that Helen was a tall
pretty girl. But she
also saw that Helen
was not happy.
She almost never
smiled.
the world around her. She lived
in darkness and silence.
She could not tell people
how she felt.
No wonder she was
so unhappy.
Annie taught Helen many new things.
She taught her to sit at the dinner table.
She taught her to eat with a knife and fork and spoon.
She taught her to dress herself and her hair.
Annie wanted to teach her student something that was even young Helen how to understand words.
At the Perkins Institution Annie had learned a special finger alphabet. Different hand positions stood for different letters. She could speak to deaf people by spelling out words with her hands. Helen had lost her sense of sight and her sense of hearing. But she still had her sense of touch. In addition Annie tried to touch Helen the special alphabet. She spelled out word after another inside Helen's hand. Helen copied Annie and repeated the finger movements. She learned how to spell doll cake milk and mug. However, she did not understand what the words meant. Annie tried over and over however, Helen still did not understand.
One spring day, Annie and Helen went for a walk outside. Annie took Helen to a well. The teacher pumped some water and let it run over Helen's fingers. Slowly she spelled out the word water into Helen's palm. In addition, then she did it again and again. Suddenly the little girl understood. The wet liquid and the word being spelled in her palm were the same thing water.
After that Helen was quick to learn other words.
One day she learned thirty new words. Annie Sullivan was proud of her student. She could not believe how quickly Helen learned. Helen wanted to know everything. She had discovered a whole new exciting world. Annie called Helen's progress a miracle. Her accoplishments were amazing-great. In addition, she had done the impossible. Helen now knew how to express her thoughts. For the first time she was happy. The crying fits stopped. Whenever Annie taught her a new word, Helen threw her arms around her teacher and kissed her.
challenge. Shortly before her eighth
birthday she went to Boston with Annie.
They went to Annie's old school, the
Perkins Institution. There Helen learned to
read Braile. In addition,
braile is a form of writing. It was
invented in France by a blind man named
Louis Braile. Patterns of raised dots stand
for each letter of the alphabet. Using the
Braile system blind people can feel the
letters with their fingertips. With this
wonderful alphabet, Helen learned to read!
Helen already loved words. Now she
loved the stories that words could tell. She
read many many books. And then using a
special Braile typewriter she wrote some
stories of her own.
There was so much that Helen could
learn at the Perkins Institution. Soon she
and Annie began to spend winters in
Boston and summers at home in Alabama.
challenge. Shortly before her eighth
birthday she went to Boston with Annie.
They went to Annie's old school, the
Perkins Institution. There Helen learned to
read Braile. In addition,
braile is a form of writing. It was
invented in France by a blind man named
Louis Braile. Patterns of raised dots stand
for each letter of the alphabet. Using the
Braile system blind people can feel the
letters with their fingertips. With this
wonderful alphabet, Helen learned to read!
Helen already loved words. Now she
loved the stories that words could tell. She
read many many books. And then using a
special Braile typewriter she wrote some
stories of her own.
There was so much that Helen could
learn at the Perkins Institution. Soon she
and Annie began to spend winters in
Boston and summers at home in Alabama.
Helen Keller Chapter 3 part 2 pages 26-28
When Helen was ten years old she met
another teacher in Boston. Her name was
Sarah Fuller. Sarah wanted to teach Helen
how to speak. Until then Helen could speak only with her fingers. She could talk only to people who understood the special hand language that Annie had taught her. Sarah wanted to teach Helen to speak with her mouth. First Helen moved her hand over Sarah's face. She felt Sarah's lips and tongue when spoke. Then Helen copied these movements. She tried to make sounds. Helen's first spoken sentence was it's warm.