I Am Helen Keller -- Ordinary People Change the World Blog Tour and Giveaway

Disclosure: Penguin Random House Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Today we are sharing I Am Helen Keller by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. It is part of the Ordinary People Change the World Series. We have been having fun with the Blog Tour for this book series this month and have already shared the ones on Abraham Lincoln, Lucille Ball, and Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Before reading this book, Hazel really did not know anything about Helen Keller. And I will admit that I did not know as much as I should have. This book became Hazel favorite in the series. She loved learning about Helen Keller and how she overcame her disabilities and she really loves the Braille that is in the book. I never realized how much Helen Keller did for civil rights of various people. Her story is quite amazing. She became the first blind and deaf person to graduate from college and not just any college but an ivy league. She also supported the ACLU and NAACP. Now as we did with the other books, we made a Helen Keller puppet.

 And Hazel wanted all the puppets to hold hands (inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech).

Since Hazel liked the Braille in the book I wanted to do something with Braille as well. I saw the Handmade Valentine's Day Cards on Cr8d using Braille on the front of the cards and with some explanation of how it was done. We tried our own. I made one that says "love" and one that says "Hazel". (Well actually one side of the card says "love" and the other says "Hazel".

I used the free Braille translator at Math Is Fun. After translating the word I would choose "Save" and then right click the image on the page that came up and copied it into a Word Document so I could play with the size. Next I used a hole punch and punched out the dots I would want raised.

Then with my guide on the underside of where I want the Braille and the guide back facing me I put it on a soft covered book and used the back of a wooden paint brush to emboss the card. If the surface (soft cover book) is too soft it will be too easy to poke a hole in the card. Hazel LOVES having her name written in Braille!!

We talked a bit about Braille as well and how all the letters are formed from six dots. Another fun site to teach about Braille and play games is Braillebug. (They also have an on-line Helen Keller Kids Museum.) Next week we will be sharing about two more Ordinary People Change the World Books. I hope you will join us!! In the mean time make sure you enter the Penguin Kids Giveaway of all eight books in the series!!

Penguin Kids Giveaway for the Whole Series!! 
Runs February 1-29 and is open to US Residents only!

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