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  • Published: 15 August 2015
  • ISBN: 9781426322228
  • Imprint: National Geographic
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 64
  • RRP: $15.99

Helen's Eyes

A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's Teacher




This is the inspiring photobiography of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, whose perseverence and triumph in the face of hardship will captivate readers of all ages. The newest edition adds common core-aligned critical thinking activities for even further learning in the classroom or at home.

The epic story of Annie Sullivan’s perseverance and triumph in the face of hardship will enthrall readers of every age. This pioneering teacher overcame disability and misfortune before achieving her success as one of the most famous educators of all time.

This is the inspiring photobiography of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, a woman born into a life of daunting disadvantage and social obstacle. She grew up poor, with little education, the child of struggling Irish immigrants. By the age of eight, Annie was almost blind because of untreated trachoma. Following her mother’s death, the young girl entered an almshouse, where she spent four years among the most wretched of society’s outcasts. Her inquiring intellect and determination helped her escape this bleak detention, and she was sent to the Perkins School for the Blind.

There, at the age of 14, her education began, and her lively mind soon blossomed. After graduation, she was hired as a teacher for Helen Keller, a six-year-old girl who was blind and deaf due to illness. With patience and compassion, Annie reached into the dark, silent world of the little girl, opening her mind and soul to life’s beauty. She became "Helen’s eyes." Because of her inspired breakthroughs and accomplishments with Helen, Annie was soon known as the "Miracle Worker." Annie and Helen spent the rest of their lives together—two complex women with feisty personalities who achieved international acclaim.

Marfé Ferguson Delano’s evocative account of teacher and student breaking down barriers to enjoy the wonders of intellectual discovery is a profoundly moving story.

  • Published: 15 August 2015
  • ISBN: 9781426322228
  • Imprint: National Geographic
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 64
  • RRP: $15.99

About the author

Marfe Ferguson Delano

Marfé Ferguson Delano is the author of GENIUS: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALBERT EINSTEIN, named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA/CBC. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia and is a graduate of Duke University.

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Praise for Helen's Eyes

"What makes this oversize book so appealing is the clean design, with a large typeface. The many fascinating photographs are sometimes placed over historical documents. A chronology and a list of resources, including Web sites, take up a whole page; quotations are sourced. Make room for this." --Booklist