MY NAME IS HELEN KELLER
by Myron Uhlberg ; illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky
Uhlberg tells the story of Helen Keller using her own words.
As it tells the story of Keller’s childhood and, more briefly, her adult life, the narrative alternates between Keller’s imagined perspective, enhanced with quotes from her book The Story of My Life, and that of a third-person narrator. The two narratives are distinguished by distinct typefaces. The illustrations support the text well, and the best of them are depictions of young Keller with a joyful smile. All the well-known events of her childhood appear in the text. Though this book would be a suitable introduction and is interesting in its use of quotes, it is disappointing in its failure to say anything new about her life. Like far too many Keller biographies for children, it shies away from discussing her political and social achievements or the complex intersections of privilege in her life, offering instead platitudes about love and hope. In 2020, why settle for another indistinguishable Helen Keller book suggesting that her greatest achievements were getting an education, petting a tiger, and giving inspirational talks? Why relegate her disability advocacy to a single sentence in the narrative (the only page that introduces characters of color to the otherwise all-White cast) and a few bullet points in the timeline? Why not discuss her feminism, political activism, or the founding of the ACLU? A charming exemplar of a type of book we don’t need. (author's note, timeline, manual sign alphabet, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)