Marfé Ferguson Delano shines a light on the woman who was Helen Keller’s famed childhood teacher but also her friend and assistant for decades. Her eye-opening biography of Annie Sullivan begins by detailing Sullivan’s difficult childhood. That cruel period saw Annie, who was partially blind and living in an orphanage, develop a fierce determination to go to school, especially after she learned there were schools especially for blind children. At fourteen the impassioned girl pleaded for a chance to learn and was transferred to the Perkins School for the Blind. It was there she was not only educated but also learned about the education of the blind, knowledge that was as invaluable as her bold spirit when she took on the teaching job that would make her famous. During her time at Perkins, Sullivan also had operations that helped recover part of her failing sight. Delano’s narrative goes on to describe Annie’s initial time with Helen Keller, and then the years that they shared as she became “Helen’s eyes,” accompanying her to boarding school, Radcliffe, and, eventually, around the world. They even performed in Vaudeville! Sullivan’s personal life was always tied to Keller. Although she married, it was a marriage that could not sustain her devotion to Helen. She died in the home they shared, with Helen holding her hand. Numerous photographs enhance this fine, handsomely designed volume. (Ages 10–15)

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.

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