Picture Book of Louis Braille ANNOTATION
Presents the life of the nineteenth-century Frenchman, accidentally blinded as a child, who originated the raised dot system of reading and writing used throughout the world by the blind.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Presents the life of the nineteenth-century Frenchman, accidentally blinded as a child, who originated the raised dot system of reading and writing used throughout the world by the blind.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Dr. Judy Rowen
Blinded in an accident at the age of three, Louis Braille moved to the National Institute for Blind Children in 1819. It was there that he invented the system of raised dots representing letters, numbers and punctuation that we now know simply as "braille". This picture book biography includes full-color watercolor illustrations and an endpiece with the braille alphabet. Unfortunately, the blind children in the illustrations all have their eyes closed, which is not an accurate depiction.
Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman
David Adler has written an excellent biography which makes the life of this talented genius accessible to young children. The pictures extend the text so that when Louis is accidentally blinded, the pictures convey his pain and the distress of his parents. His life at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris is depicted with details of the school and clothes of the day. His amazing system of raised dots appears at the end of the book with the printed alphabet above each set of dots. Helen Keller said: "Louis Braille built a large, firm stairway for millions of sense-crippled human beings to climb from hopeless darkness to the Mind Eternal."
School Library Journal
Gr 1-3An appealing introduction to the Frenchman who invented the raised-dot alphabet/code now used around the world by blind and visually impaired readers. The text is simple yet informative, tracing Braille's life from the childhood accident that caused him to lose his sight through his career at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris. Adler sprinkles in interesting facts about early 19th-century France that help readers better grasp Braille's world. The development of the alphabet/code is a major component of the book and is explained in an understandable manner. Primitive alphabet systems for the blind are discussed along with Braille's determination to replace them with his less cumbersome one. Readers can feel the alphabet and numbers from 1-10 at the back of the book. Softly colored illustrations in line and watercolor add visual clues for younger children. An excellent resource.Maura Bresnahan, Topsfield Town Library, MA
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