Catherine Owens PeareRezensionen

Agreat biography of the famous author and his travels, even though written for younger audiences, maybe ages 12-16 (?) If one didn't know who ambassadors and ministers were, some of the book would not make sense. I've loved Irving's Rip Van Winkle and to a lesser degree The Headless Horseman, but now I'm inspired to read some his sketchbooks about his various travels. 123 pages

This is a children's biography of French painter and sculptor Rosa Bonheur (1822 - 1899). Bonheur became part of the Realism movement in France in the mid 19th century and was one of the most famous painters of that time. A nature lover, she was best known for her paintings of animals.

Bonheur was unconventional, independent, and determined at an early age to become an artist. This book, published in 1956 is a good introduction for children to this artist's life and work.

Summary:
This story is a favorite of mine because it delves into the life of Helen Keller and the accomplishments and the hurdles that she went through. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan took Helen to places that she would never have had the opportunity to go, but despite her blindness and deafness, she inspired other people in her shoes to succeed in life and "take the bull by the horns".

Personal:
I liked this story because it recommits my mind into pursuing my dreams like Helen did, and to not let anything stand in my way.

Classroom Extention:
1. I would have the students go through the day trying to succeed in class with a blindfold over their eyes. This way, they can understand what a blind person goes through every day. They would feel the raised bumps of braille and then write in their journals what was tough for them to do.
2. If Helen Keller was alive today, I would have the class write letters to her, asking her different questions and what they thought about her life and what accomplishments she did that wowed them.

A biography of Louis Brandeis who served on the Supreme Court

Picked this book up at a used book sale, and it turns out it came from a high school library. Not surprisingly, it was a rather simplistic, perhaps shallow treatment of Brandeis. It gave the basic facts of his life, but not much more.½

A biography of writing genius Charles Dickens whose myriad books were a mirror of his life and time.½