Hannah

Hannah by Gloria Whelan Do you know anybody that's blind? Well, ifyou do or don't, then you should check out Hannahby Gloria Whelan. It's a great book about a girlnamed Hannah. She will bring happiness andsadness to your heart. I learned that blind people can still be likenormal people. Hannah reminded me of HelenKeller. So, please read Hannah!

This is a wonderful story set in the late 1800's. The story is about a little girl who is blind. No one has ever allowed Hannah to try to do anything for herself. That is, until a new teacher comes to town. She is always referred to as "poor Hannah". At first glance this is a story about a teacher who helps a little blind girl succeed in her struggle to become more independent. Not only does Hannah struggle with independence, but her parents struggle even harder with the thought of Hannah trying and failing at doing things herself. However, the end message is that not only does she learn courage, but family and friends learn about courage also. Everyone wins in this story. Enjoy!

This book does a good job dealing with the subject of blindness. Hannah is considered the "poor blind child" at the beginning, until a new teacher comes to town who encourages her parents to allow Hannah to attend school with all of the other children. Hannah does blossom, makes friends, and is introduced to braille. My only wish for this book would have been to give Hannah a cane to become independent in her mobility, as she only led around by people and does does get lost on her own once. But all in all, this is a very nice story.