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Summary
Summary
An inspiring picture-book biography of Louis Braille-a blind boy so determined to read that he invented his own alphabet.
**Winner of a Schneider Family Book Award!**
Louis Braille was just five years old when he lost his sight. He was a clever boy, determined to live like everyone else, and what he wanted more than anything was to be able to read.
Even at the school for the blind in Paris, there were no books for him.
And so he invented his own alphabet-a whole new system for writing that could be read by touch. A system so ingenious that it is still used by the blind community today.
Award-winning writer Jen Bryant tells Braille's inspiring story with a lively and accessible text, filled with the sounds, the smells, and the touch of Louis's world. Boris Kulikov's inspired paintings help readers to understand what Louis lost, and what he was determined to gain back through books.
An author's note and additional resources at the end of the book complement the simple story and offer more information for parents and teachers.
Praise for Six Dots-
"An inspiring look at a child inventor whose drive and intelligence changed to world-for the blind and sighted alike."- Kirkus Reviews
"Even in a crowded field, Bryant's tightly focused work, cast in the fictionalized voice of Braille himself, is particularly distinguished."- Bulletin, starred review
"This picture book biography strikes a perfect balance between the seriousness of Braille's life and the exuberance he projected out into the world." - School Library Journal, starred review
Author Notes
Jen Bryant has published poetry, biographies, picture books, and fiction for young readers. Her picture-book-biography collaborations with Melissa Sweet- A River of Words- The Story of William Carlos Williams, The Right Word- Roget and His Thesaurus, and A Splash of Red- The Life and Art of Horace Pippin -have all won multiple awards. Jen lives with her family in southeastern Pennsylvania. You can read more about her at JenBryant.com.
Boris Kulikov graduated from the Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinema in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since 1997 he's been living and working as an illustrator in Brooklyn, New York. His many acclaimed books include Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and the Max books ( Max's Words, Max's Castle, Max's Dragon, Max's Math ) by Kate Banks. You can find him at BorisKulikov.com.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
After an accident in 1819 left a young Louis Braille blind, he traveled to Paris at age 10 to study at the Royal School for the Blind, where he was disheartened to discover that the books available for children like him fell far short of his hopes: "Words as large as my hand! Sentences that took up half a page!... Even if I read a hundred books like this, how much could I learn?" Kulikov (W Is for Webster) makes striking use of chalky blue lines against black backdrops to create ghostly images of the world Braille could no longer see, suggesting a landscape re-created in his mind's eye. Bryant's (The Right Word) sensitive first-person narration draws readers intimately close to Braille's experiences, and an author's note and q&a add further depth to a stirring portrait of innovation and determination. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Bryant and Kulikov present the childhood of Louis Braille, from his 1809 birth to his invention, at fifteen, of his ingenious six-cell raised-dot system of reading and writing for the blind. Louiss story, much embellished here (in an authors note, Bryant says the book is her attempt to answer the question What did it FEEL like to be Louis Braille?), is dramatic and compelling. Blinded in an accident with one of his leatherworker fathers tools when very young, he learned to get around his French village independently; went to school; and eventually moved to Paris to attend the Royal Institute for Blind Youth (correctly named in the excellent back matter, though not in the main text), where after years of toil he converted a clumsy military code of raised dots into the elegant, user-friendly system still used today. Bryants portrayal captures Louiss intelligence, determination, and tenacious desire for access to the written word. The first-person text, sprinkled with French words and phrases, is lively and intimate, abetted by Kulikovs warm mixed-media illustrations. Kulikov often places Louis in a window, a potent symbol of the windows Braille himself opened for blind people. However, his choice to portray Louis with his eyes closed (whereas according to biographers Braille kept his eyes open) distances Louis from the reader somewhat. And Bryants implication that after Louis lost his sight (gradually, and before the age of five, and amongst a close-knit, loving family), he felt isolated and alone in the dark is a step too far in projecting a sighted adults experience onto that of a blind preschooler. On the whole, though, this is a welcome addition to the available literature. As Bryant states, The name Braille deserves to be on everyones list of great inventors, and this book ably demonstrates why. martha v. parravano (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
As a child, young Louis Braille surprised everyone in his French village with his curiosity and energy. Sadly, an accident with an awl blinded him first in one eye and then, when infection spread, in the other. Though Louis learned to navigate daily life, he missed the knowledge gained through reading, and applied to the Royal School for the Blind, where books with raised letters provided a slow and unsatisfying alternative. But when introduced to a French military code written in patterns of dots, Louis wondered if it could be expanded into an actual language. This picture book is fairly text heavy, and it could have benefited from the inclusion of actual Braille in addition to the diagram of the Braille alphabet on the endpapers. Still, Kulikov's illustrations beautifully capture Louis' cleverness and tactile nature. Particularly effective are spreads where Louis focuses on his hearing: line drawings laid over a black background represent the sounds he hears. An interesting exploration of the life of a little-discussed inventor.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-This picture book biography of Louis Braille (1809-59) strikes a perfect balance between the seriousness of Braille's life and the exuberance he projected out into the world. The text highlights Braille's determination to pursue an education. Readers will learn how he attended the Royal School in Paris and was frustrated by the lack of books for the blind, an obstacle that set him off on a long quest to invent an accessible reading system. Braille ultimately found success by simplifying a military coding technique that had earlier been introduced but was far too complex. The focus on Braille as one of the world's great inventors is apt, and by taking a close look at his childhood, his family, and his experiences as a young person, Bryant makes Braille's story even more powerful. She writes from his perspective, which brings a level of intimacy sure to resonate with readers. Kulikov's mixed-media artwork mirrors and magnifies the text, keeping the spotlight solidly on young Braille and his world as he moves through it. VERDICT An engaging and moving account of an inventor, a solid addition for elementary collections.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
