Louis Braille: The Blind Boy Who Wanted to Read

by Dennis Brindell Fradin, Rob Sauber (Illustrator)

A simple biography of the nineteenth-century Frenchman who as a boy created a system by which the blind could read

Genres: Biography, Childrens, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

The award-winning author of nearly 300 non-fiction books for children and young adults, Dennis Fradin is known for his meticulous research, attention to detail and smooth, graceful writing.

Fradin attributes his success in part to years of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools. In order to hold his second graders’ attention at the end of the day, he would spin stories about crayons in distress and birds with broken wings. One such story caught the attention of an editor who asked him to write a series of books about the United States. The Sea to Shining Sea series (Children's Press), launched Dennis's career as a full-time author.

Dennis Fradin has written children's books on topics as varied as astronomy, colonial history, the Underground Railroad, slave escapes and scientific discoveries. He has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Jane Addams and Louis Braille, among others. Bound for the North Star is his riveting collection of true slave escape stories. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, co-authored with his wife Judy, was a Golden Kite Honor Book.

Dennis has collaborated with Larry Day on two picture books, Let It Begin Here! and Duel! with Walker Books. He's completed two dozen Turning Points books for Marshall Cavendish. Along with his wife Judy, Dennis wrote Five Thousand Miles to Freedom for National Geographic Children's Books, followed by their Witness to Disaster series.

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe I knew nothing about Louis Braille other than he was the man who invented the system of printing named after him. This is a fantastic book that will educate readers and spark their desire to learn even more. A perfect addition to any elementary or middle school.

[Jaycen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing human being. JJ is so impressed with this story and so was I.

[Iona Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and you can really learn a life lesson from this book! I recommend it! 😁

[Stven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very competent book for middle readers, pleasantly illustrated.

[Congetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting biography about Louis Braille. It was interesting to learn how he became blind in a child accident-not listening to his father. I liked learning about his passion for reading and how it lead him to develop a system for reading as a teenager, so he could read more books. He also had to overcome and compete with the jealousy of the owner of the first blind school in France. The owner was upset that people preferred Louis's invention over his. Eventually Louis prevailed, but he still died young due to contracting a disease.

[Ashleigh De nicola]

It’s hard to teach children who can’t see how to read or write. As children we imitate our parents and in this case it didn’t go over so well. This caused an accident that made Louis lose all of his vision. In this time period people who were blind lead miserable lives because of the communication barriers. This didn’t stop Louis or his family. Louis was a very ambitious person and created his own way of communicating with others. I recommend this book if your child is blind or if you’d like to teach children how Braille came about.

[Lagobond · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-told story that details Louis Braille's life-long efforts to live fully as a blind person in a world of seeing people; and to establish an easy-to-use writing & reading system for blind people. Rich, warm paintings and vivid storytelling make it easy for kids to relate to Louis as we learn about his life from early childhood onward (and finally, his enduring legacy).