A WEEK about Louis Braille (taken from "Bored Panda" based on book by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Boris Kulikov

“Communication is health; communication is truth; communication is happiness.” (Virginia Woolf)

FACES OF CREATIVITY - 
JEN BRYANT & BORIS KULIKOV

HIGHLY RECOMMEND schools purchase this book for their libraries!
​LINK to Amazon

CREATIVE THINKING SKILL:  Creative people use their talents to help others learn about people who have helped others and inspire us to do the same.

DAY 1:  Louis Braille (January 4, 1809–January 6, 1852), lost his eyesight at the age of three due to an infection following an accident at his father’s workshop. Imagine what it would be like not to be able to see the faces of your family, to look at a book, to see a sunset! Louis Braille decided to do what he could to help blind people communicate through writing and reading.  He invented the braille reading and writing system, which forever changed the lives of the blind and the visually impaired. 

Helen Keller, who was a former Face of Creativity, compared Braille to Gutenberg who invented the printing press. Before Gutenberg's invention there were hardly any books at all. All books had to be copied by people, using pen and ink. Gutenberg's printing press made books something that people could finally enjoy. Not since the invention of the printing press had anything transformed the lives of more people who would’ve otherwise not experienced the joy of reading and learning.  Louis Braille was only a child when he developed his revolutionary invention — which means he had no training, no funding, no public or government support, no commercial motive or business plan, but only the vision for something life-changing born out of his disability that had forever changed his own short life.

 Jen Bryant wrote "Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille" which shares the story of his life and work. The book is illustrated by artist, Boris Kulikov. This week we will learn about Louis Braille through their work.

DAY 2 - The Life of Louis Braille as told by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Boris Kulikov

  Louis Braille was a premature baby --that means he was born early and was very small. However, Louis grew to be healthy and strong.






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​This was a long time in the 1800s, and medicine like we have today was yet to be born. A a local healer bandaged Louis's eye and a surgeon from Paris attempted to save the eye the next day, but the damage was permanent. Sadly, he developed an serious infection which soon spread to his other eye, leaving little Louis in terrible pain. By the age of five, he had lost his vision completely.

But the turning point in his life came when Louis was only three. A turning point is something that happens that changes everything you expected. Louis's father was a leatherer --someone who makes things out of leather. Louis's father specialized in making horse tack in a small town near Paris. Horse tack includes things like saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. One day, while playing at his Father's leather workshop, little Louis disregarded his father’s words not to play with the sharp tools. Trying to imitate his father, Louis set out to puncture a hole in a piece of leather. But the awl slipped from his tiny hand and stabbed him in the eye.

CREATIVE THINKING SKILL:  SAFETY FIRST
Creativity listens to the advice and warnings of those who care about us, trusting and acting on what we are told to do or not to do.

DAY 3:  WHAT DOES BRAILLE LOOK LIKE, AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

CREATIVE THINKING SKILL:  PERSEVERANCE

​Creativity always finds a way.  Louis Braille did!

DAY 4 - Let's listen to Jen Bryant tell about her interest in Louis Braille...

CREATIVE THINKING SKILL:  FLEXIBILITY
There are many ways to tell the same story. Jen Bryant wrote two different books about Louise Braille for two different types of readers.