Many children in my generation came to Helen Keller’s life story by way of the Academy Award-winning movie, “The Miracle Worker.” A new generation may find their way through “Annie and Helen, ” the fine new picture biography by Deborah Hopkinson and Raul Colón. It tells the story of a girl, deaf and blind, who enters the wider world, thanks to her own ferocious will and the dedication of her remarkable teacher, Annie Sullivan. “Annie knew how Helen must feel. Ever since Annie was a girl, she’d had a painful eye disease, and she had been partly blind until an operation helped her see.” “Annie and Helen” quotes directly from Annie’s letters about Helen — “During our walks she keeps up a continual spelling, and delights to accompany it with actions such as skipping, hopping, jumping” — and ends with Helen’s first letter home. Colón’s illustrations are gentle and realistic, matching Hopkinson’s straightforward prose. The endpapers show photographs of Helen and Annie, bringing them further to life. As the author’s note reminds us, “This story is about two extraordinary women.” Young readers cannot fail to be inspired.