Rescue Pup

Jean Little

You may know that Jean Little is a Canadian author. You may know that she has written more than 25 children's books. You may even know that she has won a number of awards, including a Canadian Library Association (CLA) Book of the Year Medal and a Canada Council Children's Literature Award. But did you know that for almost forty years Jean Little has been writing children's books that have attracted an international audience? She has written books for both young and older readers. When you look at Jean's life, you can see it reflected in the plots of some of her popular books.

Jean Little was born in Taiwan in 1932. Her parents were both doctors. Jean grew up in Ontario and graduated from the University of Toronto. She was born with a severe eye problem and is severely visually impaired. A special "talking" computer assists her with her writing. She has a retired seeing-eye dog named Ritz and a new one named Pippa, with whom she travels. The author focuses on her experiences from the time she was a child through young adulthood in her autobiography, Little by Little, and continues her< story in Stars Come Out Within. The books, which will appeal to children 10 and older, are both humorous and poignant as Jean describes living with a disability and the ridicule she sometimes experienced as a result, as well as her love for the world of reading and books.

Awards

• Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird - CLA Book of the Year, 1985.


• Mine for Keeps - Little Brown Children's Book Award, 1962.