The family has nine pets, the most recent addition being Henry Higgins, a talking African gray parrot.

Jean Little has always been interested in adoption, and she had a first-hand experience with it when her sister adopted two children several years ago. Little's works include the novels Lost and Found, Different Dragons, From Anna and Hey World, Here I Am, illustrated by Sue Truesdell. In addition to Emma's Magic Winter, her first I Can Read Book, Ms. Jean Little is the author of more than twenty-five books for children. Notable 1989 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)Ĭhildren's Books of 1989 (Library of Congress)ġ989 Children's Books (NY Public Library) About the Author: Outspoken, funny, sometimes confused but always observant, Kate is writing it all down - 'Hey World, Here I Am!'Notable Children's Books of 1989 (ALA) (Apr.Kate Bloomfield is back! And she's got a lot to say - about school and friends and parents, about cartwheels (she can't do them), about parsnips (she won't eat them), about being alone and being herself, about life and love.even about Dave Nelson, who doesn't know she's alive.

Thus Willow stays at arm's length from readers, making the narrative seem more like a social worker's profile than a fully realized depiction of the siblings' journey to safety. Milestone events for the protagonist-such as making up with the neighbor girl, her first real friend, after an argument adjusting to school and separating from Twig for the first time-take place mostly offstage. However, 11-year-old Willow's thoughts often convey a level of consciousness not displayed in her actions or conversations (for instance, as she walks one of the many household dogs, she gazes at nature and thinks, 'Here you could simply stand and let the land smooth out all the hurt, rough, sore places inside you'). Willow's strong connection to her four-year-old brother, who was born addicted and who has lost most of his hearing due to a beating by one of their mother's acquaintances, binds the novel together. Luckily, Willow has kept an envelope containing information on how to reach their maternal grandmother and, after several protracted scenes, they go to live in her farmhouse on 10 acres. The book opens after Willow and Twig's mother has disappeared again, this time leaving them with an ailing friend who dies while the siblings are in her care. More somber in mood and adult in tone than Little's ( From Anna Hey, World, Here I Am!) previous books, this novel may disappoint the author's fans.

Hey World, Here I Am! by Jean Little