Jean Little(1932-2020)
- Writer
Jean Little was a Canadian writer who was born in Taiwan. Her parents were Canadian doctors serving as medical missionaries. They returned to Canada in 1939 and settled in Guelph in 1940.
After earning a degree from the University of Toronto, Little taught disabled children for several years. In 1962 she wrote her first children's novel, "Mine for Keeps," and it won the Little, Brown Canadian Children's Book Award that year. The author of over 50 books, her writing mainly consisted of children's literature, but she also wrote two autobiographies: "Little by Little" and "Stars Come Out Within."
Two of her novels, "Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird" and "Home from Far" were adapted into films.
She was born with scarred corneas, and had severely limited vision throughout her life, which got worse as time went by. She eventually wrote with the help of a voice-enabled computer.
After earning a degree from the University of Toronto, Little taught disabled children for several years. In 1962 she wrote her first children's novel, "Mine for Keeps," and it won the Little, Brown Canadian Children's Book Award that year. The author of over 50 books, her writing mainly consisted of children's literature, but she also wrote two autobiographies: "Little by Little" and "Stars Come Out Within."
Two of her novels, "Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird" and "Home from Far" were adapted into films.
She was born with scarred corneas, and had severely limited vision throughout her life, which got worse as time went by. She eventually wrote with the help of a voice-enabled computer.