Little, Jean, 1932-

Jean Little was born January 2, 1932, in T'ai-nan, Formosa (Taiwan), the daughter of two physicians, but has spent most of her life in Canada. She became a teacher of children with physical challenges, a writer, and a professor of children's literature. As a child she had severe vision problems, and became interested in reading and writing through her very supportive parents who read to her and encouraged her to read herself. After taking a job working with handicapped children, Little began to search for children's books on the subject. She found very few, and most of them were unrealistic in that the child usually found a miraculous cure in the last chapter. She therefore began writing books about handicapped children, mostly so that her students could find themselves represented realistically in books. Little also wrote historical novels, and in many of her books stresses the importance of a child's imagination. She has received many awards and honors for her work. Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, Vols. 2, 68, 106, 149 Something About the Author Autobiography Series, Vol. 17 Children's Literature Review, Vol. 4.

From the description of Jean Little Papers 1962-1972. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 475473631