Stars Come Out Within

Pauline Carey is an actor, playwright and librettist, and author of the
children’s books Magic and What’s in a Name?

This book, written with the simplicity and humor that makes good reading
for all ages, is the continuation of Jean Little’s life story, which
she began in Little by Little.

Little was born with impaired vision, which has gradually worsened
throughout her life. When she began her career as a writer of
children’s novels, she received her first copy of her first book, Mine
for Keeps, while lying in hospital after her first eye operation. Later,
as she received many awards for her writing and many letters from
children who read her books, she could no longer see what she was
typing.

Many things helped her continue to write—friends, a devoted mother, a
Seeing Eye dog, and SAM, a talking computer. She gives Zephyr, her dog,
his own voice as he goes through his training. He had to learn to do
some strange things for a dog.

Little had to learn too: she had to learn to ask for help. She tells of
her nervousness in making the first move to meet new people, and of her
reluctance to call the Seeing Eye organization when she had a discipline
problem with Zephyr. But by the time she decided to buy her computer,
she was able to bombard her computer trainer with questions and appeals
for help, and she asked friends and family for cash Christmas gifts to
help with the purchase.

Many writers (some of whom she never met) also helped Little through
her life. She read their poetry or their novels, or listened to their
“talking books,” and these helped her in the way close friends do.

Little’s first novel (1962) was about a girl on crutches who was
still on crutches at the end of the story. This book tells us of a woman
whose sight does not get better during the story. But her spirit does.