Mine for Keeps

Kelly L. Green is editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual’s
Children’s Literature edition.

First published in 1962, and one of Jean Little’s best-loved books,
Mine for Keeps is the story of Sally Copeland, a little girl with a
mother, a father, two sisters, a brother, and cerebral palsy. Sally has
come home after five years of living at a special school for children
with motor handicaps. At first, everything seems overwhelming—having
to fit into her family again, learning to dress herself all alone, and
going to a regular school. But gradually, with the help of her family, a
new pet dog named Susie that is hers “for keeps,” and some special
friends, Sally finds her way. She even learns that she has the power to
help someone else in need.

When I first read Mine for Keeps in 1968, at the age of nine, I cried
and felt a cathartic joy that has stayed with me for nearly 30 years, as
I have returned to this powerful book many times in my mind. I was
almost afraid to read it again, for fear of destroying the magic spell
it had cast over me as a child. I needn’t have worried—like all
great books, this one has kept its power through the years.

Regarding the realistic story, it must be said that a few things have
changed in the way society treats physically challenged individuals
since the book was written, and the resources available to families are,
I believe, somewhat greater than they were in 1962. Parenting styles and
standards have also changed over the last 33 years. Sally’s mother,
though loving, now seems occasionally insensitive. I found myself
wondering why she did not explain to Sally about her new, easy-to-put-on
clothes rather than leaving her alone to be overwhelmed by a task she
has never done on her own. Mother’s story about “Scarey Sarey”
(the family’s name for Sally as a 4-year-old frightened of going into
the water) made me cringe a little, but Little’s message that children
raised with love and high expectations will triumph over the obstacles
placed in their way still shines through. Thirty-three years later, this
book is never less than real. Each character is fully drawn, with a
complete and complex personality. The family dynamics are only too
familiar to those of us who have ever lived in a family, and the tale of
Sally’s struggle to make friends is wonderfully told. The book made me
cry and feel joy all over again as an adult with children of my own. In
my opinion, it is highly recommended forever.