Hey World, Here I Am!

Kate Bloomfield, a Canadian teenage girl, records her thoughts and feelings through a series of poems and vignettes. The very first page quickly sets the tone of Kate’s story - she announces her arrival to the World, but when she gets no response, her Self celebrates with somersaults. The World had its chance, but now it’s Kate’s turn! Simple stories, like not being able to eat parsnips or being proud to be Canadian, are mixed with longer portraits of Kate, her friends and family. Kate struggles with becoming a teenager and learning more about her parents and neighbors. The reader gets an intimate portrait of Kate and may discover a kindred spirit.

Kate has already appeared in two book, Kate and Look Through My Window, but Hey show more World, Here I Am! certainly stands on its own. Little’s writing style capture the teenage voice perfectly, without any of the angst or drama found in so many other books with a teen protagonist. Kate is caught between a world where she is old enough to have experience and reflect on her opinions, but still new to the world of adults. Truesdell’s illustrations, wobbly black and white drawings, are both silly and sentimental. The drawings interact with the poems, somersaulting around the words. Not only will younger readers find a companion in Kate, they will be introduced to poetry and the short story format. show less

I loved the illustrations and the overall content, but the writing seemed a little awkward, especially transitions between the four women's stories. There didn't seem to be much that indicated that they even knew each other, and the book jumped back and forth between them in a way that got a little confusing.

What's great about this book is not that it is a book of poetry from a young girl, but that it is a book of poetry from a fictional young girl.

Kate started as a side character in one of Jean Little's other works, best friend to the main character, but after Little finished that book, Kate stuck around. Kate was the ever-present voice in Little's head saying "there's more to me. Let me speak." So, Kate got her own book, and now she's speaking again, using her own voice, and sharing her deep thoughts through her creative outlet, writing.

Some excellent poems in here. I like the way Kate sees the world.

This is a story about four extremely smart women who made a huge difference in the space race. Even through segregation and unfair barriers, the women were able to show their excellence and make a difference in NASA. I would use this book as a read-aloud in my classroom to empower women and talk about space/science. This would be a K-2 aged book, especially as a read-aloud.

I remember liking this when reading it for college, studying to be a teacher; I don't remember why exactly. I think it's because Kate's voice sounded so authentic that I felt almost like I could be her friend. I felt, too, like I was learning about kids in a way that would help me be a better teacher.

Kate is a precocious young girl with a lot to say about many things. Little writes in Kate's voice with humor and thoughtfulness. I think 3-6 graders would be interested in what Kate has to say and may see themselves in her.

Book: Hey World, here I am!
Author: Jean Little
Characters: Kate Bloomfield
Setting: unknown
Theme: coming of age, growing up
Genre: Book in verse
Audience: middle school to high school
Curriculum: I can see this being used to introduce young teens to poetry and may resonate well with young girls.
Summary: Poems that sound like journal entries of a young girl’s emotions, imagery and experiences.
Personal Response: I really enjoyed these poems. They almost reminded me of Sandra Cisneros vignettes from House on Mango Street. The poems seem to suit the genre and the character as well. I love how the author categorized the poems as well, as if we were seeing the growth of Kate as we read through the book.