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Rating: 
Summary: Short, but still a gem.
Review: I had been meaning to read this book for quite awhile, but never quite got around to it until today. This book is a quick read. (I think it only took me about 45 minutes to read from cover to cover. However, I didn't take time to ponder most of the illustrations.)Kate is a great character. Strangely enough, the title poem "Hey World, here I am" is probably the one I liked the least in the whole book. I haven't read any of the other books that include Kate, but this book does stand alone. With this book, the reader gets an insight into Kate that is refreshing. Rather than using long journal entries, Kate relates little things in her world through poems and through short stories. Some of these things are quite moving, such as the time that Kate's mother yells at her to clean her room. Later, Kate's mother comes back to apologize, saying she had a bad day at work, etc, and that she didn't mean to snap like that. Kate's observation on the situation is that she could deal with being snapped at, but having to deal with her mother's sadness was something much harder. Other observations are more joyful, such as the hope for spring (in February in Canada!) or being happy to have a best friend like her friend Emily. I think this is a wonderful book. Don't let it's shortness put you off. Not every book is meant to be 300 pages.
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Summary: I'M GLAD KATE IS HERE!
Review: I loved the poetry that outlined the story. Kate, whom we first met in "Through My Window" is the central figure in this story. Bright and outgoing, Kate speaks her mind on a myriad of subjects such as her religious identity, her social concerns and people she encounters regularly. This book delighted me because Kate is such a strong, female protagonist. She's wonderfully believable and her voice is certainly heartfelt. Kate is also funny.
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Summary: Childhood nostalgia that stands the test of time
Review: I was about eight years old when my mom first brought this book home for me. I was so thrilled because I shared the name of the character in the book, Kate. I absolutely devoured the book, enjoying it more for the humor Jean Little displays impeccably in her writing, and the utter appropriateness of Sue Truedell's wonderful illustrations. Later, when I was a teenager, I went back and read the poems again because they seemed to describe the utter tumult and solitude that I felt during such a trying time. Poems like "Today," "Alone," and "Yesterday" capture perfectly feelings and emotions that nobody ever thinks to capture, yet Ms. Little does it in such a fabulous way that one instantly understands just what kind of mood she is describing. Now that I am a young woman, near to having a family of my own, I treasure my battered old copy of this book, nearly worn to pieces from repeated readings. Even today I can still find wisdom in every poem and piece of prose. The writer, Jean Little, is blind; I can only say it has sharpened her other senses and her intuition of basic human emotion powerfully. Bravo!
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