''Baby'' is a 1995 children's novel by

Patricia MacLachlan Patricia Marie MacLachlan ( Pritzkau; March 3, 1938 – March 31, 2022) was an American children's writer. She was noted for her novel ''Sarah, Plain and Tall'', which won the 1986 Newbery Medal. Early life MacLachlan was born in Cheyenne, Wyom ...

. It explores the themes of family and abandonment through the story of a family who has experienced loss, but discovers a baby girl left on their doorstep, with the only information about her on a short note. The story is told from the perspective of a girl named Larkin, whose family discovers and cares for the baby. The book features and references several poems, including one by

Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of he ...

. It was adapted into a 2000 TV movie directed by Robert Allan Ackerman and starring

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she playe ...

Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...

, and

Jean Stapleton Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actor, character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton was best known for playing Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and dev ...

Reception

Horn Book noted that the age of the book's intended audience was unclear but that it should still be read. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books called it an "excellent selection for early chapter book readers". The International Reader's Association put it on its 1994 list of books good for teaching."Teachers' Choices for 1994"
Reading Teacher, vol. 48, no. 3, Nov. 1994, p. 239. EBSCOhost.

References

1995 American novels 1995 children's books American children's novels American novels adapted into films {{1990s-novel-stub