She has lived there all of her life, so she is astounded and saddened when she learns from Tembo, her father's African servant, that her family will soon be abandoning the continent.

Her biggest concern immediately becomes her pet bushbaby Kamau, which had been a Christmas gift from her father; she fears the creature is too young to fend for itself and will perish if left behind.

She is physically described as having corn blond hair and blue eyes, a slightly crooked nose and a wide mouth, as well as thin legs too long for her age.

Moved by a close friendship and sense of duty, he willingly agrees to help Jackie in her journey to return Kamau to his natural habitat.

Sadly, news spread out that he has kidnapped Jackie and the African officials soon put a prize on his head, with orders to shoot him on sight.

The film was produced and directed by John Trent and featured young Margaret Brooks in the role of Jackie Leeds and Lou Gossett, Jr. as Tembo.

The novel was re-published in paperback following the theatrical release of this picture, retitled The Bushbaby and featuring an image of Brooks as Jackie on the cover.

Though the series' recognition falls short when compared to other works of its kind (Anne of Green Gables, 1979 or Little Women, 1987), it remains the most known version of the story, surpassing both Stevenson's novel and the MGM film significantly.

The series has been popular in its native Japan and has been dubbed into several languages and shown in their respective countries, among them Spain (Jackie y su mascota), Arabic (زهرة البراري), Italy (Le voci della savana), Germany (Buschbabies: Im Land des wilden Tiere) and France (Jackie dans la savane).