The Gift of Grace

Gr 1—4—At an early age, Grace, now nine, realized that people were curious about her right hand, and some said mean things. It is not fully formed and has only four fingers. Instead of feeling sorry for herself and letting ignorance and mistreatment make her sad, though, Grace decided to tell her story. And when she was five years old, she dictated it to her mother. Grace loves to sing and dance, is great at doing puzzles, is "cheeky" according to her mother, and has a beautiful smile according to her father. "All people have differences," she says. This picture book has many lessons: don't make assumptions based on appearances, accept people for who they are, learn to deal with the life you have been given, and, stand up for yourself. This can-do attitude is encouraging and never preachy. Grace does not see herself as having a disability, although others may see her this way. Watercolor, watercolor pencil, pastel pencil, and charcoal illustrations depict Grace and her loving family.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD