Parents' Guide to

Grace at Christmas

By Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Warm tale of a girl opening heart and home for the holiday.

Book Mary Hoffman Picture Book 2011
Grace at Christmas Poster Image

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What's the Story?

Grace is excited for Christmas with Ma and Nana to come, until she learns that another woman and her daughter -- who is Grace's age -- will be staying over because of a snafu with their flight back to Trinidad. Grace is angry she has to sleep on the couch and sad she can't be with both her parents because they are divorced and her papa lives in Gambia. When Grace finds Savannah crying because she can't be with her papa on Christmas, either, they bond and have fun putting on a Christmas play for the family in the apartment.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

The story does an excellent job of showing the changing emotions of young Grace. She is thrown at first by Christmas not being what she had imagined it would be, then finds it more fun with the addition of two strangers who needed a place to stay. The expressive watercolors amplify the mood shifts and help the reader experience Grace's initial trepidation and ultimate joy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it's like to not have the holiday you imagined in your mind. Do your high expectations sometimes get in the way of enjoying the celebration as it unfolds?

  • At first Grace doesn't like the idea of having to move out of her room so the visitors can sleep there. Does that ever happened when relatives come to spend the holiday with you?

  • This is the latest book in the Grace series. Have you read any others? How does this one compare? What is it about the Grace character that makes kids enjoy these books so much?

Book Details

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