Boundless Grace

“Boundless Grace” by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch was an excellent book. The big idea/message of the story is that although families may be different and unconventional, they are still families. I really enjoyed the dialogue between Grace and her mother/Nana because it seemed very believable and realistic. At the beginning of the book, Grace’s Nana reassures her that “a family with you in it is a real family”. This quote from Nana permeates all throughout the book. The illustrations were incredible—they are my favorite out of all the children’s books that I’ve read throughout this course. They were bright, vibrant, detailed, and kept me interested all throughout the book. I liked the writing used in this book because show more it gave the reader a good idea of two different settings—Grace’s home back in the United States and her father’s home in Africa (“there were sheep wandering along the roadside and people selling watermelons under the trees”). I would definitely use this book in my classroom because some students might be able to relate to and connect with Grace’s unique family. show less

Accompanied by Nana, Grace travels to Africa to visit her father, who left home when she was little, and learns that love can be without bounds, even in divided families.

I liked the book Boundless Grace for three reasons. The first reason is the message that the readers can take from it, and the lesson that Grace learned. Grace was upset because her family was not like others, she lived with her mother and grandmother but her father lived with his new family in Africa. Since they were not all together Grace thought her family was “wrong” but after her visit to go see her father and meet his family did she understand that there are other families like hers out there in the world and that there is no right or wrong family. Another reason I liked the book is because of the illustrations. The illustrations are so detailed and clear that you are really able to see the emotions Grace was feeling on her show more face. These illustrations also led you through her journey allowing us to see all of the different fabrics that she had to choose from in the fabric shop, and you could clearly see everyone enjoying themselves at their farewell party. Lastly, I liked the book because the characters were well developed; I was able to see Grace’s reaction to many different types of events. show less

Amazing Grace is a multicultural book about a young girl (Grace) who deals with her parents divorce. This picture book was wonderful to read, it gives you an insight into the feelings of children whose parents are separated or divorced. This story would be a great book for younger children who are going through the same thing. The descriptive language within this book was very powerful. “You do too have a father,” her ma said when she caught Grace talking that way. “I must have told you a hundred times about how we split up, and your papa went back to Africa. He has another family now, but he’s still your father, even though he doesn’t live with us anymore.” This was one of many sentences within the story that shows the show more hardships that Grace faces. Grace ends up getting the opportunity to go to Africa to visit her father and his new family. It demonstrates that although her father started a life with a new family, Grace is still a very important part of him and his new family. This shows young readers that even if you have parents that are separated you can still have a relationship with both of the families.
The illustrations within the book greatly depict the African culture, which was very interesting. Overall, the main idea of this story is that you can still have a relationship with both parents even if they’re divorced. show less

This is the sequel to Amazing Grace, which I reviewed previously (and enjoyed immensely!). I don't think it's quite the equal of its predecessor, but it's still a strong book, telling a story about Grace's relationship with her father, who has long since divorced her mother and lives in Africa.

This story was a bit boring in my opinion, but I loved the illustrations.It would be great for a child who is experiencing divorce or new siblings.

Grace is visiting her father in Africa where she meets her siblings and stepmother. She became a real big sister to her younger siblings by reading them bedtime stories every night. this book was wonderful to read, it gives you an insight into the feeling of children whose parents are separated or divorced. This would be good for younger children who are going through the same thing and helps to know that it's not all bad, but how they react to it.