Boundless Grace [Hardcover]

Mary Hoffman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

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. By the author of Amazing Grace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Irrepressible, plucky Grace charmed a multitude of readers when she debuted in Amazing Grace, defying the narrow-mindedness of her classmates to land the plum role of Peter Plan in the school play. In this more message-oriented sequel, Grace is older (her gap-toothed grin all filled in), but still brimming with stories and dreams. Here she must overcome her own preconceptions and fears to accept and find acceptance with her divorced and remarried father's "other" family in Africa. Traveling to The Gambia with her grandmother, Grace frets about the horrible stepmothers found in fairy tales and worries that her hosts won't need or love her ("They make a storybook family without me"). Unlike the first book, where the spunkiness of the heroine was the heart of the story, this tale revolves around the lesson that "families are what you make them." Hoffman has once again imbued her story with an abundance of familial understanding. Binch's brilliant watercolors capture the colorful clothing and scenery of the African village; her snapshot-like portraits seem to radiate light. Despite the more predictable plot line, this volume is as assured and as uplifting as its predecessor. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?The irrepressible heroine of Amazing Grace (Dial, 1991) is back in this realistic adventure of the heart. A lover of stories, Grace longs for a family like the ones she reads about in her books. She has a secure and happy home with her ma, her nana, and her cat, but feels she's missed out by not having a father, a brother, and a dog. Her own father moved to Africa after her parents' divorce and began a new family there. One day her mother surprises her with the news that her dad has sent tickets for Grace and Nana to come for a visit. Arriving in The Gambia, she finds the storybook family she's been looking for, but it doesn't seem to include her. "'I'm one girl too many. Besides, it's the wrong Ma,'" she says. Jatou doesn't fit the model of any of the stepmothers Grace has read about, but she promises her father she'll try to like the woman since they are both so important to him. Through the wonderful visit and getting to know her stepfamily Grace learns to embrace life even when it isn't picture perfect. Binch's sumptuous pencil and watercolor artwork is astonishingly lifelike and expressive in detail. The exotic locale is an extra bonus in this universal story that is validating, uplifting, and bound to please.?Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803717156
• ISBN-13: 978-0803717152
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Africa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boundless Grace, May 21, 2009

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Boundless Grace (Paperback)

ISBN 0590737910 - Printed in the U.S.A., for those who care. The best sequels are those that jive with the previous book/s but that you can read without having read the others. In that, Boundless Grace succeeds. In all else, Boundless Grace succeeds spectacularly.

An avid reader, Grace is sad that her family isn't "right". In the books, there's a mother, father, brother, sister, dog and cat - but her family is just her, her mother, a cat and Nana. Her father left her behind to go back to Africa, where he started a new family. One day, a letter arrives. Grace's father has saved enough money for two plane tickets to Africa for Grace and Nana! Although Africa is exciting, Grace is jealous that they have a storybook family without her and remembers all the wicked step-mother tales she's read. She holds back from Jatou, her father's new wife, until her father asks her to try to be nice because they are both important to him. Once she makes an effort, Grace really enjoys her stay and realizes that Nana is right - a family is what you make it.

This is a fantastic book on several levels, not the least of which is that it features black characters and introduces some small facets of African culture. More, Grace is sad that there aren't books about families like hers - and now there is! Children from similar families, especially, will enjoy Mary Hoffman's story. Illustrator Caroline Binch's drawings are superb. Some are basic and uncluttered, others are vibrant and full of life and color, all perfectly capture the story. Grace's story begins with Amazing Grace (Reading Rainbow Book)and continues with Princess Grace, Starring Grace (Chapter, Puffin), Bravo, Grace!and Encore, Grace!.

- AnnaLovesBooks

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the child of a divorced couple., December 20, 2001

By 

L. Vaughan "joizmama" (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boundless Grace (Picture Puffin Books) (Paperback)

Although not as good as "Amazing Grace", this sequel touches nicely on the life of a youngster whose mother and father have divorced and life as she knows it. 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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book about non-traditional families, August 21, 2001

By 

Tiffany (Battleboro,NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boundless Grace (Hardcover)

This was a great book about non-traditional families which have now become the norm. The illustrations were great. My four year old and my 17month old both enjoyed it.