cover image Grace at Christmas

Grace at Christmas

Mary Hoffman, illus. by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. Dial, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-3577-4

Starring in her fourth picture book, Grace learns that her Nana has invited distant family friends to spend Christmas with them. Grace isn’t sure about having strangers there, but she and shy Savannah discover that they have something in common: Grace misses her father, who lives in Africa, as much as Savannah misses being in Trinidad for Christmas. Hoffman’s empathetic storytelling and Van Wright and Hu’s naturalistic illustrations make the most of Grace’s abundant humor and personality. It’s a contemporary holiday story with no shortage of heart. Ages 3–5. (Oct.)