Nikki and I love story time and one of our favourites is, Grace. The reading is easy and the beautiful illustrations are so colourful – perfect to entice a toddler’s eye.
Grace is a story about a girl who loved to dance but after trying and trying, Grace gave up. To cheer herself up, she started to draw and found out that this was her very special talent that she could even share with her dancing friends.
I have had the pleasure to know the author and illustrator of Grace, Kate Parkinson, and I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her book.
Every book comes from inspiration and Grace was no different. “Grace was originally developed as part of my Masters thesis (University of Hartford) and based loosely on my own childhood as I was always good at drawing but not so good at ballet or singing,” stated Kate. “And so as a child I did lots of art. I still do of course. However as an adult when I draw, I sing loudly to Motown (and I really, really cannot sing!) and I dance whenever I feel like it!” Kate added.
When asked about the message the book is conveying to her young readers, Kate said, “Everyone has talents and just because you’re not gifted at something does not mean you should not do it. In the book, Grace wants to be a dancer but ballet just is not her forte. However, art is something Grace is good at and it enables her to find a way to be a part of the ballet class. On top of that, the unstoppable Grace still continues to dance just for the love of it.”
I say that is a great message to convey to young readers and Kate added that the themes of the story include: talents, self-esteem, acceptance, and belonging.
Since Nikki and I enjoyed Grace so much I asked if we can anticipate any other Grace adventures. Kate informed me that she is currently working on new story ideas with new characters for early readers (ages 3 to 6). I am sure it will be another great story and beautiful illustrations to go with it.
To learn more about this author please visit: http://www.kateparkinson.com
Grace would make a great gift for any early reader and could be purchased online at: http://www.amazon.ca/Grace-Kate-Parkinson/dp/082343317X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1447597396&sr=8-2&keywords=grace+parkinson
Nikki and I recommend this book and we can’t wait to see what else Kate Parkinson has in store for us.
A special thank you to Kate for her time and keep up the awesome work!
– Momma Braga
One Reply to “One of our Favourite Books, Grace”