Literary Critique Of Boundless Grace By Mary Hoffman

The book I chose for the literary critique is Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman. This book is a fictional narrative from the point of view of a young girl named Grace’s point of view. Grace lives with her mother and Nana in the United States. Her father resides in Gambia, Africa with his new wife, Jatou and their two younger children Neneh and Bakary. However, Grace sees her father as a distant memory. She associates her father with letters and photographs (p. 2). This is not Grace’s idea of a father; she wants the fairytale picture of a father seen in Beauty and the Beast (p.2). Hoffman unfolds Grace’s dilemma with her family not being “right” (p. 3) and the emotional struggle she goes through understanding where she fits in. The reason I chose …show more content…
5). The theme of the story is that each family is different but as long as it’s made up of people who love each other that is all that matters. The author’s purpose is to help children relate to Grace and acknowledge the feelings of a child who has gone through a divorce or separation. An excellent display of this is on page 3; when Grace mentions that “Our families not right; we need a father, brother, and a dog.” The author is sharing what many children see as the ‘ideal’ family, similar to the ones seen in picture books. I believe that the author wants students to see that just because a family is not ‘picture perfect’ doesn’t make it any less of a family. Nana Grace’s grandmother shares this concept with the statement “families are what you make of them (p. 3)” made by Nana reassuring Grace that their family is perfect just the way it is. Hoffman continues to share Grace’s emotional roller coaster as she comes to terms with her part in her father’s new family and worries that she will be replaced by her new siblings (p. 7). Hoffman also portrays Grace’s overwhelming feelings of the new and exciting world around her. Hoffman does an excellent job conveying the purpose she has set …show more content…
However, I would begin with a read-aloud activity with the class. Then I would spread the teachings from Boundless Grace out over the course of the week. The next lesson would be the sequence of events. From there I would have the next lesson focus on the main idea and supporting details. Once the students have completed these two activities, I would begin a lesson on problem-solving. I would discuss with the students some of the differences of their family dynamic and some of the feelings that Grace experienced in Boundless Grace. I have attached the lesson plans for these activities. Next, I would focus on a compare and contrast lesson with the students. I would have the students examine the differences mentioned in Boundless Grace, such as the compound for their homes, the market for shopping, and the benachin for food. I would make a concept chart on the board and have students add things they noticed that they consider