Grace & Katie by Susanne Merritt - OPTIONAL

Grace & Katie by Susanne Merritt, illustrated by Liz Anelli. PICTURE BOOK. EK Books (Exisle), 2017. $18. 9781925335545

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Grace and Katie are twins who share the love of drawing. But while Grace favors straight lines, squares and angles, Katie favors patterns, squiggles and swirls. One day, Grace decides to draw a map of their house. When Katie wants to help, Grace bluntly refuses, so Katie draws a map of her own. As they stand back to admire their own work, they both realize that something is missing, but it takes the other’s critical eye to spot what. Ultimately they realize that the best pictures are the ones drawn together.

Living in an apartment with a balcony that has an urban view and neighbors of various skin tones, Grace and Katie are fortunate enough to own markers and pens of all sizes and colors, rulers and protractors, large sheets and rolls of paper (plain and graph), and spacious flat surfaces on which to work. Their father is in the background in a few scenes working at his own drawing desk. The map and legend that Grace draws could be used to introduce a mapping lesson. This Australian import is visually delightful, the illustrator doing a good job capturing the two different styles of the girls, but it is less exciting narratively. I would recommend this as an optional purchase, to support your art curriculum or to illustrate different artistic styles.

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian