Kim Howard: Grace and Box
Join Indy Reads and 2022 Indiana Authors Award Winner Kim Howard on July 15th at 10:30am for a reading of her award-winning children’s book: Grace and Box. After the reading, stay for a mystery song and game with Kim. Signed copies of the book will be available to purchase at the talk.
Register with Eventbrite here.
About the Author
Kim Howard is a children’s book author and former teacher. Her debut picture book Grace and Box was published in 2021 by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan. Grace and Box is a 2022 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award nominee, a 2022 Panda Book Awards nominee, and was included on the 2021 Redbud Read Aloud Masterlist for Oklahoma. The School Library Journal called it “a surefire hit for story time.”
Kim has wanted to be an author ever since she was little. Now, she enjoys doing author visits to preschools and elementary schools and inspiring future generations of writers. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Her View from Home, Nerdy Book Club, Imagination Soup, and Scary Mommy.
She has her Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from Indiana University and taught sixth grade in Lafayette, Indiana. Born and raised in LaPorte, Indiana, she now lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband and their three children.
Kim’s next book will be published in April 2024 from Little, Brown. You can find out more about her at www.kimhowardbooks.com.
About This Book
Grace and Box have become fast friends. Box delivered a refrigerator earlier in the week and by the end of it, Grace and Box had already been to space, gone camping, and explored the depths of the sea together. But on Sunday, Grace notices something’s wrong with her buddy. Box has some rips and crumples that bandages, ice packs, and rest on the couch can’t seem to heal. Grace certainly doesn’t want these adventures to end, so she is determined to fix Box so that they can continue their play together! A universal friendship (child and box) has come alive in this imaginative and humorous picture book.
Reviews:
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2—In this cheerful ode to the joys of independent imaginative play, a girl goes on myriad pretend adventures with a big cardboard box left over from her family’s new refrigerator delivery. After the effects of her boisterous play leave her inanimate friend with some inevitable wear and tear, she patches up Box to continue the fun. Grace, a little Black girl with curly hair, is shown to be an inventive child who relishes science, history, and geography, creating adventures for herself and Box in outer space, ancient Rome, the deep sea, and around the world. Readers will be drawn in by the book’s vibrant, textured illustrations, and the large scale of the images make this title an especially good pick for a group story time. The text is written in a neat, uncomplicated rhyme scheme that makes for a pleasing read-aloud experience. The theme of repurposing an everyday object—then fixing it when it breaks—is a nice counter to the concept of throwaway culture. VERDICT All ages will relate to the timeless fun of dreaming up new vistas in this welcome addition to all picture book collections; a surefire hit for story time.—Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Lib., CA
BCCB
“This read aloud is bound to be a lot of fun at story time, as Box’s sloppily drawn smile and decrepit appearance worsen with each new adventure to much hilarity. Young viewers may seek a big box for their own imaginary travels, though it may not last as long as Grace’s.”―The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books (BCCB)