a gift for gracelyn -- a book review

AE Smith's Gift for Gracelyn is a beautiful children's chapter storybook of a little girl who needs heart surgery and the love of her pets to love and support her through the surgery and recovery.   

Gracelyn who is11-turning-12 has a heart condition, which means that she becomes tired quickly and sometimes has trouble breathing. She lives on a ranch in Arizona with her older brother, Terry, their parents and a whole host of animals.  The animals feature heavily in the story and are described precisely and quite accurately for a children's book.

Gracelyn is preparing for surgery, which will take her away from her ranch.  The animals learn of this and gather together to determine the appropriate gift to give her for her birthday.

There's so much more -- but saying much else would be spoilers for readers.  It's a delightful story with some beautiful illustrations.  Parents, this is a book you'll want to share with your child, rather than just giving it to them.  There's a lot to discuss after you've read.

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review here.