Grits and the Grimels, by Chris Lassiter
My review: ★★★★
Grits is a fun-loving kid who means well but keeps getting into trouble. He’s in especially hot water now, because he accidentally threw a rock through Mr. Grimel’s car window. Rather than face the consequences, he runs home. Unbeknownst to him, Mr. Grimel saw the whole thing. Lucky for Grits, Mr. Grimel can see past the broken things in Bridge City, to the beauty inside people like Grits. Instead of getting mad, Mr. Grimel brings the rock to Grits and then forgives him the debt of fixing the window. He tells Grits that he himself was forgiven a debt in the past, and now he’s sharing the gift of mercy. He then shares a plate of soft buttered grits cookies – perfect food for Grits!
The book ends with a recipe for buttered grits cookies! I haven’t made it yet, but I plan to.
The artwork is pretty good, and the message is a good one for kids. It will be especially beneficial for kids who need to work on forgiving others, or who often have conflicts to forgive. It’s also good for reminding people everywhere that there’s beauty and kindness even in the toughest parts of the inner city. The only criticism I have is minor; the text isn’t evenly paced – there are a couple of pages with a lot of text for a children’s book.
