Caroline Binch – illustratör

With over a million copies sold this classic story of Grace, her Ma and Nana is a timeless classic of courage and determination, loved and cherished by children the world over.  Grace was a girl who loved stories.She didn’t mind if they were read to her or told to her ormade up in her own head. She didn’t care if they were frombooks or on TV or in films or on the video or out of Nana’slong memory. Grace just loved stories.  Grace loves to act out stories. She spends her time dressing up and putting on performances for her beloved Ma and Nana, usually helped by Paw-Paw the cat. Sometimes she plays the leading part, sometimes she is 'a cast of thousands’ and sometimes, when they’re not too tired, she can even convince Ma and Nana to join in her magical story creations.  When Grace’s school decides to put on a performance of Peter Pan, Grace longs to play the part of Peter. But her classmates say that Grace absolutely can’t play that part. Peter was a boy, and besides, he wasn't black... But Grace's Ma and Nana tell her she can be anything she wants if she puts her mind to it...  A touching and beautiful picture book about being true to yourself and not letting anyone hold you back. This is the perfect story for children everywhere to remind them to be themselves no matter what the world tells you.  At last! A book about the thousands of children who all longed to see themselves reflected in stories.This is a message that we still need – that we can be and do anything we want if we just put our minds to it. Nana never said a wiser word. So, keep on enjoying stories like Grace and, most of all, believe in yourselves and you will soon be flying, just like Peter Pan.  Baroness Floella Benjamin, OBE