The book Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman is an empowering reading experience for Black girls* ages five to nine. The narrative references gender roles and racial attributions.
Grace is a confident Black girl who loves stories and drama. When the play “Peter Pan” is to be performed at her school, she wishes to take on the leading role. It is quickly made clear to her that Peter Pan was a boy and, moreover, not black. The book tells how Grace is encouraged by her family to play any role she wants.
The book is beautiful and empowering. There is a lingering aftertaste at one point, however, when Grace disguises herself as a Native American.
Also published in the same book series is the story Princess Grace.
Here Grace learns that there are many types of princesses and not all of them wear pink dresses, or wear a crown.
Mary Hoffman 2007: Amazing Grace. London: Frances Lincoln Childrens Books.