An Invisible Thread Christmas Story

Based on Schroff’s bestselling 2011 memoir, An Invisible Thread, also written with Tresniowski, this picture book focuses on a Christmas that Schroff spent with Maurice, a child she met after he asked her for change on the street in New York City. Their initial encounter developed into weekly meals and a friendship that crossed both racial and generational lines. Maurice narrates his holiday activities with Schroff, after she learns his family never had the money to celebrate Christmas. Root’s warm, textural illustrations bring the wintery city to life, but the lack of information surrounding Maurice’s family background (in which drugs had a sizeable presence), while understandable given the target audience, is likely to leave readers with questions. Even so, the importance of generosity grounds the book, further amplified by endnotes from both Schroff and Maurice, as well as suggestions for how readers can integrate kindness into their daily lives. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)