School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Based on Schroff's best-selling book, An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny (Howard Bks, 2011), this picture book encapsulates the friendship that grew between a young working woman and a hungry boy on the streets of New York City. The boy, Maurice, narrates the tale of their meeting, sharing Monday night meals together, and eventually spending Christmas together-the first "real" Christmas Maurice ever had. The story never tries to hide the fact that it is message-driven, and everything is cheery and wonderful. Root's illustrations aptly convey the action as the tale unfolds. Inspiring notes from both the real-life Laura and the now-grown Maurice follow the uplifting account. A further bonus is included in the form of a guide for parents on teaching their children to perform acts of kindness. VERDICT There is apt to be a large audience for this one.-Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.