This article is about Kit Kittredge's pet dog. For the 2015 Girl of the Year character, see Grace Thomas.
Grace is Kit Kittredge's pet basset hound.
Facts[]
- Name: Grace
- First Appearance: Happy Birthday, Kit!
In the Books[]
Happy Birthday, Kit![]
On a dreary, rainy day, Kit and Stirling are taking Kit's wagon around their neighborhood to sell eggs from their chickens; as they walk home, Kit sees a muddy, brown lump on the sidewalk, but when the kids get closer, they realize it is actually a dog. The dog has a piece of paper around its neck with letters that have smeared from the rain, but Kit can tell that it says, "Can't feed her anymore." The dog sighs and looks at Kit with sad eyes, and Kit forgets her own struggles. They decide to take the dog home and trust that Aunt Millie will know how to feed and help the dog. Kit and Stirling gently lift the dog into the wagon, and she notices that the dog is very thin. As they go home, the dog does not move or whine at all or even lift its head. When they bring Aunt Millie out to see the dog in the wagon, she calls the dog "a fine old hound" and says she will be a good guard dog for them. Aunt Millie also believes that food and love will be enough to help the dog.
However, as the clouds part and the rain stops, Mrs. Kittredge's garden club ladies walk outside to admire the azaleas, and the chickens come out of their coop to get worms from the wet ground. When the dog notices the chickens, she lifts her head, sniffs the air, howls, and chases after the chickens. The garden club ladies all yell as the dog chases the chickens onto the terrace and even into the dining room. Kit and Stirling run after the dog and try to grab her under the tea table while the women yell, and Mr. Kittredge and Charlie even come downstairs to see what's going on. Kit manages to tackle the dog, but in doing so, she jostles the table and causes the flower vase to tip over. The candle holder also falls to the ground. Stirling and Aunt Millie manage to get the chickens out of the dining room, but the garden club ladies say goodbye and get their things to leave. Kit apologizes to her mother, but Mrs. Kittredge says she should really apologize to Aunt Millie because she was the one who worked to make the party special. Mrs. Kittredge says she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, and she asks where the dog came from. Kit starts to explain, but her mother cuts her off and says should have known that she was one of "Miss Mildred's rescue projects." Mrs. Kittredge says she is grateful for Aunt Millie's hard work, but she feels that her home has not been her own. However, she stops before she adds "since Miss Mildred came." Mrs. Kittredge leans over to the dog and says she smells, but she supposes they're stuck with her- and she adds that it's her fault that Mrs. Kittredge had "the party to end all parties."
Kit and Aunt Millie clean up the mess from the party, and then they bathe and feed the dog before taking her upstairs to the attic. After the incident with the chickens, Kit is afraid to have the dog out of her sight in case she does something else; however, the dog is now quiet and peaceful, and she puts her head on Kit's lap and looks up at her with "trusting, loving eyes." Kit apologizes that her dog ruined the party Aunt Millie prepared for, but Aunt Millie brushes it off and says the dog simply provided "a rather spectacular ending to the party." Kit sighs, and when Aunt Millie asks what's going on, Kit explains that she wishes she could have a Robin Hood-style party like the one she saw in a newspaper clipping. However, she knows it's impossible to ask for that with her family's financial situation. Aunt Millie says it's good to keep hoping, and she doesn't like to give up on anything, whether it be parties or a dog like the one they found who trips over her own feet and causes trouble. Kit feels better with these words, and she hugs the dog and asks her aunt what they should call her. Aunt Millie suggests "Grace" because she is actually very clumsy and ungraceful.
As Grace settles into the house, it becomes clear that she had not actually been attacking the chickens but trying to show how happy she was to meet them. Grace follows Kit around when she takes care of the chickens, and she spends most of her time sleeping outside of their coop. Kit thinks this is a good arrangement because it keeps Grace out of her mother's view for most of the day. When Kit goes outside to refill the water for the chickens, Grace opens one eye, thumps her tail, and then goes back to sleep. The chickens also accept Grace and treat her as part of the family.
When Aunt Millie hosts a Penny-Pincher Party for Kit's birthday and her classmates come over to her house, Stirling makes paper party hats for all of the guests, including Grace. Grace seems to believe the party is for her, and she wanders from guest to guest so they can pet her.
Kit Saves the Day[]
Changes for Kit[]
Missing Grace[]
In Kit Kittredge: An American Girl[]
Unlike in Happy Birthday, Kit! where Kit and Stirling first encountered Grace, Grace is introduced in the scene where Kit and her mother are strolling downtown. Kit eventually adopts the dog despite her mother initially showing her disapproval. Grace is also already named as such when she is introduced in the film, whereas in the books it was Aunt Millie who comes up with the name.
As part of Kit's Collection[]
Grace (also known as Grace the Basset Hound) was originally released in 2001 at a cost of $16. She was originally part of Kit's birthday collection and was initially sold with a party hat. The hat was removed in 2007 and the cost was raised to $18. The price was later raised to $22 before Grace retired in 2018. The item was rereleased in 2023 under the name Kit's Dog, Grace at a retail cost of $28.
Dog[]
Brown and white basset hound plush/fleece dog. Tan or brown back, ears (ears are lined with felt), sides of face, and majority of tail; white rest of body, tip of tail, and back diamond marking. Black and brown plastic safety eyes under drooping lids with black edging. Black cloth nose. Embroidered brown freckles on her muzzle. Embroidered brown paw markings.
The 2001 version was a darker brown fur with sags in the cloth for wrinkled and saggy skin; the 2007 version was slimmed with no sags and the tail pointed differently. In 2016 she was changed to have embroidered brown eyes instead of attached plastic eyes. In 2023 she was released with safety eyes again, a more golden shade of brown fur, slimmer jowls, a slight dome on the head, and stubbier, more tucked under legs.
Hat[]
Purple and yellow felt basketweave triangular birthday party hat. Orange felt fringe decoration on front attached with black circle.
This was removed in 2007.