Born in 1929 in Trinidad, Grace arrived in the UK on a Churchill Fellowship, travelling from Trinidad via internships at Toronto and New York City public libraries. She was appointed children's librarian for Hertfordshire Libraries, serving in several key roles from 1957 to 1985. When she retired from Hertfordshire, Grace continued as a professional storyteller and helped establish The Society of Storytelling, becoming its first chair.Grace was made an honorary life member of YLG in recognition of her work.

As a writer, Grace published several collections of stories and rhymes set in the Caribbean, which contributed to preserving and sharing the rich tradition of African folklore in the West Indies that has been passed through generations orally. Grace's body of work records these stories while also celebrating the multicultural reality of the Caribbean and encouraging readers to engage and retell these stories and become a part of this tradition.

Her work includes, among other things, books of Caribbean rhymes and songs (Down by the River), West Indian folk tales that range from origin stories (Cric Crac), to spooky stories about supernatural beings (Mouth Open Story Jump Out), and a whole collection of Anansi tales (A Web of Stories), as well as more contemporary stories, such as The Carnival Kite.