I adore X Fang’s books and eagerly await each new book so was I thrilled to read Broken and its already one of my top books of the year! A charming, hilarious, and moving picture book about family and connection. When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her grandmother’s favourite cup she is devastated, Ama is going to be so angry! There will be yelling! She might even kick Mei Mei out of the house! Mei Mei cannot face the fallout but when innocent cat Mimi takes the blame and views Mei Mei with her piercing stare the guilt is far too much. Will Mei Mei tell the truth? Broken is both laugh-out-loud hilarious but also such a sweet and charming tale about making mistakes and learning to tell the truth. Underneath the hilarious mayhem is at its heart a story that cleverly addresses complex feelings such as guilt, lying, and shame in a gentle and positive manner. I think all families will enjoy reading this book together and talking through the story. The illustrations are delightful; I adored Mimi in particular who looms over the story with her unimpressed expression and who challenges Mei Mei to say the truth. This beautiful book will be loved by many, and I would recommend for book collections everywhere.

A lovely tale with some of my favorite picture book illustrations recently. A story about how being honest is the best policy, but also everything can work out better with love and tenderness. I adored the illustrations of Mimi particularly and the humor that laces the staring, and thought the youthful feel to the main character was really realistic from a childs point of view. I loved Fang’s The Dim Sum Palace, and this proves their skill of illustration and storytelling is capable of amazing things!

X. Fang does it again, with gorgeous textured illustrations and a simple but joyful message. A tender story about how fixing things means much more than breaking them.

A beautiful book from cover to end that will cause giggles- courtesy of Mimi the cat and her all-knowing cat stare. This is a very sweet story about owning up to breaking something precious to someone else. Not an easy thing to do ever, but terrifying when you are little and can’t bear for anyone you love being angry with you. The book’s soft colour palette means it is a good story for bedtime or when your little person needs to wind down. It offers reassurance about confronting those queasy feelings and accepting responsibility for a genuine accident. Perfect for a child who is starting to develop their social and communication skills. Many thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy.