PPBF: Broken

With only 5 days until Christmas 2025,

today I'm grateful for health and healing.

It all started years ago; I thought I just had a wide foot. That is, until I saw my mom's feet, which hardly resembled feet any longer, not long before her death. She had horrible bunions, which in the end significantly inhibited her ability to move about without pain. After the appointment to get her fitted for made-to-order shoes for diabetics, I vowed not to let my bunions get the best of me like that. For her. For my family. And for me.

But I'd also heard stories of shaved bunions which grew back, so I researched before selecting a local foot surgeon who came highly recommended. He actually breaks the metatarsal bone and puts it back where it belong, then puts two plates in, to keep it there, where it belongs. I met with him in April and, after he assured me that my feet were only going to get worse, I scheduled my surgery for the end of the year.

I will admit that it seems counterintuitive to break something in order to fix it, but I just kept picturing my mom's feet and I kept moving toward the repair. I'm now about 10 days out and I got to see the incision at yesterday's follow-up redress appointment. 

I stand in awe of what surgeons can do.

Cue the segue into today's PPBF. 

Title: BROKEN

Author/Illustrator: X. Fang

Publisher: Tundra Books

Birth date: October 14, 2025

Suitable for: ages 3-7 (and up!)

Themes: responsibility, honesty, forgiveness

Brief synopsis: A bored youngster decides it'd be fun to scare her Ama's cat, until, that is, it causes the cat to break a treasured cup. 

Opening page: Let me tell you the story of the day I broke Ama's cup.

Resources:

Enjoy a read-aloud {here}.

Read a Common Sense Media review {here}.

See why it's a Changing Hands staff pick {here}.

Why I like this book: First of all, I have a cat; my husband's nickname for her is Chaos even though it has nothing in common with her given name, Everly. And we wouldn't put it past her to break something of value in our home. In fact, she already has; just ask the hubs. But I digress.

So first off, it's very real. Things break, but it's not always the cat.

In Mei Mei's case, she tried to scare the cat, which in turned caused her Ama's cup to come crashing to the floor. And so, when Ama assumes it was the cat, her granddaughter lets it go. Until the glares from the cat and her conscience get the best of her, that is. 

With every page turn, the child on your lap or in your care will go deeper into will she or won't she tell the truth, so use this tale of a broken keepsake to chat about honesty and trustworthiness. Talk about what it means to come clean, to confess, and why it's so important for trust and connection. 

Teach them this little ditty: When you mess up, you gotta fess up. 

Turn the Mei Mei's "what ifs" around: What if I don't tell the truth? What if Ama figures it out before I tell her? What if she isn't able to trust me again because I didn't come to her right away? And what if Ama doesn't forgive her? Or what if she does?

How amazing does that Ama hug of forgiveness feel?

This gem boasts the purrfect blend of humor and pace; pair it with a lesson about the Japanese art form known as Kintsugi, a means of repairing pottery by fill the cracks with a golden lacquer, to maintain or even increase its beauty and value. Perhaps you could ask students to bring in a small flower pot that they could break and repair with some golden glue?

I found these hearts on Etsy; they'd also make a compelling art extension.

Without the fractures, there wouldn't be a need for the gold;

surely there's a profound life-lesson among the cracks?

That must be why it's already so highly-acclaimed.

A 2025 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
One of Kirkus Reviews' 90 Most Anticipated Fall Books for Young Readers, 2025
A 2025 Heather's Pick
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2025
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2025
An NPR "Books We Love" Selection of 2025
A 2025 Kids Indie Next Pick for November/December
An NY Mag Best Kids Book of 2025
A Smithsonian Magazine Best Children's Book of 2025
One of the Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids of 2025
One of Pen America's Best Children's Books of 2025
A Children's Book Review Best Picture Book of 2025
A Brightly Best Picture Book of 2025

Check out this award-winner, then head on over to Susanna Hill's blog

for some other intriguing PPBF titles and fun resources.