Deborah Kelly (text) and Nicky Johnston (illustrator), The Mosaic, EK Books, October 2024, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922539731
‘The day Mama’s vase broke, everything changed.’ So begins the story of a family upheaval when Frankie’s parents separate, and her grandmother comes to stay. The vase was a valued present that always held flowers on special occasions and now seems beyond repair.
However, her grandmother has a solution. At the art gallery, she shows Frankie a huge mosaic made from myriad pieces of broken china. Frankie begins to understand that although her family has changed, the pieces are still there and will fit together in a new way.
This is a gentle story with a strong message of resilience, hope and love. Beautifully illustrated with each character’s expressions conveying changing emotions from sadness to wonder to optimism. Teaching notes are available on the publisher’s website.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Douglas
