Broken
When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her grandmother, Ama’s, cup, she worries how Ama will react. Imagining the worst-case scenarios, she chooses to run away instead of facing the truth. When the blame is placed on Mimi the cat, Mei Mei’s guilt becomes overwhelming. Readers wait with bated breath, along with Mimi the cat, for Mei Mei to tell the truth to Ama. Compassion and understanding save the day when Ama models a loving approach to help mend the mistake.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Adults can create a simple matching game using cut-up pictures from recycled materials such as magazines, flyers or catalogs. Adults and children can also use construction paper to draw a cracked cup and “mend” it with tape or glue. Children may also enjoy engaging in a scientific activity where they have the chance to observe a variety of broken objects (a deflated ball, a pencil with a snapped point, or a toy car with a wobbly wheel) and brainstorm ideas for whether they could be repaired. If yes, they can test their ideas and evaluate the outcomes!
Adults can model expressive reading when sharing Broken with children. Using voice changes to convey emotions highlights key events, cause and effect, and changing emotions. Children use these cues to make sense of the story and become more fluent readers. This is also a great opportunity to connect how the characters are feeling with children’s own feelings and experiences. What do they think about Ama’s idea to glue the cup back together?