Rocky Pond Books | 978-0593529812

A friend recently told me about a new picture book — SMALL THINGS MENDED by Casey W. Robinson and Nancy Whitesides – and because there’s something about “small things” that has always appealed to me, I knew I’d need to pick up a copy from the library.

This tender book begins as a kind older gentleman, Cecil, who appears to live alone, hears something unexpected – “a bright happy sound” –  outside his window.

“Cecil could see Lily from next door

carwtheeling and laughing and — whoops!

Something shiny flew out of her pocket.

Uh, oh! Can Cecil fix it? He’s good at mending, but it had been a while and he’d “forgotten how much he liked fixing things.”

The next day, Lily’s friend Alfred appears at the door.  Can Cecil repair his broken music box? Tools in hand, Cecil “tweaked and tied until PLINK PA-PA PLING! a jaunty tune sprang to life.”

The older man continues happily repairing “small things” until one day a girl arrives holding her small stuffed elephant. Can Cecil fix Daisy’s broken heart? One thing leads to another, and though, at first, Cecil isn’t sure what to do, eventually he comes up with an idea.

I won’t give away the ending. Suffice to say that this Kid’s Indie Next List Pick, and 2024 New England Book Award Winner is a heart-warming story about community and the ways healing can arrive unexpectedly.