by Casey W. Robinson and Illustrated by Nancy Whitesides
Small Things Mended is one of my new favorite picture books and is the book I’d like to highlight this Valentine’s Day. I recently gave it to one of my granddaughters and I think it’s the kind of book I’d like to give even to adults in my life who give simple, but truly meaningful service to those around them. In our ever-increasingly disconnected world, these people are like the glue that holds communities together, and I love them for it. It has recently received many awards and I can easily see why. It’s such a gentle, sweet, lyrical story, with timeless themes of love, friendship, and the power of community and service. As a bonus, it is full of fun words that make for a great read aloud–words like “jaunty” or “ker-chunk,” and alliteration like “trinkets and treasures.”
The plot and characters are lovely. Cecil is an older gentleman with a bad eye, and a lonely heart. He enjoys hearing young Lily’s laughter as she cartwheels and plays, that is until her pocket watch flies out and breaks. But Cecil is a tinkerer and offers to fix it for her and in doing so remembers how much he loves fixing things, and even more so, how good it feels to give service and love. Soon other children bring him broken objects and eventually he puts up a sign: Small Things Mended. Somehow Cecil reminds me of my father-in-law who enjoyed a bit of tinkering and would rather fix things than head out to buy new stuff all the time. It’s a lost art.
Then, one day Eleanor brings him a well-loved stuffed animal elephant, named Daisy, with a missing eye button. “He needs his eye fixed,” Cecil offers. Cecil can relate with bad eyes too, but Eleanor says Daisy actually has a broken heart. “A broken heart is not a small thing,” says Cecil. “I’m not sure I have the right tools.” But he tries anyway, and in the end decides “a broken heart needs friends.” So, Cecil creates a neighborhood meal using vegetables from his neglected garden. And through that simple act, many broken hearts come away a bit more mended, especially his own. I love the wisdom and metaphors of this book, but it reads beautifully as a simple story too.
So, if you’re looking for something to give those “glue” kind of people in your life, or to inspire simple kindness and service in the children in your life, or just fill them with gentle love, this beautiful picture book might be for you. Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m feeling inspired. Maybe I’ll give some kind of simple and meaningful service with my grandchildren today. Small things do mend hearts in ways we may never know.
Jenny Crooks-Johnson 