Something Broken, Something Fixed by Kathryn England, illus Davilyn Lynch

A seemingly simple tale of two children making something reveals a tale of siblings coming together after a disagreement, making amends, repairing fences, both wanting to fix the gap between them. A broken dinosaur on the front cover could be a clue to the broken relationship, as Amy dons her tool belt over her skirt and rummages around the house to find things to build something special for her brother, Finn.

She finds a wobbly chair and takes the seat, she finds some wheels and grabs them with glee, an old picture frame is just what she needs, a pram, a shoebox in mum’s wardrobe, all are gathered together to create the thing she has in her head.

Meanwhile Finn comes looking for his sister. He has finished his puzzle in his room, and calls out for her. He cannot find her but can see where she has been, so he dons his tool belt and repairs some of the things she has left behind.

When they finally catch up in the garden shed, she presents him with her contraption, a remote controlled flying boat-car. But using the remote control however does not work, so they try to work something out together.

A subtle story of siblings coming together to do something together, the title, Something broken not only refers to the broken things around the house but also their friendship. So fixing up is at the centre of this story as Amy tries to make something special for her brother and he repairs the things she leaves behind.

Kids will love looking at the range of broken things depicted on each page, comparing them with what gets broken at home, reprising stories of how things at home became broken, making up a story of how the objects on the pages become broken. The broken dinosaur on the front cover begs for a story and will prove a start off point for many imaginative tales.

Themes: Repairs, Recycling, Siblings, Friendship, Arguments.

Fran Knight