Broken

by X. Fang

Join Mei Mei on her hilarious and emotional journey in this dramatic and tenderhearted picture book about guilt and forgiveness, from the acclaimed creator of We Are Definitely Human .

When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she's convinced it's the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can't face it. But when Mimi, the innocent cat who witnesses her crime, ends up being blamed, the guilt is too much! Mimi's accusing eyes follow Mei Mei until she just can't take it anymore, and the truth comes spilling out.

With vibrant and moody cinematic illustrations and pitch-perfect pacing, X. Fang's newest picture book is filled to the brim with comedic drama and the comforting sweetness of a grandparent's forgiving hug.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Storytime, Cats, Emotion, Animals

48 pages, Hardcover

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Hello! I’m X. Fang. I am a visual artist and maker of books for young readers. I was born in Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, bounced around Brooklyn and Philly before settling down in Midcoast Maine with my husband, son, and dog.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming book about a cup that got broken, and the exaggerated fears of the little girl about possible consequences. But a little glue, and words of comfort are reminded to her:

Every patch and every repair tells a story.

So true!

4.5*

[Sophie Janto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never record the books I read my boys but I had to for this one because it deserves a 5 star review. Such a perfectly written children’s book with a great lesson. The cat is hilarious. Ama is pure love. Mei Mei is so relatable. And we love both honesty and fixing things! So good; read this one to your kids.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS A JAM!!! such a sweet portrayal of a child’s easy slip into spiraling into a catastrophe. Mimi. Mimi knows- it made be laugh so much!!!

[Cedy Redcay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc.
Broken is a cute story that follows Meimei as she navigates telling the truth about who broke her Ama’s cup.

I found the story to be accurate regarding how children react to situations and encourages them to tell the truth. The feelings, the reactions, and thought process were so accurate. If you work with kids, this is a good way to teach them about telling the truth without being worried about consequences. I cannot wait to incorporate this into my work.

[Nadina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and simple, not a bad story, a good message

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts funny and good message of making mistakes and saying sorry. The illustrations were so expressive I loved it. Just on the edge between storytime and lower elementary read a loud.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The favorite to win the 2026 Caldecott.

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

X. Fang is my favorite picture book creator working right now, and Broken did not disappoint. While less fantastical than We Are Definitely Human or The Dim Sum Palace, it is no less fantastic. I loved this story about a situation most kids will find themselves in at some point—breaking something and needing to fess up despite the fear of disappointing, angering, etc. their caregiver. As always, great illustrations accompany the story.

Themes: Broken, Mistakes, Sorry
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 for story, 3.5 for illustrations. 1-2 sentences per page. Could be used for mixed family storytimes or preschool! Mei Mei is bored at her Ama’s house so she tries to scare Mimi the cat but accidentally breaks Ama’s cup. Ama thinks Mimi broke the cup but Mei Mei eventually breaks down and confesses it was Mei Mei’s fault. Ama does not get mad; instead, Ama tells Mei Mei every repair tells and story, so Ama and Mei Mei fix the cup together and end happily with their tea and cake. Teaches kids that the truth comes up, not to lie or hold back, and that while mistakes happen, things can be fixed! Also shows kids what it looks like to worry, to feel guilty, and to be torn between choices. Humorous and relatable.

Only looking at the illustrations, I could clearly understand the whole story, so the graphics lay out the plot very well.

The cover shows the bottom half of the girl Mei Mei, the cat Mimi, and the broken cup. The back cover showcases the fully intact cup. Under the dust jacket of the book is the pattern on the cup, which is a nice touch. The front endpaper shows Mimi sleeping and the back endpaper shows Mimi knocking over the glued-together cup, which made me laugh. Paper quality is thick. Illustrations merge with the gutter naturally.

Color: There are a lot of shades of blues, reds, oranges, and darker grays. Mei Mei’s red overalls may point to the Chinese cultural association with liking the color red due to good fortune and happiness associations. The colors used are predominantly cool, but characters like Mei Mei and Mimi are warm-colored, making them stand out. The colors are darker when Mei Mei feels so guilty that she runs into the closet, and we see the brightness of Ama’s clothing/Ama’s presence introduced when Ama talks to Mimi in the closet. Color reproduction seems clear in the book.

Line: Lines are light and not heavily lined at all. There are some curved lines for movement (in Mimi, in Mei Mei crouching or crying).

Shape: There’s use of organic shapes found in nature and some geometric patterns, like the design on the cup.

Texture: The graphite pencil on paper and digital coloring are clearly seen in the shading, lines, and shadowing, which show some texture.

Dominance: Dominant elements include the cup, Mei Mei, cat, Grandma, and the cake. These dominant elements are consistent with the text. Size is used well in the illustrations in this work. We see the importance of the cup by its size in taking up almost the whole page and the page where it’s in pieces by Mei Mei’s feet (close-up illustration). We see the height of Mei Mei’s guilt as Mimi becomes bigger and bigger on the page (starts off taking up the bottom half of the spread when Mimi enters, then continues to have Mimi’s face be zoomed in on over 3 pages). We also see the fight for dominance in the repetition of the MiMi vs cake panels stacked on top of each other, as Mei Mei wrestles with eating the cake and not telling Ama the truth, or telling the truth that she broke Ama’s cup. The tension/being torn between the two options was depicted excellently visually. We also see the importance of Ama hugging Mei Mei, as that takes up a two-page spread.

Text: Text shows up in and around the illustrations. I loved the text placement – on the page where everything curves around, the text is strategically placed curving too, and on the page where the cup goes up and then down (x3), the text mimics that motion, further highlighting the illustration movement. The text also gets bigger as the scene intensifies. The text changes shape too when Mei Mei expresses strong emotion (Oh no! No! And when she wails that she broke it and is so sorry). The typeface is a sans serif font, and it fits the story in feeling modern, clean, and simple.

Composition: One page is a whole spread landscape-wise, when Mei Mei is terrifed to discover Ama is right behind her! There is not a lot of white space in the book – the illustrator uses space effectively by using size to emphasize what is important and Mei Mei’s growing feelings. White space is also used to show that the cup is important – the only pages that have a decent amount of white space are the scenes where the cup takes up most of the page. The illustrations work well with the page turns of the book, especially the continual page-turning of the Mimi-cake scenes (the right-side of the page has Mimi staring at the reader and having an increasingly zoomed-in view of Mimi’s face for three page turns).

Overall: The illustrations are accurate in their cultural details – the Ama slippers, the tea, the swiss roll cake, the usage of Ama/Mei Mei.

[Victoria M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken by X. Fang is a poignant picture book that delves into the themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the gentle art of mending—not just objects, but relationships and hearts.

The story follows Mei Mei, a young girl visiting her Ama, and her cat, Mimi. In a moment of boredom, Mei Mei frightens Mimi, causing a cup to fall and break. Overcome with fear of punishment, she hides outside, expecting Ama's anger. However, to her surprise, Ama doesn't reprimand her; instead, she reassures Mei Mei that the broken cup can be fixed, teaching her that mistakes are opportunities for growth and understanding.

This narrative beautifully illustrates how children internalize fear of punishment and how compassionate responses can foster trust and emotional healing. The story emphasizes the importance of choosing kind words and grace when things go wrong, highlighting that the way we discipline shapes children's confidence and sense of self-worth.

X. Fang's Broken is a heartfelt reminder that what is broken can be mended, and that love and understanding are powerful tools in nurturing resilient and empathetic individuals.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada (Tundra Books) for providing an advance copy of this book.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is dedicated by the author to all the broken things waiting to be repaired.

Mei is at her Ama's house and she is bored. So she decides to scare the cat, Mimi. Poor kitty! Mimi does jump when Mei scares her but it is Mei who jostles the table and off falls Ama's cup. It breaks into three pieces. Mei is frightened. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks her out? So she runs outside. When Ama finds her, she is not angry. It is time for tea! And cake. And then - Ama says Mimi broke the cup! Oh no. Mimi can't defend herself (though Ama is not angry with Mimi) but Mei feels so guilty! She cannot eat her cake so she runs and hides in the closet.

Will Ama be angry? Ama is a fixer - so chances are, she can fix the things that are broken.
As an adult, I was left to ponder what had happened in young Mei's life that made her so afraid of punishment for her actions -- that included being kicked out.

If you peek under the dust jacket, you will find a close up of Ama's broken cup.

[Erin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Broken' written and illustrated by X. Fang is one of the most delightfully and beautifully illustrated children's books I have ever encountered. It tells the story of Mei Mei who accidentally breaks her Amas favorite cup and allows the cat Mimi to be blamed for it. The trouble is Mei Mei has a terribly guilty conscience and has to fess up to the deed. It is a perfect story for children and the lesson of forgiveness and how fixing things makes everything better. My favorite illustration was of Mei Mei hiding in the closet crying her eyes out and almost drowning in her own tears, we all know what that feels like no matter what age you are! I read this book to my two grandchildren ages six and four and they loved it as much as I did. My six year old granddaughter is just learning to read and she was able to sound out and read many of the words which made her feel very proud. I'm going to treasure this one forever. Very highly recommended for a lovely story and beautiful art work. 5 solid stars.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Fang's previous book We Are Definitely Human, so I'm glad I got to take a look at this one, too. The way the art work takes up space on the page is beautiful and shows so much care and thought in how to visually tell the story. Mei Mei has broken her Ama's cup and isn't sure how Ama will react. Will she be mad? Will she kick her out of the house? The story seems so simple, but shows love and empathy in such a gorgeous way. I like the small details like the cat staring, and the pictures slowly getting closer to the cat's face or talking about something taking time and Mei Mei getting a little bigger and her hair getting longer. The attention to detail is apparent. Highly recommend and can see why some people are considering it for Caldecott.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken is a book about honesty, guilt, and forgiveness. When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she doesn't tell her. She is worried she will be so angry that she won't love her anymore. When Ama blames the cat for breaking the cup, Mei Mei's guilt takes over. She tells her that it was she who broke it and runs to hide. Her Ama shares times where things were repaired and made as good or better than new. She forgives Mei Mei and Mei Mei realizes that she should have been honest. This is a good book to share with young children to teach honesty, as well as consequences of their actions. It also teaches that accidents can be forgiven and aren't the end of the world. I really liked the illustrations also by X. Fang. I haven't read this to my grandkids yet, but I will, especially as my granddaughter often isn't truthful.

[Ashley Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada (Tundra Books) for providing an advance copy of this book.

This book is magic. Not only are X. Fang's illustrations simply stunning, but the lesson of the story is an important one taught in a beautiful way. This book was enjoyed by fourth graders who engaged in deep conversation as sparked by the book: when is it important to tell the truth? In what ways does guilt show up? How do you repair if you've made a mistake? This is a book that will absolutely find a home in our school library and will be enjoyed by students and teachers alike.

[Monica Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What’s broken can also be fixed.”

This is probably my favorite children’s book I read all year. The story’s theme is so valuable for young children, especially when it comes to the fear of taking responsibility for our actions. I could relate to this child, also as someone that would hide in closets until I was ready to talk, write in my journal, or tell my problems to a loved one. I loved the optimism of this story and would happily purchase a hard copy for our home. The illustrations have beautiful contrasting colors and accentuated the storyline.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

[Precious Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustration was beautiful and I love the way it explained the way Mei Mei thought process went. This was a beautiful way teaching children that telling children telling the truth helps in the end and accidents happen.

The only reason I give it a four star is because I don’t believe in the message. “What’s broken can be fixed”, because sometimes things can’t be fixed and that’s OK, I wouldn’t want my child thinking every time something’s broken it can be fixed whether that’s a heartbreak, a toy, or anything like that. But nonetheless, very beautiful story.

The importance of forgiveness.

Thank you NetGalley & X.Fang for the opportunity to read this story.

[Kimberly Bonner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley and Tundra Books, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Broken follows the story of a little girl who makes a common mistake and breaks something that belongs to her grandmother. Her grandmother blames it on the pet, but the lie of omission is eating at Mei Mei. She doesn't want to upset her grandmother by admitting the truth, but also doesn't want to lie. The illustrations beautifully convey the story's message of love and forgiveness. I think kid-readers will see the cover and want to read this book! They'll relate to the problem and be soothed by the ending.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mei Mei accidentally breaks her Ama's cup, but it looks like she may get away with her crime. Will she fess up, or let an innocent cat take the fall?
(Here's a hint - nothing can make a perpetrator crack like the ice-cold glare of a wronged kitty. The police should use felines in their interrogation rooms.)

I've loved both of Fang's previous books, and this one proves to be just as delightful. I cannot wait to see what she dreams up next.

Many thanks to Tundra Books and NetGalley for sharing.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Bill W’s 2025 Caldecott class project list.)

Mei Mei was bored at her grandmother’s and decided to scare Mimi, the sleeping cat, but in doing so bumped the table breaking Ama’s mug. Running outside to hide, Ama calls her back in and brings out cake to have for tea, blaming her cat for the broken mug. Unable to eat the cake, Mei Mei hides and then confesses. AMA is a fixer, and glues the mug back together. It now has a story to tell.
Maine visual artist
Her media appeared to be colored pencils. There are many pages with lots of white space and others with no white space. Bold colors and contrasts of simplified form provide strong images.

[Allison Turkish · Rating 4 out of 5]

How sweet. The dedication is "To all the broken things waiting to be repaired" and THAT is beautiful in itself.

This book has wonderful, big, and bright illustrations that make it inviting for young eyes.

I wish my challenging child would read this and understand that relationships, not just objects, can be repaired and have a story to tell.

I would highly recommend this for preschool age and above. It certainly teaches wonderful lessons about fixing a problem, accepting responsibility, being loved no matter what, and how to deal with a problem. We often want to run away from problems but it's best to talk it out and work it out.

[Dale Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

(E) before 11.21.2025: this is one of the NY Times 2025 Best Children's Books that our library has...; a child scares a cat, then she hits a side table that breaks a special cup; the child tries to blame the cat but (of course) confesses to the grandmother appearing figure (Ama) who simply repairs the cup. The author is a visual artist and based on this books illustrations, an excellent one; even the cup was drawn in an interesting design; 2025 hardcover via Madison County Public Library, Berea, 48 pgs.

[Lynn Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

BROKEN is brilliant from the illustrations to the text to the story to the emotion. Fang took a simple idea of "oops" Ama's (grandmother's) cup gets knocked over and broken, then there's the blame game, and guilt. Will Ama forgive Mei Mei? Will Mei Mei forgive herself? Fang deftly shines a light on big feelings. Heck, I wanted to hide in the closet with Mei Mei when I remembered back to the time I "stole" a warm cookie as a kid and my mom said none of us four kids could have any cookies until someone confessed. Big feelings! And did I say this book is brilliant, simply brilliant?

[Jared White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh! The drama! Through her text and illustrations, Fang does an extraordinary job conveying what a BIG thing an (in reality) little thing can seem to a child. I know it's also a little sad, but our lead's, Mei Mei's, repeated overreactions are quite funny. I love the pages with Mimi's (the cat) accusing stare, they're especially entertaining!

I think this would work well for a lower or upper elementary school storytime, especially if read with a lot of drama conveyed through the voice. They would probably think the overreactions are funny too (and may relate a bit as well).

[SABRINA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of thee cutest picture books I have read recently. The illustrations really add to the book making it more than just another book for a child. The feeling you get when you read this picture book is a wave of emotions, you can feel everything little Mei Mei is going through. The story is relatable to the youth and to the adults. And the cat, well he's an added bonus. One of my new favorite picture books.

[Christine Boettcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

X. Fang is a must read. She has a way of writing children's books about important topics that children need to learn. So many children will benefit from understanding how to process their big feelings from this book. I would highly recommend that Broken be in every primary classroom, school counselors office, and school library!

[Ameema S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 Stars

This was cute, charming, and funny. I love X Fang’s illustrations, and “We Are Definitely Human” is an all time fave (literally laugh out loud funny). Broken has the same gorgeous illustrations, effortless charm, and a sense of humour, which I adored, all with a beautiful message at its heart. I had fun!

I received an advanced digital copy from the publisher, through netgalley.

[Andi Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all three of Fang’s books! She captures children so perfectly from their unusual proportions to how she exaggerates their very big feelings. Gorgeous illustration with a hilarious story that comes from an everyday accident. For an adult, it’s common, for a child, paranoia sets in and then it’s the end of the world! Much love for this one and a great read aloud. Mimi knows…

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite author and illustrator! I love their books so much. A perfect blend of humor and a lesson. The cup gets broken, but Mei Mei feels bad. When the cat is blamed for braking it Mei Mei has to decide if she's going to tell her Ama the truth. The faces of the cat and grandma are the best.

[Vincent Desjardins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this funny book about the power of guilt and forgiveness. There were a couple of pages where I found myself laughing out loud. Mimi the cat, really knows how to stare and her powerful stare is the catalyst for an emotional upheaval from the story's protagonist, Mei Mei. A sweet and funny tale of redemption and fixing things.