When we were in Tokyo Madeleine and I found a charming little cafe/tearoom that had a collection of pottery and kintsugi pieces. I bought a couple to bring home for friends (who host a podcast called "The Kintsugi Chronicles" about the beauty and stories in brokenness and resilience). And Madeleine bought a little piece for me for my birthday.
Kintsugi is a beautiful Japanese craft and concept of repairing broken pottery with gold, not hiding the cracks but rather making the brokenness something more beautiful. It's a thoughtful lesson explored in this book about a child whose father is collecting and teaching his beloved Japanese words.
"Curiously, they were all words with meanings that didn't exist in any other language."
The illustrations by Zuzanna Celej, part drawing, part paper collage, are soft and lovely.
The Vase with the Golden Cracks
Fran Nuno
illustrated by Zuzanna Celej 2024
