Perfect

*Bank Street Best Book of the Year * Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of the Year * CCBC Choices Title *

Author Waka T. Brown and artist Yuko Jones join forces for this picture book about a young girl who learns to appreciate life's imperfections when her grandmother teachers her about the Japanese art form kintsugi.

Miki Amelia Masuda liked everything in her life to be perfect. Her room was immaculately clean. She only ate round cookies, not the broken ones. And if a stuffed animal had a tear in it, she couldn't bear to look at it. So when she accidentally drops and breaks her favorite teacup, she's devastated. How can a broken teacup ever be perfect again?

Days later, Miki's grandmother, Obaachan, presents Miki with the fixed teacup. But it's not perfect! Each crack is highlighted by a gold streak of paint--almost as if to show off the imperfections!

What follows is one girl's journey to understanding that life isn't always perfect. Through the art of kintsugi, Waka and Yuko show readers--and Miki--that rips, cracks, and tears have their own stories to tell, ones that are meaningful in their own way.

Waka T. Brown was the first American born in her family. She is a Stanford graduate with a master's degree in secondary education. She's currently an instructor at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), authoring curriculum on several international topics and winning the Association for Asian Studies' national Franklin R. Buchanan Prize. She's also been awarded the United States-Japan Foundation and EngageAsia's national 2019 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award for her groundbreaking endeavors in teaching about US-Japan relations to high school students in Japan and promoting cultural exchange awareness. She lives with her family in Portland, Oregon.

Yuko Jones was born and raised in Japan and spent much of her childhood drawing and painting. After completing her degrees in English, psychology, and human development, she embarked on her career in early childhood developmental research. While working with children, she realized how picture books can play a crucial role in their development, and she wanted to become part of the positive impact. When she is not illustrating, you will find her testing (and tasting) new baking recipes, savoring short stories and coffee, and practicing yoga. She lives in Western New York with her husband, two sons, a black cat, and two guinea pigs. Visit her online at yukojones.com.