Perfect

(Hardback)

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Description

Author Waka T. Brown and artist Yuko Jones join forces for this picture book about a young girl who learns to appreciate lifes 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, shes devastated. How can a broken teacup ever be perfect again

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

What follows is one girls journey to understanding that life isnt always perfect. Through the art of kintsugi, Waka and Yuko show readersand Mikithat rips, cracks, and tears have their own stories to tell, ones that are meaningful in their own way.

Author Bio

Waka T. Brown was the first American born in her family. She is a Stanford graduate with a Master's in Secondary Education. With her background, she's worked to further U.S.-Japan relations, promoting cultural exchange and awareness. 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 Buchanan Prize. She's also been awarded the U.S.-Japan Foundation and EngageAsia's national 2019 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher award for her groundbreaking endeavors in teaching about U.S.-Japan relations to high school students in Japan. While I Was Away is her memoir, and also her debut. She lives with her family in Portland, Oregon.