SMALL THINGS MENDED

SMALL THINGS MENDED by Casey W. Robinson. Illustrated by Nancy Whitesides.

Cecil is a lonely, older man that we can assume the world has forgotten about. One day as he sits at his kitchen table, he hears the laughter of a child outside playing. Opening the door and stepping outside, Cecil sees Lily doing cartwheels in her front yard. As he watches, a pocket watch flies out of her pocket and lands on his driveway. It breaks, but Cecil remembers how much he used to enjoy fixing things, so he sets about repairing the watch. Before long, the neighborhood kids are bringing all kinds of things that need worked on, but one child brings him a problem that will take a little more than tools to fix. Overall this is a really sweet read about an older man that finds purpose and a place to belong in his life. It is sort of reminiscent of the wonderful book by Eileen Spinelli, Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch.

HEADS UP- When the community gathers at his home there are two women standing with arms around each other and a child.