Reviewed by Dannielle Viera
Frankie’s life changes the day that her mother’s vase is smashed. Her father leaves, and her grandmother arrives to look after her. The vase once held many happy memories, but it’s now a big mess – much like her family. Nan takes Frankie to an art gallery, and Frankie discovers a huge mosaic on the wall. It is made from broken ‘pots and bowls and plates and cups’, yet the overall picture is breathtaking. Frankie decides that maybe the fragments of her existence can fit together in a new way, one that is ‘every bit as beautiful as a mosaic’.
Deborah Kelly’s moving metaphor comparing a shattered family to a mosaic will bring comfort to children aged four to eight who are coming to terms with parental separation. Frankie’s joyful visit to the art gallery reveals an uplifting truth: when everything has fallen to pieces, the only thing to do is to make the best of the situation. Art therapy has never been more heartening.
In keeping with the gentleness of the story, Nicky Johnston’s pastel-coloured images are calming to the eye. Stronger hues are reserved for the enlightening mosaic, as warm reds, jolly pinks, peaceful blues and fresh greens combine to create a rainbow of floral hope. Youngsters will adore the characters’ charming faces, which are flush with evocative emotion.
The Mosaic reassures readers that every family is perfect in its own way – even if the people have been rearranged into a new reality. Sometimes, when a fractured life imitates art, something precious is created with the pieces.
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