Parent Companion

Unshattered invites young readers to reflect on courage, hope, and identity through the story of Bakari, a boy navigating change and personal growth in 1990s Senegal.
This guide helps parents use the novel as a springboard for meaningful, reassuring conversations about life challenges and emotional strength—without making the experience heavy or clinical.

Purpose of This Guide

What Unshattered Offers Young Readers

• Encourages empathy and understanding of different cultures and experiences.
  

• Shows how young people can grow stronger through challenges.

Reinforces positive values: resilience, gratitude, family, and perseverance.

Talking with Your Child About the Story

Before Reading

• Introduce the setting and time period (Senegal, 1990s).
  

• Ask: “What do you think it means to be unshattered?”
  

During Reading

• Keep it conversational. Try questions like:
  

  • “What part of the story made you think?”
    

  • “What do you admire about Bakari?”
    

  • “How do you think people find strength when things are hard?”
    

After Reading

• Celebrate what your child took away from the story.
  

• Encourage a creative response: drawing, journaling, or making a “strength collage.”

Ask: “What helps you stay strong when life changes?”

Stories can open doors to big feelings and new ideas — but the best conversations often start small.

As you read Unshattered together, use this time to listen, share, and discover what courage and resilience mean to your child in their own words.

The goal isn’t to teach lessons, but to connect through curiosity, warmth, and shared reflection.

Let's guide you through that:

Supporting Emotional Understanding

• Normalize emotions: It’s okay if certain parts feel sad or thoughtful — that’s how we learn empathy.
  
  

• Focus on resilience, not loss. Ask: “What helps Bakari heal and move forward?”
  
  

• If your child wants to talk about their own experiences, listen first—no need for big solutions.
  
  

Family Connection Activities

• Resilience Jar: Family members add notes about things that make them feel proud or thankful.
  

• Story Swap: Share a family story about overcoming a challenge or keeping hope alive.
  

Cultural Connection: Explore Senegalese music or foods to connect with the novel’s setting.

“Unshattered is ultimately a story about strength — how we bend but do not break, and how stories help us heal. I hope families who read it together find not sadness, but inspiration.”
— Dr. Mawdo M. Fall