My Heart

Rhyming verse and sweet-tempered artwork by Luyken (The Book of Mistakes) explore childhood emotions through images of the heart. Children of different ages and colors are seen playing, exploring. When they're overtaken by sadness or loneliness, they find comfort in the company of others: "My heart is a window, / my heart is a slide./ My heart can be closed/ or opened up wide." One remorseful-looking girl shows her mother a vase. It's broken--and so is her heart. A page turn reveals the restored vase on a table. The girl opens the blinds to let the sunshine in, finding that "broken can mend, / and a heart that is closed/ can still open again." Fences, stains, and quiet whispers become metaphors for feelings. Accepting companionship heals and helps children grow: "Closed or open... I get to decide," the book finishes, with a spread of a smiling girl, arms thrown wide. Flashes of brilliant yellow illuminate smudgy black-and-white drawings, and heart forms can be found everywhere, in ironwork, tiny seedlings, and stars. The abstract nature of Luyken's meditation will draw readers receptive to thoughtful examination; others may be left puzzled. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 2--This message of this quiet book should be shouted from the rooftops. The theme is elusive at first as are the soft, somewhat tentative pictures. The story begins with a heart in a garden waiting to be nurtured by a little girl. The poetic text describes the heart in a number of unexpected ways. It's a window that can be opened or closed and sometimes it is a puddle or a stain. These metaphorical descriptions move children away from the anatomical and utile aspects of the heart (the pumper of blood with chambers and ventricles, etc.) and offers the idea of the heart as a reflection of the child in the world. The final words carry a lot of power: "I get to decide." The illustrations are crafted with water-based inks and pencils and predominantly feature gray and yellow, dark and light. Throughout, the unifying visual element is a yellow heart in a variety of forms. This can be read to the very youngest of listeners, but even upper elementary children would benefit tremendously from the ideas in this book. Educators can also use this work to show students the different meanings for a single word and the artistic use of metaphor in writing. VERDICT This must-buy for librarians and teachers has myriad educational uses; it begs to be read aloud, and it is a masterful blending of text and illustration.--Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA