Skip to main content

The Heart and the Bottle

By curlyq
The Heart and the Bottle
By Oliver Jeffers
Philomel Books, 2010. Unpaged. Picture book.

A young girl delights wholly in the world and in all the amazing things there are to learn and wonder about with her father. However, when he fades from her life, her heart hurts so much that she decides to put it in a bottle to keep it safe. There it stays, protected from pain but also kept from loving and experiencing joy, until one day she meets someone who helps her retrieve her heart from its glass prison.

Unusual and interesting, this is not a typical children's picture book. It's more of a picture book written for older children and adults, with nuances too subtle for very young audiences to understand. The illustrations combine a fine art feel with a simple, sketchy quality and evoke the perfect mood for the story. Tender and thoughtful, this book will strike a chord with those who have tried to shield themselves from loss. Although the text is a bit obscure in places, this is still definitely a book worth reading.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The New Girl

By
The New Girl By Cassandra Calin New York: Graphix, 2024. Comic. 261 pages. 12-year-old Lia and her family have just moved from Romania to Montreal, and she's doing her best to keep up with the changes. But, she's homesick. She misses the rest of her family, her friends, and her favorite Romanian treats. She doesn't speak French and her English is shaky, which makes it hard to make friends, even in her international immersion class. And she's dealing with super painful menstrual cramps every month. But before long, Lia starts to hit her stride. She befriends the other bilingual girls in her class, she gets a spot as the artist for her school's magazine, and even has a new crush -- Julien. Though she may be the new girl, Lia is starting to fit in. This slice of life graphic novel is an adorable choice for middle grade readers and young teens. Lia is a likable protagonist and readers will have little difficulty relating to her adjustment to school. The text speaks to a...
Post a Comment
Read more