I went in not knowing what this book was about but wanted to read it based other books I’ve read by Jeffers. This one deals with the loss of a loved one and of all the “loss of a loved one” type books I’ve read for kids I think this is by far the best. Jeffers does a great job capturing the way a child feels during such a loss and I like that he trusts his art enough to convey the story and message without expository dialog. I love all of Oliver Jeffers’ books, but The Heart and the Bottle holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s because he chose a mature topic to write about, or the amazingly detailed drawings, or the descriptive language that doesn’t have to say right out what it is trying to say. I have read reviews online about this book and while many people enjoyed it, most agreed that it is not altogether suitable for the age range it is being marketed to. The story is about a little girl who lives with her grandpa. They explore the world together and compare how they perceive it. Until one day the little girl runs to show her grandpa (who is usually sitting in his chair) her newest drawing. And finds the chair empty. Feeling unsure, she decides her best course of action is to remove her heart (and in the drawing she has a read heart not a heart shape) and put it in a bottle around her neck. When she does this, she stops noticing all the beautiful things in the world until one day she meets another little girl who is curious, as she was, about the ways of the world. Together the two manage to get her heart out of the bottle and back into her chest. I must agree that it is a tough sell for young children. There is a lot of descriptive language that is absolutely wonderful, but takes some inference to understand what it means. For example when the little girl first goes to her grandfather’s chair and finds it empty, young children would have to surmise that her grandfather had died, which might be difficult for them to understand. The little girl also shuts herself off from the world when she takes her heart out and stores it in the bottle. The book emphasizes that this is not a good thing (ie if you are grieving, it is not a good idea to shut yourself off from the world and the people that love you), but this might also be a difficult topic for young children to understand.It might be appropriate, if a classmate has had a tragedy happen in their life, to read this book and talk about it using the situation at hand as a way for the children to empathize with the little girl in the story and their classmate. Otherwise, this is a beautiful book for adults and older children to read. I was very surprised when I read this book because it takes such a different turn from Jeffers’ other books. It doesn’t have the same humorous quality his others do and covers a much more serious topic. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorites out of all Jeffers’ books.
What do You think about El Corazon Y La Botella (2010)?
Just thought the message was a little too heavy and confusing for kids.
—Abbygail
Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve.
—dcorby
