The Heart And The Bottle. Oliver Jeffers (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Es muy bonita la primera mitad del cuento, cómo el autor nos muestra la relación entre el hombre y la niña y el mundo. La escena del sillón, impresionante. A partir de ahí... tengo la sensación de que la historia se hace un poco más tópica y difusa (quizá sea cosa mía, pero no me parece que funcione con precisión la metáfora del corazón y la botella y el modo abrupto en que la segunda niña ayuda a resolver el problema) y pierde el fuelle poético inicial. Con todo, me gusta, como de costumbre, el terreno en el que se mueve Oliver Jeffers y también su propuesta gráfica (a pesar de las narices, como menciona alguien por aquí en los comentarios en inglés). This story tackles key issues faced in life such as love and death. It tells a story of a young girl who shares her curiosity about the world with her grandfather. Although, her curiousity turns to sadness when her grandfather passes away. In order to protect her heart she puts it in a bottle to keep it safe. The creative illustrations capture the sense of loss the girl is experiencing but by locking up her heart she is left feeling lonely and her previous sense of curiosity has gone. She then meets a girl who is still curious about the world who makes her realise that she is being held back from exerpeincing the joy in the world by protecting her heart. In the end we see the young girl enjoying life again and 'unlocking' her heart. Although the story covers an adult theme of love and loss and the deep emotions that are involved, the wonderful illustrations give children the opportunity to explore these complex emotions. This would be great for KS1 and KS2 to tackle sensitive issues which could be discussed in circle time, RE and PSHE.
What do You think about The Heart And The Bottle. Oliver Jeffers (2010)?
It seems to be a rather abstract way about bottling up grief after a relative (father?) passes away.
—abhi
The girl took her heart out.I think her dad died.At the end she was good at reading.
—COPie
Enjoyed the story, but felt it was more for adults or older kids.
—jude11355
