The Heart and the Bottle

Starred review from February 15, 2010
When a small girl loses her father, her only parent (Jeffers represents the loss with the father's empty chair in a moonlit room), she decides “the best thing” is to put her heart in a bottle and hang it around her neck. All the bubbly curiosity that had made her sparkle disappears, “but at least her heart was safe.” Not until the girl, now considerably older, meets “someone smaller and still curious about the world” is her heart restored to her. Jeffers's (The Great Paper Caper
) artwork is the sweetness in this bittersweet story. Conversations between the girl and her father appear as balloons with images in them instead of words; his answers to her enthusiastic “questions” about the world are expressed in scientific prints and diagrams. In the final spread, as she sits reading in her father's chair, a thought balloon exploding with childlike and cerebral images alike makes it clear that she is once again at peace. While the subject of loss always has the potential to unsettle young readers, most should find this quietly powerful treatment of grief moving. Ages 4–up.

February 1, 2010
Gr 2-5-A short, bittersweet story about a little girl "whose head was filled with all the curiosities of the world." In the accompanying picture, she tells her kind, attentive father about all the wonderful images in her head. But one day, she runs to show him a drawing and finds only his empty chair. To ease her loneliness and grief, she puts her heart in a bottle and hangs it around her neck. Eventually, she learns that this is ultimately no solution at all. By then, she's grown older, and it takes another little girl, much like the child she used to be, to help her find a way out. The whimsical illustrations appear to be paint and pencil, with a touch of collage. The people are depicted very simply, and the natural landscapes are sweeping, with colors that reinforce the subtly shifting moods. Aimed at an older audience than one would think at first glance, this allegory about grief and the futility of attempts at self-protection will resonate most with those who've suffered a loss. An unusual, original book."Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2010
Preschool-G A little girl delights in the boundless discoveries of the world around her with an older gentleman, likely her grandfather. But then the mans chair is empty, and the girl puts her heart in a bottle to help with the hurt. As she grows older, she loses her sense of wonderment, and it isnt until she meets another young girl that she finds a way to free her heart again. This book showcases some absolutely captivating artwork. The way in which Jeffers employs pictures in word balloons to convey the limberness of imagination is brilliant: the man points to the sky to talk about constellations, while the girl sees stars as inflamed bumblebees. But what begins promisingly runs into trouble, and its not clear who the message is directed toward: children just opening their eyes to the world, or parents who have lost their sense of curiosity? Even if children dont glean much from the abstractions and subtleties of the narrative, theyre nevertheless in for a treat with the unforgettable visuals of imagination at play.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
In this overly allegorical story, a girl and the unidentified man (father? grandfather?) she lives with share a love of astronomy, oceanography, and life science. When the man (presumably) dies, the girl puts her heart in a jar for safekeeping and abandons her studies. Finally, she meets "someone smaller and still curious" with the power to release her heart. Jeffers's fanciful mixed-media illustrations provide a lift to the heavy text.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)