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< Picture Books Library
Categories: Curiosity & Creativity, Death & Bereavement, Feelings

The Heart and the Bottle

This book can help children emotionally deal with the loss of a loved one by showing them that there is always hope despite the heartache. 
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The Heart and the Bottle

Author: Oliver Jeffers
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books

“Feeling unsure, the girl thought the best thing was to put her heart in a safe place.”

It is a heart-warming tale of love, loss and the grief and pain that accompany loss. There is a young girl whose mind is filled with curiosities and wonders of the world, things she experiences with her grandfather. One day, her grandfather is no longer a part of her life and his chair is empty. To avoid feeling pain, the girl takes her heart and puts it inside a bottle. She grows up but loses her interest in the world around her, until she meets a young girl with the same curiosity and wonder she had had when she was a child. She finally decides it is time to get her heart out of the bottle.

The sensitivity through which the difficult subject of loss is explained and illustrated is what captivated me.  The lines and illustrations convey meaningful and powerful messages to readers. The contrast between the bold use of colour on some pages and the plain white background on others is striking. The colourful pages are not only indicative of the landscapes they depict, but later reflective of the young girl’s emotions.

This video link is provided to help an adult assess the book's suitability for a child's situation before purchasing it. It has been filmed by a third party and hosted on YouTube and is not made by Little Parachutes. More info

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

The only way to overcome pain is by confronting it, not hiding from it. When the girl chooses to lock away her emotions after experiencing loss, she loses the capacity to experience anything new in the world around her.

Hope & Inspiration:

Despite the pain and suffering we go through, life is worth living to experience the wonders of the world, just like the protagonist does in the story.

Review by: Sai Prasanna P

Categories: Curiosity & Creativity, Death & Bereavement, Feelings
Tags: emotions, feelings, grandparent, loss



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What is a Parachute Book?

A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:
a Parachute Book.

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The information provided on the Little Parachutes website is not a substitute for professional care by a qualified practitioner, and is not intended to provide medical advice. If you are concerned about the health and wellbeing of yourself or children in your care, you should always consult an appropriate healthcare professional.