A little Heart attack can be a good thing

My Heart by Corinna Luyken is getting a bit of press and is becoming a darling of the picture book world (I smell multiple awards and acknowledgments in its future). While I did not gush over it, I feel it is a solid 3.5 rating. This is mostly due to the content of the book. The theme is a bit mature and seems to be aimed mostly at adults. Also the stark (though lovely) artwork also makes it adult and almost abstract in nature.

While the concept might be above the very young, the “older” younger child should understand: the idea of love, how we feel about it, how it affects us, how we affect it, how we have good days, sad days, even broken days. This is represented by real ideas (a broken vase, a bunch of flowers, a tree growing).  These concepts, again, feel “adult.” If this was in a small to medium sized “counter book” (those you see at the checkout of your bookstore), it would be a great format. The traditional sized picture book almost engulfs the idea, text and images of the story.

Due to the lack of a traditional “action story” some children might be put-off by it. The lack of color (mostly black, white and gray except for the yellow “heart/love” color) might also turn off the more visually aimed child. As stated above, because of this, it would be a great gift for an adult. I could see it as a wedding gift, anniversary gift, possibly even a sympathy gift.