The Heart and the Bottle [Hardcover]

Oliver Jeffers (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 4, 2010 | Age Range: 4 and up

There is a wonder and magic to childhood. We don’t realize it at the time, of course . . . yet the adults in our lives do. They encourage us to see things in the stars, to find joy in colors and laughter as we play.

But what happens when that special someone who encourages such wonder and magic is no longer around? We can hide, we can place our heart in a bottle and grow up . . . or we can find another special someone who understands the magic. And we can encourage them to see things in the stars, find joy among colors and laughter as they play.

Oliver Jeffers delivers a remarkable book, a tale of poignancy and resonance reminiscent of The Giving Tree that will speak to the hearts of children and parents alike.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A little girl delights in the boundless discoveries of the world around her with an older gentleman, likely her grandfather. But then the man’s 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 isn’t 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 it’s 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 don’t glean much from the abstractions and subtleties of the narrative, they’re nevertheless in for a treat with the unforgettable visuals of imagination at play. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ian Chipman

Review

"Heartbreaking, witty and filled with hope." --Kirkus

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Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (March 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399254528
• ISBN-13: 978-0399254529
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Oliver Jeffers is an artist, designer, illustrator and writer from Northern Ireland. He graduated from the University of Ulster with a degree in Visual Communication.

From figurative painting and installation, to illustration and picture-book making, his work has been exhibited in New York, Dublin, London, Sydney, Washington DC, and Belfast.

He is widely known for his picture books for children, published by HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA. How to Catch a Star debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim, and Lost and Found (2005), won the Nestles Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal 2006, the Blue Peter Book Award 2006 and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal the same year. The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2007) won the Irish Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, and his fourth Book The Way Back Home was released in September 2007 and The Great Paper Caper will be publlished in September 2008.

Jeffers' style of illustration uses mixed medium and is recognised for its subtle narrative and use of space in composition. As a freelance illustrator he has worked for clients such as Orange UK, Lavazza, Sony PSP, RCA Records, Starbucks, candycollective, Blanka, Graphic, the Vacuum and the Irish Times.

Jeffers' artwork consists of figurative painting executed on either canvas or three dimensional objects, both found and made. His most recent solo show (Additional Information, Belfast December 2006) studied the balance between form and content by drawing parallels between the arts and sciences, in which figurative oil paintings were over laid with mathematical equations.

As a co-founder of the art collective OAR, along with Rory Jeffers, Mac Premo and Duke Riley, their exhibitions include 9 Days in Belfast, book and the award winning BUILDING.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official World Book Day Ilustrator.

Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London based Studio AKA, screening on Christmas Eve 2008 on Channel 4.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book for healing. July 3, 2010

By Velocity Chyaldd

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My mother showed this book to me recently and I fell in love with it.
It's simple yet profound, and I think it's a great book for anyone at
any age who is coping with loss. It gives a fresh perspective
on a painful subject. It's like a little dose of medicine.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful story...and, as always, amazing illustrations May 7, 2010

By Nancy Drew

Format:Hardcover

I thought this was a lovely book, and appreciate Oliver Jeffers's ability to let the reader create their own story out of this simply told, and beautifully illustrated, tale.
It's not really clear if the chair is empty because the man died, or if he has just gone away for a while. Is he even the grandfather? My six year old interpreted the story her own way, that the man went on vacation, and didn't find the story sad at all.
I met Oliver Jeffers a few weeks ago, and asked him about this book in particular, and his answer was that he left it up to the reader to find their own story, which I like very much.
I definitely recommend this book, and all others by this amazing author/illustrator.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read for people who have their heart in a bottle and those dealing with loss or sadness. A lovely message of hope. September 5, 2011

By Alayne Kay Christian - Author of Butterfly Kisses for Grandma and Grandpa VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

On my first quick read, I didn't know what to make of this book. On my second read, the illustrations brought to light what I was missing the first time around. It also gave me an appreciation for Oliver Jeffers great talent as a writer and artist.

Although I liked the story myself, I wasn't sure how I felt about it as a children's book. So, I read it a third and fourth time. I think this book may have a place in dealing with some childhood situations, and it might be appropriate for some children. It depends on the child and the adult who is presenting the book to that child. However, I think the adult would most likely find that some explanations would be necessary.

At first, I thought that reading the story with a child could open up dialogue about loss and/or sadness, but my final decision is that, in my opinion, the concept this book offers is too deep for most picture-book-aged children (4-8 yrs) - some mature eight-year-old children might do well with it.

So, you are probably wondering why I gave "The Heart in the Bottle" 4 stars. The answer is, because I think it is a wonderful gift book for older children, young adults, and adults. It is a beautiful reminder of how protecting our hearts can make us feel awkward and heavy as we move through our day-to-day life. It is a reminder of how protecting our heart can make us numb to most everything in life - especially the things we once loved and the things that could bring us joy.

My only disappointment in the story was that I was hoping the little girl who helped the woman get her heart out of the bottle would have brought love full circle. What I mean by this is, in the beginning of the story, the girl who put her heart in the bottle loved the man. Before I got to the end of the story, I thought that the little girl who helped the woman get her heart out of the bottle was the woman's daughter. And it was her love for the child that freed her heart. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

In some ways, the book is complex, which I believe is one of the appealing things about it. Jeffers leaves much for personal interpretation. So, I continue to think about who the helpful little girl really was. Was she simply a stranger who helped the woman? Could it be that the woman got in touch with the pained little girl `within' who put her heart away so long ago? Was it the man reincarnated?:-) Or was it something that hasn't occurred to me yet? It really doesn't matter. What matters is this book touched me. And I believe it will touch anyone who is attracted to it and reads it from the heart.

This is a great read for people who have their heart in a bottle and those dealing with loss, sadness or depression. It is an awareness builder with a lovely message of hope.