The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver JeffersThe Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

The Heart and the Bottle

byOliver Jeffers

Paperback | January 18, 2011

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Award-winning picture book star Oliver Jeffers explores themes of love and loss in this life-affirming and uplifting tale.Once there was a girl whose life was filled with wonder at the world around her.Then one day something happened that made the girl take her heart and put it in a safe place. However, after that it seemed that the world was emptier than before. But would she know how to get her heart back?In this deeply moving story, Oliver Jeffers deals with the weighty themes of love and loss with an extraordinary lightness of touch and shows us, ultimately, that there is always hope.
Oliver Jeffers graduated from The University of Ulster in 2001 with First Class honours. His outstanding talent has been recognised by several high-profile awards, including the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award. 'Lost and Found' animation was broadcast on Channel 4. Oliver lives and works in Brookyln, New York.
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Title:The Heart and the BottleFormat:PaperbackDimensions:32 pagesPublished:January 18, 2011Publisher:HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERSLanguage:English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10:0007182341

ISBN - 13:9780007182343

Appropriate for ages: 3 - 5

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BooksFiction and Literature Fiction

Reviews

Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very simple Not alot of detail, doesn't actually mention death, just an empty chair.....where someone special used to sit. It touches on how everything fun and special goes away when the chair becomes empty. Lots of room for a child to fill in how they are feeling, rather than the story over explaining death or loss to them
Date published: 2018-08-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from A beautiful tool for helping kids (or a kid at heart!) deal with the complexities of grief and loss I sought this book out after reading a magazine article in which it was described as ":A tender illustrated fable of what happens when we deny our difficult emotions" It reminded me of Fred Roger's 1969 plea to Congress in 1969 to find PBS. He talked about the show, how important it is to help children both understand their feelings and be able to express them. This is especially true with grief, considering how devastating it is, even for adults. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations. The empty chair is particularly poignant. I strongly recommend this book to practically everyone, especially parents, grandparents, educators and therapists.
Date published: 2017-12-18
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Pretty Great Deals well with loss and grief and how to eventually cope in a beautiful metaphor.
Date published: 2017-11-22
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent and adaptable resource This book deals tenderly with the difficult theme of loss and grief without ever explicitly saying so. Acknowledges and validates the negative feelings that children may experience while encouraging them to continue to look for joy in life. As there is no mention of death, this book is adaptable to many other situations (e.g. moving away, parents separating, losing a friend).
Date published: 2017-10-19
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Touch story with beautiful illustrations This is a touching story about when a child loses a loved one, and how they learn to deal with the loss of such a special person as the grow up. This book is highly recommended for both the story and the illustrations. Oliver Jeffers is the best!
Date published: 2017-09-28
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Perfect for toddler who has lost a grandfather Bought this for my daughter who recently lost her grandfather. A touching keepsake to help her remember a loving relationship and teach her all is not lost.
Date published: 2017-08-28
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Wonderful story This is a heartwarming novel that teaches children about loss.
Date published: 2017-08-19
Rated 5 out of 5 by from How to explain loss for little kids ... Beautifully winter and illustrated, perfect book on how to explain loss to a child.
Date published: 2017-03-31
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Ah! Sad and heart-warming at at the same time!
Date published: 2017-03-28
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Perfect for explaining loss This is a great book to read to talk about loss and overcoming it.
Date published: 2017-02-23
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Perfect! I used this book to introduce my kids to loss and have since reread it to them to help them begin to understand how to deal with it.
Date published: 2016-11-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Heart warming I am at a loss for words to describe this book. Oliver Jeffers takes on the toughest subject in the world and does it with grace and beauty. It will make adults cry, smile and cheer. Watching my 4 year olds face while I read it to him (after I read it myself a few times to make sure I could get through it without bawling) He was completely entertained and enjoyed it, but I could see the wheels were turning and he was getting the message. I MUST have for everyone's library
Date published: 2010-09-07
Rated 5 out of 5 by from bittersweet This book captured my attention from the moment I looked at the title. Oliver Jeffers is in his most heartfelt form in this tale of a young girl who loses her father, symbolized by an empty chair in a moonlit room. To protect her heart from grief, she decides the best thing would be to put her heart in a jar and wear it around her neck. Through time, she finds that all the things that enchanted her and sparked her curiosity have disappeared. But at least her heart is safe. When she is older and tries to open the jar, she discovers it is unbreakable. Upon meeting a child with the same curiosity she once had, she is able to open it again, and her heart is restored. The illustrations were (for me) what really gave the details of the story. Any story about grief has the potential to be either too depressing or too juvenile and Oliver Jeffers was able to express the nature of the young girls' curiosity and grief with simple yet powerful illustrations. The young girls' curiosity was illustrated with mathematic formulas, symbols/diagrams and vivacious colours and the attempts of breaking the bottle included the young girl throwing it off the top of a brick wall. Anyone who has gone through his or her own form of grief can relate to the young girl in this book, and my heart was cheering at the end when she found that through love she was able to open her jar again. This is one of those kids books I insist one owns.
Date published: 2010-07-09

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Heart and the Bottle:"Beautifully produced and profoundly moving. It made me cry, and I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one." The Irish Times"Jeffers anatomises loss and the processes of grief with an honesty and ingenuity that will move adults and children of any age." TelegraphPraise for Oliver Jeffers:"Oliver Jeffers makes impressive use of space in this affecting story of friendship . illustrations capture feelings of loss and loneliness through the most delicate nuances of facial expression . and body language." Julia Eccleshare, The Guardian"Hail to new talent . If only all picture books could be this good." The Bookseller