What does it mean to the reader, when the little girl is drawn running to her grandfather but instead finds his chair empty, in a dark room? A large proportion of the audience will be able to relate to and empathise with the heartache felt by this young girl. The reader is drawn into looking beyond what is explicitly said or not said to the expressive pictures. The use of vibrant, detailed illustrations coupled with simple yet powerful sentences ensures that the story of love and loss is weaved brilliantly. Oliver Jeffers addresses the issue of bereavement beautifully in The Heart and the Bottle. Fortunately, the still-curious little girl knows a way. But there is a problem, she has forgotten how. It is not until she meets a young girl that reminds her of how she used to be so many years ago, that she decides it is time to take the heart out of the bottle. Years go by, the girl becomes a woman, yet the heart remains in the bottle. Feeling lost, the girl decides that in order to protect her heart from further pain she should place it in a bottle for safe-keeping.

A young girl curious about the world wishes to learn as much as she possibly can from her grandfather. The colourful pages are not only indicative of the landscapes they depict, but later reflective of the young girl’s emotions.The Heart and the Bottle is a picture book that addresses the issue of bereavement. The contrast between the bold use of colour on some pages and the plain white background on others is striking. The lines and illustrations convey meaningful and powerful messages to readers. The sensitivity through which the difficult subject of loss is explained and illustrated is what captivated me. She finally decides it is time to get her heart out of the 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. To avoid feeling pain, the girl takes her heart and puts it inside a bottle. One day, her grandfather is no longer a part of her life and his chair is empty. There is a young girl whose mind is filled with curiosities and wonders of the world, things she experiences with her grandfather. It is a heart-warming tale of love, loss and the grief and pain that accompany loss.

“Feeling unsure, the girl thought the best thing was to put her heart in a safe place.” Author: Oliver Jeffers Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books

The heart and the bottle book