Synopsis
Being away from one's parent can create feelings of insecurity for any young child. But even when they are apart, parents and children can share a special connection. Told from the parent's point of view, In My Heart shows that, no matter where the parent is—or where the child is—the child is always in the parent's heart. A warm, simple, reassuring story, In My Heart is the perfect read-aloud for a parent before leaving for work in the morning or before tucking a child in at night.
Publishers Weekly
Bang (When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry) creates a love letter from mother to child with a startling visual conceit. When the narrator, a delightfully funky mom, says, "I feel something in my heart," she looks inside and, with a turn of the page, shows readers its contents: a heart-shaped image that fairly bursts from the spread, featuring her child (and, occasionally, other members of the family) literally curled up inside. Whether the mother is at work (as a veterinarian), or the child is busy at school, or even "when it's so dark and cold/ that even penguins and polar bears/ Hide their heads inside their chests and shiver/ .../ you are still inside my heart." Some readers may find that the heart image takes some getting used to (grown-ups may be reminded of Christianity's sacred heart iconography), but Bang expertly conjures a dreamy mood. Borrowing the earthy, repetitive cadences of spirituals and the blues, the narrative hums ("Mmm-/ hmmm./ You got it./ Still here in my heart") and croons ("I look inside my heart,/ See you sitting there, and/ Happy jumps right back in my front door"). The drawings, a combination of watercolor, collage and digital artwork, combine a hippie aesthetic with the spontaneity of doodles: figures often float in space against flattened perspectives, while hand-lettered text takes shape from leaves, clouds and even squirted toothpaste. Bang's heart is most definitely in the right place. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.