{"id":22792,"date":"2013-11-29T18:30:38","date_gmt":"2013-11-29T22:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=22792"},"modified":"2013-11-29T18:34:25","modified_gmt":"2013-11-29T22:34:25","slug":"review-of-what-the-heart-knows-by-joyce-sidman-illustrations-by-pamela-zagarenski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=22792","title":{"rendered":"Review of What the Heart Knows, by Joyce Sidman, illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>What the Heart Knows<\/p>\n

Chants, Charms & Blessings<\/em><\/p>\n

by Joyce Sidman
\nillustrations by Pamela Zagarenski<\/p>\n

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013. 65 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

What the Heart Knows<\/em> is a book of poems by an illustrious poet, who has already won Newbery Honor, and with illustrations by a distinguished artist, who has already won Caldecott Honor.<\/p>\n

My library has this book categorized as for young adults, but the poems can be enjoyed by old adults as well. Indeed, what makes it most a book of poetry for children is that a children\u2019s book writer and a children\u2019s book illustrator created it. Most of the poems are universal, and the dreamy, surreal pictures can be appreciated by anyone.<\/p>\n

The four sections of the book are \u201cChants & Charms \u2013 to bolster courage and guard against evil,\u201d \u201cSpells & Invocations \u2013 to cause something to happen,\u201d \u201cLaments & Remembrances \u2013 to remember, regret, or grieve,\u201d and \u201cPraise Songs & Blessings \u2013 to celebrate, thank, or express love.\u201d A \u201cNote to the Reader\u201d at the front of the book explains why this theme was chosen:<\/p>\n

We speak to send messages to the world. We chant for what we want, bless what we like, lament what we\u2019ve lost. When angry, we curse; when in love, we sing.<\/p>\n

We have always done this. Since earliest human history, we have used language to try to influence the world around us\u2026.<\/p>\n

We may no longer believe that words can make crops grow, prevent illness, or keep rivers from flooding. But we still believe in the power of the words themselves. Why else would we pray, sing, or write? Finding phrases to match the emotion inside us still brings an explosive, soaring joy.<\/p>\n

I wrote these poems for comfort, for understanding, for hope: to remind myself of things I keep learning and forgetting and learning again. They\u2019re about repairing friendship, slowing down time, understanding happiness, facing the worst kind of loss. They are words to speak in the face of loneliness, fear, delight, or confusion.<\/p>\n

I hope they work for you. I hope you\u2019re inspired to write some of your own \u2013 and chant them, in your own voice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book is full of images for abstract things. \u201cCome Happiness\u201d sees happiness as a raindrop or a heartbeat or a breeze. \u201cTime Spells\u201d suggests that time you want to slow down \u201cstretch like a sleepy dog, slow and languid and warm with flickering light.\u201d<\/p>\n

I like \u201cChant Against the Dark,\u201d though I wouldn\u2019t want to suggest it to a very young child. This stanza, for example, might give them ideas, making things worse:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t come close, dark.
\nDon\u2019t breathe on me.
\nWhen the lamp clicks off,
\ndon\u2019t creak and shift
\nlike some wild-eyed horse
\nwaiting for its rider.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But for an older reader? Beautiful!<\/p>\n

Some others I love are \u201cChant to Repair a Friendship\u201d:<\/p>\n

Come, friend, forgive the past;
\nI was wrong and I am grieving.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

,<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep Charm\u201d:<\/p>\n

One by one, those cares will drop
\nfrom you like stones
\ninto deep water.
\nSlip from your dayskin
\nand swim, shimmering,
\ninto the dream beyond the dream.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

, <\/p>\n

\u201cHow to Find a Poem\u201d:<\/p>\n

Wake with a dream-filled head<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

, <\/p>\n

\u201cInvitation to Lost Things\u201d:<\/p>\n

Come out, come out
\nfrom your hidden places,
\nhair clips, homework, phones.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

, <\/p>\n

\u201cBlessing on the Smell of Dog\u201d:<\/p>\n

May his scent seep through
\nperfumed shampoos
\nlike the rich tang of mud in spring.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

,<\/p>\n

\u201cTeacher\u201d: <\/p>\n

I loved how I hated numbers, had always
\nhated them, would continue to hate them
\nuntil I saw them sprout from your hands.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

, <\/p>\n

\u201cSilly Love Song\u201d<\/p>\n

If you are the Maserati,
\nthen I am the oil change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

, <\/p>\n

and \u201cI Find Peace\u201d: <\/p>\n

I find peace in the lazy doze of Saturdays
\nand in the beat of a pounding run.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The ones most perfect for teens are \u201cLament for Teddy\u201d:<\/p>\n

Where is the one
\nwhose mute love followed me
\nall the days of my life?
\nThe one I boxed up and packed away?
\nThe one I thought I didn\u2019t need?
\nThe one I felt \/ I had outgrown?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

,<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere Is My Body?\u201d:<\/p>\n

Where is my body?
\nThe one I\u2019m used to,
\nslim and ordinary as a twig?\u2026 <\/p>\n

Where is the body
\nthat housed an
\nOlympic gymnast,
\nsumo wrestler,
\npirate,
\ndancer;
\nall waiting, poised
\nin endless possibility?<\/p>\n

When did I grow
\nawkward, lumpish,
\na stranger in my own skin —
\neach day revealing
\nsome fresh freakishness?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

,<\/p>\n

and \u201cLament for My Old Life\u201d<\/p>\n

I hated to leave that house,
\nfought it tooth and nail.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

.<\/p>\n

Here is poetry that will make you think and will help you look at the world differently. Perhaps it will motivate you to put your wishes into words.<\/p>\n

joycesidman.com<\/a>
\nsacredbee.com<\/a>
\nhmhbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/what_the_heart_knows.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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