In the congenial Your One and Only Heart, physician and Newbery Honor author Rajani LaRocca (Red, White, and Whole; Seven Golden Rings) introduces young readers to the wonders of the heart through playful poems that describe characteristics of the vital organ. Debut artist Lauren Paige Conrad's colorful collage-style illustrations complement the spirited, edifying text.
LaRocca and Conrad offer an inviting and accessible glimpse into a mysteriously complex part of the human body. The text points out that the heart can be contradictory: "your heart is constant" but "your heart is changeable" as well; it is "hidden" but also "noticeable." It is these contradictions, LaRocca suggests, that make the heart the special organ it is. The author also provides comparisons that make complex concepts accessible for young readers, such as this explanation of diastole (the "time between the squeezes"): "consider a dropper:/ If you don't fill it with liquid,/ nothing can squirt out." Conrad uses gouache, crayon, and colored pencil to create art in a rainbow of colors featuring a spectrum of diverse characters. Readers of different races, abilities, and genders will likely see themselves reflected in the charming illustrations, showing that beneath different exteriors, everyone possesses a heart.
Your One and Only Heart marvelously explains "the captain" of "Team Cardiovascular," how readers can take care of it, and how to appreciate its many wonders. The book also includes fascinating supplemental information at its conclusion. This delightful picture book is full of figurative--and literal--heart. --Jen Forbus, freelancer