the heart in the bottle by oliver jeffers

Burdened by grief that she couldn’t express, the little girl grew up to be a joyless young woman still haunted by the memories of the father she lost. The symbolism in “The Heart and the Bottle” is, of course, obvious. But when her new acquaintance finally manages to free her heart, the final image of the young woman sitting in her father’s chair reading the books she once loved lets us know that the woman, too, has been set free. Later, we see pictures of a young woman very much alone in the world as she eats a solitary meal, the heart and the bottle hanging heavy around her neck. Early on, there are glorious illustrations of a world bursting with wonderful things and ideas to explore, followed by a crushing image of a young girl confronting the reality of her father’s empty chair. Jeffers tells the young woman’s story in pictures far more than in words. And just like that, “the chair wasn’t so empty anymore.” Just as the woman gives up, the little girl takes her tiny hand and reaches into the bottle and pulls out the heart. But she discovers that the bottle is too strong.īut then something amazing happens. She decides, then and there, to take her heart out of the bottle again. But the woman can’t answer her because her heart is still locked away in a bottle around her neck. And as she grows into a young woman, the bottle around her neck becomes more awkward and heavy, even as thoughts of the empty chair still fill her head.Įventually, the young woman meets a little girl who asks her questions about life’s curiosities, just as she once asked them herself. She has lost her curiosity and her capacity for joy. And while this seems to help, she finds that nothing in her life is quite the same. And so she puts it in a bottle - just for a little while - and hangs it around her neck. Not sure what to do with her grief, the girl decides the best thing is to take her heart out of her chest and store it somewhere safe. She’s a happy little girl, “much like any other.” Until one day she finds her father’s chair empty, and she is crushed. He also shares in her real-life adventures as she explores the mysteries of the stars and the wonders of the sea. Written and illustrated by acclaimed artist and children’s book author Oliver Jeffers, it is a simple story of a young girl whose “head is filled with all the curiosities of the world.” She shares that world with a man - presumably her father - who sits in a big red chair and reads her books about every subject imaginable.

“The Heart and the Bottle” is a lovely, beautifully illustrated fable about a young girl grappling with loss and grief.

The heart in the bottle by oliver jeffers