• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Baby + Toddler (0-2)
  • Pre-K (3-5)
  • Beginning Readers (6-7)
  • Growing Readers (7-9)
  • Tweens (10-12)
Happily Ever Elephants
Happily Ever Elephants

Happily Ever Elephants

The Best Kids Books Found Here!

  • Home
  • Book Lists
  • Winter Books!
  • About
  • Home
  • Baby + Toddler (0-2)
  • Pre-K (3-5)
  • Beginning Readers (6-7)
  • Growing Readers (7-9)
  • Tweens (10-12)
Books by Age » 5+ » My Heart, by Corinna Luyken

My Heart, by Corinna Luyken

By Lauren Bercuson ·  Published: Jan 31, 2019 ·  Modified: May 25, 2021 ·  This post may contain affiliate links


My Heart.jpg

Talking to children about matters of the heart can be complicated. If your kids are anything like mine, they get totally confused because the heart can do wayyyyy too many things. After all, it can fill with joy or break with sadness, swell with pride or even be given away. It can grow, it can melt, it can open and close. It can shatter, it can puddle, it races fast and then slows. No wonder they don’t understand! These metaphors are challenging to comprehend— and to a literal child, they can seem totally nonsensical. Leave it to Corinna Luyken, an author/illustrator whose work has blown me away over the last couple of years, to give us My Heart, the perfect picture book to gently address the heart’s complexity with kids.

In My Heart, each page is a metaphor for the heart’s various manifestations. As the diverse group of kids journey through the heart’s numerous emotions, they learn it can be a puddle or a slide or a window opened wide. The children are happy at times and scared at others, remorseful on some pages and joyful on others. When faced with a tough emotion, they find companionship in family and friends to help them through. And overall, they learn one very important notion: whether their hearts are open or closed, tiny or large, each and every child has the freedom to decide how he or she feels at a particular time. My Heart conveys a powerful message, one that helps children discover their strength and unlock their inner resilience.

My Heart is exquisite, though and through. Luyken’s illustrations are shadowy and vibrant at the same time. Shades of grey shot through with bright yellow perfectly represent the heart’s many phases, bringing hope to the wounded heart and light to the dark one. They set the tone so beautifully for a book that speaks to emotional awareness, and, when paired with the simple (but brilliant) prose, convey a message that we get to decide how our heart feels at any given moment. The book is contemplative yet dynamic, subtle yet empowering, ultimately conveying the most reassuring message: “tiny can grow and broken can mend / and a heart that is closed can still open again.”  Sensitive, stunning and simply spectacular. Two trunks up for this beauty!

RELATED: We’ve got all the best children’s books for you on Happily Ever Elephants, so be sure to check them out!

Want the book? Get it here! My Heart, by Corinna Luyken. *This is an affiliate link. HEE received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, but all opinions expressed herein are entirely our own.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

5+

« Previous PostThe Night Box, by Louise Greig
Next Post »20 Books About Sports for Kids Who Love Football, Basketball and More!

OTHER POSTS YOU MAY LIKE:

  • 5+

    Corinna Luyken and The Tree in Me: Another Stunning Book!
  • 5+

    Under My Hijab Celebrates Muslim Women and Culture
  • 5+

    Top Ten Picture Books

Never Miss a Happily Ever Elephants Newsletter!

Join our community and discover 28 Unforgettable Books to Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful.

Thank you for subscribing!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Happily Ever Elephants!

Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren. I’m a boy mom, former attorney, current elementary school librarian, and moderator of book clubs for kids around the country. My goal is to make storytime with your children both magical and meaningful. Welcome! LEARN MORE 

AS FEATURED IN

Good Housekeeping

Winter Books!

10+ Valentine’s Day Books for Kids!

The Cutest Children’s Books About Penguins

The Best Lunar New Year Read-Aloud Books!

The Best New Year Read-Alouds

SEE ALL WINTER BOOKS!

Popular Posts

kindergarten-read-alouds

These Kindergarten Read Alouds Will Wow Kids!

The covers of 9 of the best books for 10 year olds.

The Best Books for 10-Year-Olds To Excite Your Kids!

The cover of Gossie with some rubber ducks, a great book for 2 year olds.

The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds Your Reader Will Love!

beginning-reader-books

The Ultimate List of the Best Books for Beginning Readers!

JOIN OUR BOOK CLUB

Browse by Age

BABY + TODDLER (0-2)
PRE-K (3-5)
BEGINNING READER (6-7)
GROWING READER (7-9)
TWEENS (10-12)

before footer form

Don't Miss a Book!

Join our community and discover 28 Unforgettable Books to Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful.

Thank you for subscribing!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful with these 28 Unforgettable Books! DOWNLOAD

browse by age!

0-23-45+6-77-910-12

Looking to help your child develop their social and emotional skills?

Download our 8 Week Guide!

Suggested Grade Level: Pre-K - 3rd DOWNLOAD NOW

Archives

  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • 0-2
  • 10-12
  • 3-4
  • 5+
  • 6-7
  • 7-9
  • All Book Lists
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bullying
  • Award Winners
  • Back to School
  • Bedtime
  • Black Children's Books
  • Combat Bias
  • Concept Books
  • Confidence
  • Diversity
  • Emotions
  • Empathy
  • Fall Books
  • Family
  • Featured Books by Age
  • Featured Books by Theme
  • Featured Children's Book Reviews
  • Friendship
  • Funny
  • Growth Mindset
  • Halloween
  • Holidays
  • Imagination
  • Interactive
  • Jewish Books
  • LGBQT
  • Life Skills
  • Life Transitions
  • Non Fiction
  • Own Voices
  • Playing Preschool Book Lists
  • Popular Posts
  • Raising Readers
  • Social Justice
  • Special Interests & Hobbies
  • Spring Books
  • STEM
  • Summer Books
  • Thanksgiving
  • Uncategorized
  • Winter books
  • Winter Holidays
  • Wordless

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Join 70k+ Instagram Followers

Find even more great book recommendations with the @happily.ever.elephants Instagram community!
Join more than 70k+ parents for more tips, recommendations and reviews.

Footer

Don’t miss a single book.

Join our community and discover 28 Unforgettable Books to Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful.

Thank you for subscribing!

Buy the Books

The best virtual book clubs for kids. Why read alone when we can read together?

JOIN NOW!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 ·  Happily Ever Elephants LLC ·  Review Policies & Disclosures ·  Accessibility ·  SITE CREDITS

0 shares