The Heart's Language

by Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Aaron Jasinski (Illustrator)

How do you listen with your heart? For one small boy, the heart's language is the only one he knows. With his heart he can speak to animals, trees, and creatures of the sea. But he cannot be understood by the people around him, even those who love him most-his mother and father. One day, when he is feeling sad and alone, he is visited by a magical blue bird. With the bird's encouragement, the boy finds a way to make himself heard. And when his parents try to speak the boy's language, they are finally able to express their love, and truly communicate with the shared language of the heart. This lyrical story of love and understanding will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by an exceptional child.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2005

About the author

Lois-Ann Yamanaka is the author of Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, Blu's Hanging, Heads by Harry, Name Me Nobody, Father of the Four Passages, The Heart's Language, and Behold the Many. Her work has received numerous awards including the Hawai'i Award for Literature, the American Book Award, the Children's Choice for Literature, the Pushcart Prize for poetry, and Yamanaka was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Reviews

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's note at the beginning of the book thanks everyone who's on the journey to "cure" her son's autism, and that's a problem. But this is still a beautiful book. I loved the heartfelt paintings, the Hawaiian setting, and how the parents learned to hear not only what the child was trying to tell them but also the language of the trees and animals that he hears. They access his world, and that's how they learn to communicate.

[Christine Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story. I picked it up because it looked beautiful and had no idea what it was about. After reading the Author's Note in the beginning, I understood the book was allegorical for a boy's issues to communicate with people because of his autism. I was skeptical about how good the book would be after realizing that, but I was pleasantly surprised! It's sweet and has a hopeful ending.

[E.G. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story and wonderful way to display diversity in a subtle, special way.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a touching tale that depicts a family's attempts to communicate with their autistic child and his interactions with nature and the world around him. The story explains the loneliness and frustration a child experiences when unable to communicate with other people (even his family), and the love and patience that the parents have for the boy.

The illustrations are colorful and complement the story nicely. We loved the tropical Hawaiian scenery and our girls appreciated his connection with animals. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

We'd never really discussed the concept of autism before, so after we read this book I took the time to discuss a bit about Autism Spectrum Disorders. I mentioned that there are many different levels of functioning and that having autism does not mean that a person is not intelligent, it does not mean that a person is not capable of being a productive member of society. I gave them the example of Temple Grandin, who is not only a bestselling author, but also a PhD and a professor at Colorado State University.

[Wendie Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful children's books ever written. Lovely and honest. My son loves this one.