The late Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Patricia McKissack (Let's Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance Spin & Turn It Out!) joins with celebrated folk artist and illustrator April Harrison to capture the joy of giving in What Is Given from the Heart.
After his father's death, James Otis and his mother lose their farm and move to the Bottoms. There, the African American family of two try to rebuild their lives despite a lack of resources and continuous hardships. After a "skimpy" Christmas and new year, Valentine's Day approaches and their pastor implores his congregation to donate items for "love boxes" that will go to needy families, reminding them that "what is given from the heart reaches the heart." Though they don't have much at all, James Otis and his mother enthusiastically embrace the opportunity to use their talents to create gifts for another struggling family of two and are pleasantly surprised with how giving from the heart can quickly circle back.
Harrison's expressive collages combine found materials, acrylic paint and pen drawings to create texture and movement that matches the emotion in McKissack's colloquial dialogue and text. Details that Harrison develops--pictures drawn by James Otis stuck to the refrigerator, portraits mingling colors and shapes--perfectly complement the way McKissack frames the idea of an interconnected community, one that gives of itself and its people to sustain each other and survive. What Is Given from the Heart is a loving tribute to collective work, responsibility and the joy that comes from giving freely from the heart. --Breanna J. McDaniel, freelance reviewer