Heartfelt
by Elaine Vickers
Illustrations by Samantha Cotterill
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
2025
56 pages
ISBN: 9781665929769
If you can judge a book by its cover, Heartfelt will be the one you'll fall in love with. Sheer joy on a child's face as they dance, arms overhead through a shower of red and pink hearts capture the true spirit of this lovely picture book based on the author's own experience of teaching children to do "Secret Service." A bag of paper hearts was given to each child to give one to each person they'd like to "gift." It could be a neighbor, teacher, parent, friend, or anyone the child thought deserved to be recognized. They would leave a heart, sometimes secretly, and share their experiences in the group the next week. The children involved were excited to share the care and love and once back in the group, excited the share the discussion.
The child in the book leaves hearts for the neighbors with a bag of warm cookies. A bag with a heart is left for the mail carrier and the child makes a picture with a heart for her friend. As they continue the heartfelt giveaway, the child thinks about love and even though they have passed out all their hearts, they realize love and care is all around them right in their own neighborhood.
Elaine Vickers shares this example of a HUGE idea that will impact children and those around them. If every child could experience this heartfelt fun, the world would be a different place.
Highly, highly recommended for preK to grade 4.
