What is Given From the Heart

Author Patricia McKissack passed away two years before this book was published. Along with her husband, Fredrick, she was a prolific African-American children’s author who wrote about the African-American experience. She was a recipient of the Newbery Medal award. When collaborating on a book Fredrick would do the research and Patricia would do the writing. As part of their writing they would often travel to the places they were writing about. Patricia says that when she is writing a story she walks around with the idea in her head for a year or longer before she writes. She wants to have a clear beginning, middle, and end before writing. There are interviews with Patricia and her husband on Reading Rockets.

This is illustrator April Harrison’s first children’s book. Have a discussion about what makes her a good illustrator and advice we would give if she were to illustrate another children’s book.

The dedication (written by the illustrator) is an important one for students to study.

This beautiful story was McKissack’s last book. As children listen to the story and get to know James Otis they learn the power of kindness and the joy of giving. James Otis and his mother share a special bond as they make do with little. And then one Sunday at church James Otis is confronted with a dilemma—what to put in a love box for a little girl who has lost everything in a fire. The book tells the story of his struggle to find something to give when “we aine got nothing ourselves.” His mother responds with an elegant quote, “What is given from the heart reaches the heart.” James watches his mother stitch an apron from her white tablecloth—the single nice thing she has. He thinks harder about what to put in the love box. In the end he creates a book for Sarah and titles it From My Heart to Your Heart. Children will respond to the surprise ending of this book.

I would use this book as a read-aloud with K-4th grade. After reading it aloud without comment we would reread the book and get to know James Otis and his character. We would study his thoughts, his dilemma, his ability to problem solve, and his unselfish gesture. We would include an illustration study to learn more about James Otis (and also his mother) through the illustrations.

Teaching Points: Character study, Voice, Surprise ending, Dedication

Pathways Theme: Friends & Family, Social Issues & Culture, Walking With God, Inferring, Prosody clues

Reviewed by Krystal Bishop, EdD

Professor of Education

Southern Adventist University

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