A tender and compassionate exploration of the shared experiences that bring us all together, be they sweet, painful, or both.
On a morning brimming with possibilities, a gentle narrator muses on everything the day might bring, from work to play to all the little moments in between, like watching clouds and seeing something grow. From small beginnings, the pages begin to hint at life’s larger crescendo moments: days so hard we struggle to bear it, and others that feel exactly right.
Then day inevitably turns to night, and for a while, “we are all just hearts beating in the darkness.” This quiet space invites us to be fully present in the moment, feeling whatever we feel; each of us vital, connected, “the same, but exactly different.” As a bright new dawn starts the cycle anew, that truth is a strong and steady pulse beneath the bustle of another busy morning.
In a story that embraces life’s highs and lows, Julie Fogliano masterfully combines simple, lyrical text with highly nuanced themes to create a reassuring and hopeful meditation on solidarity and perseverance. Impressionistic pastel and colored-pencil illustrations by Cátia Chien accompany the soulful text. All the Beating Hearts reminds us that through all of life’s ups and downs, there will always be light after darkness, and most importantly, we have each other—these other beating hearts.
An NCTE Notable Poetry Book
Julie Fogliano is the New York Times bestselling author of And Then It’s Spring, If I Was the Sunshine, Just in Case You Want to Fly, and I Don't Care. Recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats award, her books have been translated into more than ten languages and received multiple starred reviews. Booklist perhaps put it best when they said that Julie “has a knack for capturing the emotional tenor of very specific little kid experiences,” and she has continued to do so here. Now more than ever kids (and all of us) need the soft and hopeful encouragement of her words.
Cátia Chien is an award-winning children's book illustrator from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her first book, The Sea Serpent and Me by Dashka Slater, won a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators. She followed it with A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, an ALA Notable Book and recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award. Her book The Bear and the Moon, written by Matthew Burgess, received multiple starred reviews and won a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators' Original Art Show, as well as the Golden Kite Award. She lives in New York City.
★ "This compelling picture book packs an emotional punch and will help little ones foster positive attitudes about themselves and others."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ "[A] contemplative picture book. . . . lulling voice and shining, jewel-toned spreads have the power to enchant."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"[A] tender, compassionate picture book. . . . Fogliano's text captures joy, wonder, tedium and sorrow. . . . Chien meets Fogliano's evocative words with lush, atmospheric illustrations awash with color."—BookPage
"The poetry here has a natural, gentle rhythm, created by purposeful line breaks and page turns. . . . Emotive pastel and colored pencil illustrations not only carefully match the time of day and activity, but also the sentiments expressed on each page. . . . Thoughtful poetry and expressive illustrations could make for a meaningful conversation. . . ."—School Library Journal
"Fogliano's prose is at once straightforward and poetic. . . . Chien's impressionis-tic pastel and colored-pencil illustrations have a soothing fluidity, but their vibrant colors and textures add a bracing note of contrast. . . . This book gives kids something to ponder"—The Horn Book
