Your One And Only Heart

by Rajani LaRocca, Lauren Paige Conrad (Illustrator)

Overview

A lyrical introduction to the many wonders of the human heart, from award-winning author and practicing doctor, Dr. Rajani LaRocca

In this stunning non-fiction picture book, poetry and science come together with playful cut-paper illustrations to create a moving ode to the human heart and all that it does. Complete with illustrative diagrams and copious backmatter, this is a one-of-a-kind non-fiction picture book that gently guides readers through the various systems make up our most vital organ.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593326336
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/15/2023
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.88(w) x 11.31(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Newbery Honoree Rajani LaRocca grew up loving both science and stories. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, she lives outside Boston, where she practices medicine and writes books for young readers.


Lauren Paige Conrad is a self-taught illustrator based in Asheville, NC. After working in product development and with small-scale textile studios, Lauren turned to illustration in 2016. She settled into a collage aesthetic that focuses on themes of mischief, homemade childhood, and everyday life. Lauren’s work is comprised of cut paper, gouache, colored pencil, and neo-color crayon. Your One and Only Heart is her debut picturebook

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Your One And Only Heart

A NCTE Notable Poetry Book

“LaRocca makes clear that this organ shares a number of seemingly contradictory characteristics and thus ‘does / Everything / it’s supposed to do. / Just like you.’ … [This book] will leave readers marveling at the versatility of one of the body’s most essential organs.” –Kirkus

“[LaRocca] tempers a plethora of information with light, accessible text … Similarly, colorful, geometric illustrations featuring children with a range of skin colors, hairstyles, and physical abilities provide just enough visual cues to understand such concepts as how the heart works like a dropper and its electrical signals…[A] charming STEAM collection.” –Booklist

From the Publisher

2023-05-24
A doctor explains the heart’s parts and functions in poetic language.

Our hearts, LaRocca writes, are “singular”—beating about 54 million times before we take our first breath and continuing to beat “every second / of every minute / of every hour / of every day” until our last one—and also “cooperative” as the “captain of / Team Cardiovascular.” In the same vein, she goes on to show how it is at once “simple and complex,” “constant and changeable.” Readers learn that though the heart is “hidden,” protected by the ribs, it’s also “noticeable”—we can easily feel and hear it. LaRocca makes clear that this organ shares a number of seemingly contradictory characteristics and thus “does / Everything / it’s supposed to do. / Just like you.” In screen print–style illustrations, Conrad reinforces the theme with a racially diverse cast of actively posed children (including one who uses a wheelchair) putting their hearts through their paces by playing, resting, dancing, and studying stylized diagrams of cardiac chambers and flows. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Will leave readers marveling at the versatility of one of the body’s most essential organs. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews