What the Heart Knows
What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms & Blessings by Joyce Sidman is a beautiful collection of poetry that touched me in many ways and I think that is what good poetry should be able to do – touch your soul. I don’t often go out of my way to read poetry, but this has been on my radar for awhile now, so I knew I had to read it. It’s a slim book broken into four parts that can be read continuously through or picked and chosen carefully to fit a mood or circumstance. Without a doubt my favorite piece was Lake’s Promise because my parent’s live on a lake and although its not the home where I grew up, it’s still very much home for me because it’s where the family gathers. I have always had a strong affinity for water – in all forms, lakes, streams, rivers, the ocean – I love being around water. It’s calming and soothing to me in a way that I can barely describe, but in Sidman’s poem about a lake’s promise, I connected very strongly.
This review cannot be written without mentioning the beautiful artwork by Pamela Zagarenski. Her beautiful paintings grace the pages of these poems and fit perfectly with the themes rhythm, and identity of the poems they represent. The paintings range from colorful and full pages to small, quiet subdued images on some pages. Although this book does not take a lot of time to read, the poetic voice will stay with you for much longer and may even inspire you to pick up a pencil and try writing some poetry of your own. I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the entire book, “Should hate mask your true face, I will look into your eyes and read your story there.”
Take just a minute and check out the beautiful book trailer!
For more information about poet, Joyce Sidman, check out her website! You can also learn more about illustrator, Pamela Zagarenski on her website.
Title: What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms & Blessings
Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Pamela Zagarenski
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication Date: 2013
Page Number: 65 pgs.