The Heart and the Bottle

Author: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 6+ years ( but is known to have touched more adults!)

Once there was a little girl like any other, whose head was filled with all the wonder in the world...

Thus begins this beautiful story of a little girl who locked her heart away when she encounters the loss of her beloved father figure. Whether it is Dad, Granddad or a close relative is up to the reader to imagine, but the little girl adores him and looks up to him a lot. But one day she finds an empty chair, Pa gone missing.

The loss hurts her very much and so, unable to come to terms with grief, she locks away her heart in a bottle hung on her neck and thus postpones tackling her sadness. But as time goes by, the weight of the bottle bears down on her. Although she imagines that now her heart is locked inside, it is safe from any more hurtful feelings, the awkward weight of the bottle nags her.

One day, a curious little girlie comes running to her with a question about the world. Had she been like before, she would have known the answer, but now that her heart is in the bottle, she is clueless. That is when she decides to get her heart out. But try as she might, she simply does not succeed in breaking the bottle.

Finally, it is the little girlie with the curious mind who succeeds to get it out of the bottle and instantly the big girl realises how much she has actually missed all along! She starts to follow her heart again and explores the wonders of the world, just like her Pa.

This story could have been anybody's. The loss could have been a loved one, love, a dream, a job, temper, just anything. What do we do when faced with the loss? The immediate need to retreat in a shell of pity and sadness is almost always the easiest way out. It is certainly soothing, and the fear of getting hurt if we break out feels very real and threatening. For that moment at least. But it is not the solution. And the more we linger inside, the harder it becomes to break out of it.

There is life outside of it, if we only care to open up. Perhaps it needs a little help from someone. A nudge, a chiding, long talks, a healing, a hug, whatever it takes. But when we do break out, we will see that there is always something else to live for, to love, to laugh about and to share with. And if we could only see that we can never protect the heart from hurt in this world, not even if we bottle it up, maybe we would try to give up all our inner fights and start feeling peace and happiness in everything that comes our way.

Oliver Jeffers has again created magic with his simple drawings, simple text and a great uplifting storyline. We had the lovely opportunity of meeting him in a book signing and for once in all my life, I got this book signed for myself, with my name ( and a cute bottle doodle that he drew underneath!). And he is as sweet as his books :o)

Here is a Youtube version.

And here is a nice little video about Oliver Jeffers.

The Hueys - It Wasn't Me

Author and Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 2+

If you asked what the maximum used kiddy statement in our house is, I'd immediately vouch for this - "It wasn't me!". Especially with their eyes admitting guilt since their innocence can't mask it. It would be extremely difficult then to stifle the instant laugh that the scene would generate. :o)

The other day I was "Windows" shopping in one of my favourite store, I saw this card and went "Awwwwwww!, how cute is that!". Kids all over the world, they're all the same, all so cute, especially in their guiltiest-most moment ( Disclaimer : Not Always, please adore them at your own peril. Those little brats have a mind of  their own, enough to drive you out of your mind).

And so when I read this book ( standing in the bookstore :o)), it is this very same cuteness that appealed to me almost immediately. The Hueys, if you remember from one of my earlier posts, used to all think and look alike until Rupert and his friend Gillespie created a revolution. The Hueys have since moved on and started being unique.

The Hueys almost always agree upon everything. Until they have one of those moments when they disagree, which is what happens in the story. Heated arguments and blame games ensue and the fight intensifies. That's when Gillespie comes along and asks what the fight was all about. Nobody actually remembers why it started. Gillespie then asks them if they wanted to see a dead fly.

"Of Course!".

"Why didn't you say earlier?".

"How long has it been dead?".

And the gang disperses enthusiastically to check out the fly, the fight dumped and completely forgotten.

Utterly cute, somehow it makes you feel connected with the story the moment you read it. How many times would you have effectively diverted a raging toddler in terrible twos by pointing out to a totally simple, silly, stupid thing! Or jumped in to mediate kid fights and they don't even remember why they've been mad at each other and worse still, start giggling uncontrollably just when you're sternly delivering a serious lesson of forgiveness, love etcetera.

And oh! It holds equally good for all grown-ups as well. If only we could be diverted this effectively by a dead fly...

A cute book that kids would love. Oliver Jeffers certainly must have a pair of kids' shoes that he gets into every time he writes a new book. He somehow brings out little sweet nothings of childhood so well in his books. And his doodle characters emote so well and speak volumes with monosyllables!

I only wish they weren't this pricey, though.

This Moose Belongs to Me

Author: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 5+ to all adults who love quirky moose and a little enlightenment :o)

image courtesy:http://www.oliverjeffers.com/media/TMBTM-04-05_F.jpg 

I am a great admirer of the Geethacharam. Roughly translated, it means:

What has happened, has happened for good
What is happening, is for good
And what will happen would be for good
What possession that was truly yours did you lose
For you to cry over?
What did you bring (into the world) for you to lose it?
What did you create yourself that has been destroyed?
Whatever you took for yourself belongs here
And Whatever you give out belongs here, too
What is yours today will be another's tomorrow
And yet another's, another day.
This is the  principle of the world
This is the essence of creation, of evolution.

Who would have thought that all it takes is a Moose and a funny little boy to make kids understand such a beautiful lesson in life! Hats off to Oliver Jeffers for coming up with this gem of a book - This Moose belongs  to me.

Wilfred finds a moose in his garden, names him " Marcel" thereby proclaiming it belongs to him. He wanders in the woods and mountains with Marcel. He makes many rules for Marcel to follow, to train him. Some of them include serving drinks when he needs, getting things for him that are out of his reach, sheltering him from rain, not disturbing when he plays his records and many such funny rules. Marcel of course, is totally nonchalant. He cares two hoots about the rules, but by nature does things that sometimes tick off some of these rules.

And all is well until one day a lady comes up and calls Marcel as Rodrigo and says it is hers. Much to the fury of Wilfred, Marcel acts as if Wilfred didn't even exist and goes readily to the lady, who has an apple in her hand for him.

An angry Wilfred stomps back home, only to be tangled in a mess by a length of rope that he had left behind. But then he gets rescued by Marcel ( or so he thinks), who then goes to another man who comes by and calls him Dominic and claims that it is his moose!

Hidden inside all the funny, yet very perfect story and illustrations are so many beautiful facts stated in Gitacharam. The Moose belongs to no one, everyone simply assumes it is theirs. It comes and goes as it pleases, people get attached to it, but it is like an enlightened being, just not belonging to anyone. It comes from the woods, goes back into the woods.

You get caught in a mess, you are saved out of a mess. These things happen on no account of no merit from your side, it JUST happens.

And even if every now and then things might look as if they belong to you, it is JUST your illusion.

Accept it, you own nothing. Not even your children, as Gibran says.
(They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you....)

Oliver Jeffers' illustrations are also so perfect, the emotions beautifully shown and the book feels very much complete and wholesome with his drawings.

This Moose belongs to Me. This book belongs to me, or does it?!

(The Hueys in) The New Jumper

US: The Hueys in The New Sweater
Author and Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 3+

I remember when Seth Godin's book was released, Purple Cows were very much in! Being different suddenly became a trend that was so religiously followed. Actually so much followed that suddenly, being normal became the new fashion :o).

Jokes apart, this book by Oliver Jeffers is a children's version of The Purple Cow. Only, it doesn't really talk about standing out in the business as much as saying that being different could be so much fun. And how fashion trends go from initial rejection to passive aversion to almost Swine Flu-ishly feverish copying world-wide! ( Gangnam-ishly viral, to make it sound "in trend" as of now :o))

The Hueys ( they are just plain cute - plain and cute!) are a clone-ly lot of beings: they think the same, act the same, do the same and are just the same. That was the rule of the clan - Always same to same :o).

Then comes a stir in the form of Rupert. This Huey is suddenly taken by a whim and knits himself an orange jumper ( sweater).  Looking at his proud display, the Huey town goes into a state of violent shock at the eye sore. Rupert stands out like a sore thumb, didn't he know the rules of being a Huey! Tongues wag behind in disgust, baby Hueys cry looking at this aberration, Mama and Dada Hueys get plain sick, drop their things and get into little accidents just at the sight of this orange-clad anomaly.

But then Rupert's friend Gillespie thinks "Why not!" and he knits himself the same jumper. One is madness, but two different Hueys look curiously cool. Hueys start looking at the daring pair with rising admiration and start wondering "Hmm. Want that!".

And hell, no, wool(orange) breaks loose in Hueyland. Every Huey wants to be different and is busy knitting away orange jumpers. Orange jumpers jump high up in the trend so much.Each Huey thinks it is so different, so Orange and cool. Suddenly all the Hueys in town look different ( and hence, the same :o)).

All until Rupert decides to wear a Hat.

Quite rightly, Gillespie hits his head, perhaps imagining the frantic fever that is going to grip the town again to "look cool and different". The good thing about the ending is that all Hueys are shown wearing totally different outfits and being very happy about being different.

Such a wonderful story, and this is not at all the first time I am wondering if any of these books is meant only for children at all. I rather INSIST that adults get to read these books. They should really be used with older children as well as a discussion point on how fashion trends are created and more important, how it is actually quite nice to be different and original.

My boys loved the story very, very much. The best part of the book is the seemingly very simply drawings. Which means that the kids have created dozens of Hueys since the day they read this book.

I found out that you can design your own Hueys here. Something that the younger children love to do over and over.

You can get a sneak peek into the book here.

And there is a reading of the book here.

Oliver Jeffers says he was greatly influenced in childhood by Maurice Sendak's works, and in particular one of my favourite books,  Where the Wild things are.

He has written many other sweet, quirky, funny and subtly touching books - Lost and Found, How to Catch a Star, This Moose belongs to Me, Stuck, Heart and the Bottle to name some.

The New Jumper. A trendsetter!