The Heart's Language

Favorite book, hands down. The Heart's Language is about a young boy on the autism spectrum, and no one understands him. I felt very frustrated when reading this book because it seems like all of the adults in this book are ignorant of what this boy is going through. He is unable to communicate with others, including his feelings; therefore, feels very alone. He wants nothing more than to say, "I love you" to his parents. When the ancient koa comes to visit and says, "You called me with the language of your heart," I balled my eyes out. Finally, he was finally able to communicate with his parents because they finally listened. The last page of the story shows the boy smiling and he was finally able to say I love you.

“The Heart’s Language” is a touching story about a young autistic boy who communicates with animals, the ocean, and trees. The story explains the frustration the boy experiences since he unable to communicate with people. “He wanted to laugh, to cry, to share his joy and sadness, his fear and his hope. But no one knew how to listen to him.” But most of all, he wanted to express his love for his parents by simply saying “I love you”. Then one day, a blue bird told the young boy to speak with the language of his heart. When the young boy went back home, for the first time his parents finally listened to him. They were willing to learn his language by making sounds and flapping their arms. In the end, he spoke from his heart show more and said, “I love you”, the words he has been wanting to say.

I absolutely loved this book! The illustrations are well-detailed and colorful, which compliments the story very nicely. After reading the author’s note, I find the story even more beautiful since the book is about her own son. “So many people would take a little autistic boy by the hand, with or without words, in both ways big or small, make him know that they understand and love him.” The story shows that love, understanding, and compassion can make a difference in a person’s life. The story also shows the readers even though you may be different than others, do not get discouraged because you are capable of doing anything. Overall, this is an amazing book that I would definitely add to my classroom library. show less

The Heart's Language is about a young boy with autism who tries to find his confidence within to express his language. This is the first book about disabilities that I have read that has pushed me toward the avoid side of the spectrum. The sole reason is because the young boy's parents did not accept his voice for what it sounded like. This really hurt me because it made the young boy seem lost and made him feel like he did not belong. This is a huge concern of mine because his parents should be the ones that are the most loving. At the end of the book, his parents to finally hear is voice, but I was already flustered at the fact that they did not hear him before and to me was not the happy ending other people might have felt.

The Heart's Language hit home for me as I know and love many people who are non-verbal. I can relate to the parents struggle to connect with their child, as we rely heavily on spoken language to communicate. I can relate to hearing those around judging for what they don't understand. Yamanaka did a good job of portraying the message that our deepest connections can be found in seeing others for who they are and going out of our comfort zone to meet people where they are and listen to their heart.

I liked this book because it showed that you can communicate with anyone, no matter the disability if you are open to hearing them. Throughout the book, the boy talked to the trees, the animals, the sea but he could not talk to his parents. He told a blue bird that he wanted to tell his parents he loved them, but nothing came out. At the end of the book, his parents began to listen to him and they created their own language with their son, and he was finally able to express his love for them.

"The Heart's Language" by Lois-Ann Yamanaka is a sweet story about a boy who cannot speak words or communicate with other people. The boy had an exceptional gift that allowed him to communicate only with animals and nature. People were fascinated with his gift, but were disappointed that they did not know how to communicate with him. The boy was sad that he could not speak to anyone and so badly wanted to tell his parents that he loved them. One day the boy was taken by a bird who taught him how to listen and communicate with his heart. The boy went back to his family and was able to talk to his parents and teach them how listen with their heart. I think this book helps one better understand disabilities and other ways to communicate. show more The book was written for children who have special gifts that are usually looked past because of their inability to communicate or express how they feel. show less

The Heart's Language tells the story of a boy with autism in a creative way. The boy can only speak to nature and the animals. Everyone around him doesn't speak to him because they find it strange he won't communicate with them. He longs to say "I love you" to his parents but he doesn't know how to tell them and they don't know how to hear him. The boy feels defeated, but with the help of a bird he finds his voice. He finally is able to communicate with his parents and his parents can look into his eyes and see what he means. The boy is able to tell his parents he loves them. If everyone gave him a chance, he would be able to talk to everyone. This book shows that people with autism can communicate too, just in a different way. Others show more have to be receptive to those other options. show less