What is Given from the Heart, written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by April Harrison, was published by Schwartz and Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, in 2019.

With a young boy as narrator, this story follows a family from April to February, as the father dies, they lose their home and move, are flooded, have a minimal Christmas, and are asked to bless another family who have lost everything in a fire.

One of my friends’ children has just experienced the “lost everything in a fire” part, so I know that it can be hard and scary.

This little family give from their heart to bless another family. My favorite pages are the two when Sarah covers her mouth to catch a giggle and the narrator, James Otis, laughed out loud from seeing her so happy.

The book is sweet and shows that giving your best can mean different things.

The story sounds old… As in, this is a story I can imagine reading as a child. It is a story that seems to fit an older age–not modern sensibilities.