Hope is an Open Heart – a Review

Title: Hope Is an Open Heart
Author: Laurie Thompson
Reading Level: Ages 4 – 8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-545-03737-2

Lauren Thompson’s book is an uplifting story about hope. We’ve all had days when we felt hopeless. Hope sometimes seemed to be so far away, and the world was cold and dark. Thankfully, hope can come to us in many different ways. And Thompson illustrates this excellently in her
wonderfully crafted book.

Thompson’s book was motivated after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. She had to help her four-year-old son feel safe again in his city and in the world. She wanted him to realize that while bad things sometimes happen, the world is nonetheless a good place to be,
full of people who want to help. Thompson also wanted to let her son know that it was okay to feel scared, sad and mad about the September 11th attacks. Those feelings are part of being human.

As Thompson was helping her son rekindle hope, she did the same for herself. That experience is what inspired her to write this book. She came to realize that hope is a contagious feeling that can be transmitted to others.

All the people illustrated in the book suffered some major losses, some from Hurricane Katrina and others from the tsunami of December 2004. Each of the pictures illustrates how an individual can derive hope after losing everything.

Thompson believes that by opening our hearts often, crying when we need to, giving a hug or a helping hand when we can, we nurture hope in ourselves and in others. And that makes the world a better place for all of us. After all, hope is always inside of each of us, waiting for us to nurture it and let it unfold. We just need to pay attention to it and let it motivate our actions and attitudes, despite the violence and hardship that our world gives us. Thompson shows that although hope seems to be far away sometimes, it’s always there if we only reach for it. It will be there to support us one way or another. What a great message to pass along to
our kids!

About the author: Lauren Thompson is the author of several New York Times bestselling children’s books, including the much-beloved Little Quack series and the award-winning picture book Polar Bear Night. She is also the author of The Apple Pie that Papa Baked and Ballerina Dreams: A true Story. Lauren lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, Robert, and their son, Owen.

About the Reviewer: Irene S. Roth is a freelance writer for kids and young adults. Her work has been published in Girls’ Life and Boys’ Life . Roth is a reviewer for The Muse Reviews and The National Writing for Children Center. Visit her website at: www.sites.google.com/site/irenerothfreelancewriter.