The Half Hearted Girl -by : Sandra Harvey

What can I say about Sandra Harvey, she is beautiful, she is talented, she is a fierce humanitarian and she is not afraid to take risks.  In a nut shell -we need more authors writing these types of stories and experimenting with new ideas and taking these kinds of chances.  Every book you read by Sandra Harvey dares to break the conventional mold of children's books. Her Characters Trizzella and Corazon not only touch our hearts and imaginations, but they grab hold of the part of us that make us believe in magic.  




The Half Hearted Girl is her latest book, and is exactly what you come to expect from Ms. Harvey. Sandra embraces diversity in her characters and addresses real issues that children face every day. Sandra manages to create some of the most fresh and inspiring stories and characters I have ever had the pleasure or knowing.

To Summarize: The Half Hearted Girl is a wonderfully written and superbly illustrated children's book about a little girl that is born missing half of her heart. As the girl grows up she seeks out all things that all whole hearted, but never seems to be able to fill the empty part of her heart.  On the other side of the world is a boy that was born missing half of his soul, as he grows he tries to fill his life with soulful things but never fully feels whole inside.  When one day the two of them set out on a journey, each seeking to fill the part of them that is missing.  Their journey leads them to the very middle of the earth where they arrive at the same time and meet. The girl and the boy go on many adventures together and in the end they both find what they were looking for...  This is a book that transcends age , race, and gender and has a very strong appeal to a much a older audience. 

What is hidden deep in this book past a summary, is more than just a story of a boy and girl. It is more than just a coming of age tale, and more than a story of hope and love.  While the story it not written in rhyme The book has this amazing poetic flow, each page playing a perfect parallel with the next, the book is what I would define as "perfectly symmetrical" but what amazes me even more than this brilliant writing style is that no where in the book does it feel forced, the story flows from page to page so well that you may not even notice the symmetry at first.  The black and white art style and the lay out of the book also ties into the symmetry of the writing  flawlessly. 

The book is a quick read, being under 80 pages, but it is deep, it evokes real emotion of longing, sadness, wanting, discovery, friendship, fulfillment, acceptance, and love.  It is a great coffee table book, a great bedtime book, a great book for swinging in a hammock, a great coming of age tale, and a tremendous accomplishment by Author Sandra Harvey.

The short Q&A section and Mini Journal in the back of the book are wonderful editions.

The Half Hearted Girl is available here:

https://www.createspace.com/4884015