Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
In My Heart
Jo Witek · 2014
81/100
👍 Worth It
This NYT bestselling picture book earns its place on the shelf — a die-cut heart on every page opens to reveal an illustration that matches the emotion being described, and the writing uses simple similes that toddlers can actually grasp. Kirkus gave it a starred review and it was shortlisted for the Oscar Book Prize; the praise is deserved. One of the better tools out there for helping very young children name what they're feeling.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety89
Substance / usefulness72
Craft & writing85
Originality63
Evidence & accuracy81
Hype vs delivers80
Age-fit88
👁 Human-eye gut-check80
Penny’s verdict81
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