How do you listen with your heart? For one small boy, the heart's language is the only one he knows. With his heart he can speak to animals, trees, and creatures of the sea. But he cannot be understood by the people around him, even those who love him most-his mother and father. One day, when he is feeling sad and alone, he is visited by a magical blue bird. With the bird's encouragement, the boy finds a way to make himself heard. And when his parents try to speak the boy's language, they are finally able to express their love, and truly communicate with the shared language of the heart. This lyrical story of love and understanding will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by an exceptional child. Kindergarten-Grade 3–Set in Hawaii, this picture book tells the story of a young boy who can communicate with trees, animals, and birds, but can't talk to or understand other people. More than anything else, he wants to tell his parents that he loves them. Finally, after a mystical encounter with a blue bird, he learns "the heart's language," and he and his parents find a way to communicate their feelings. Though the youngster's disability is never specified in the text, the author's foreword describing her experiences with her autistic son makes her perspective clear. By not identifying it, the story's message is made more universal. Jasinski's boldly colored illustrations will entice young readers, but the vague, symbolic text lacks child appeal.– Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.