A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart

In this poignant picture book, author Zetta Elliott shares the inner world of a young black teen who deals with shifting emotions during turbulent times. At the beginning of the story, this young black boy feels joy, skateboarding in the neighbourhood. Suddenly, due to the shooting of a black girl, he experiences firsthand the turmoil of his community as they go through sorrow, fear, anger, and a yearning for freedom. This poem helps readers find their way to healing, like the young black boy in the book, as he navigates strong negative feelings to find resilience in pride, peace, compassion, hope, and love.

Noa Denmon’s colourful illustrations match the complex context and narrative of the boy’s emotions. The artwork and text work together wonderfully to convey the storyline. The text focuses on the boy’s emotions while the illustrations present the missing background pieces, such as the news broadcast of a girl shot on a TV screen which leads to an emotional change in the boy. Also, an illustration of the Black Lives Matter protest echoes the boy’s emotion of anger.

While definitely aimed at young children, this picture book also appeals to older readers who will appreciate the significance of the social justice issue portrayed, the impactful language, and the artful illustration. A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart could provide meaningful discussion for children about social justice and how to deal with today’s race issues.