My Heart Beats

My Heart Beats is a heartwarming board book to enjoy time and time again with infants and toddlers. The colour photography features little ones of many different ethnicities alongside their caregivers. Each page rhythmically describes what’s happening in the photo and includes the sound of the heartbeat. Phrases like,“Tu tump, tut tump, it thumps when you play with my hair” or “Bum bum bum, throbs my heart when I kiss your tiny toys” carry the reader through the photographs. The text is written on a pastel background with two hearts faintly printed on each page.

On the final page of the book, there is a message from author Rina Singh explaining the overall message. She writes, “No matter what language we speak, no matter where we live in the world, our hearts beat with the same rhythm.” Throughout the book, she includes the ways different languages express the sound of the heartbeat, including in Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Korean, Urdu, French and English. Each of these languages is capitalized and coloured for emphasis. Not only does the book expose little ones to several languages but also to different combinations of sounds they are not used to in English. The words sound playful and new, creating a stimulating, phonemic experience.