What the Heart Knows
What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings
Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Boston, HMH Books for Young Readers, 2013
5.5" x 9.2"
Kerlan Collection, Children's Literature Research Collections
University of Minnesota Libraries
The archives hold the creative process of authors and illustrators. We can discover a poem by Joyce Sidman, "Invocation for Snow in Large Quantities," originally meant for the collection What the Heart Knows, but transformed instead into a picture book through the inspiration of editor Ann Rider. Illustrator Beth Krommes brought a whole new narrative to the project. Sidman wrote that she "was thrilled with the idea of a picture book using this poem;" and Krommes, when offered the chance to illustrate, "made the book her own, with completely original plot and characters." (Before Morning)