The Glass Heart, written and illustrated by Sally Gardner, tells the story of Rosie, who accidentally breaks her Nana's little glass heart. However, Nana is not upset and tells Rosie that broken things can be mended, that they can be made as good as new again. She goes on to tell Rosie a magical story about three princesses who had glass hearts. The first princess has her heart broken, and she dies; the second princess has her heart badly cracked, and all she can do is lay on a sofa and watch the world go by. The King and Queen took extra special care of the third princess, and decided that only a prince who knew all about glass could marry her. The story takes place in an enchanted city, a land of fantasy containing kings, queens, clowns, palaces built on the water, gondolas, glass blowers and lagoons, and tells of a young man's struggle to learn about glass. There is a successful ending and everyone lives happily ever after. The language in the story is simple and easy to understand, and the illustrations are charming in pastel shades, making this storybook especially appealing to young children. --Susan Naylor