Dans mon petit cœur (published as In My Little Heart) is the third book by author, journalist and screenwriter Jo Witek and illustrator Christine Roussey published by La Martinière Jeunesse. Part of a collection with little girl as heroines.  Dans mon petit cœur is a pioneering work on the subject of children expressing their feelings. 54,000 copies have been sold in France, the translation rights have been sold in 20 languages.

"Today, I’m throwing the doors to my heart wide open to explore what is hidden inside. What a mess! There are bursts of joy, crocodile tears, sets of chills and even some songs. My heart is a jewel that changes color according to my mood."

Through poetic language and colorful drawings, Dans mon petit cœur explores a little girl’s vast array of emotions, from sadness to joy, from jealousy to hope. A heart-shaped cut-out, which gets smaller and smaller page after page, lets children into the little girl’s world which helps them explore their own emotions.

Published by La Martinière Jeunesse in 2013, Dans mon petit cœur is the third book by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey, after Les bras de papa (2012) and Le ventre de ma maman (2011) and is part of a nine titles series.

"Jo Witek's delicate, subtle and powerful texts are touching, and we wanted to publish it as soon as we read it. The combination of her universe and Christine Roussey’s imagination and creativity worked immediately and affirmed our desire to make these titles part of the La Martinière Jeunesse catalog," Julie Guénard, head of foreign rights, explains.

"Sometimes my heart is too tender - soft and mushy like foam"

54,000 copies have been sold in France since it was published. It is a great success with bookstores and the French-speaking press. "Jo Witek has created touching poetic and imaginative philosophical monologues. She has a way with words and a sense of humor that cheers us up after having read her books," says Emmanuelle Rubiella in the Hérault Tribune. "And no doubt we wouldn't be as delighted if it weren’t for Christine Roussey's mischievous illustrations, recognizable by all; brightly colored art on clean white backgrounds, which complement the poetic style and exhilarating imagination unique to this series perfectly."

The incredible success of the American version, which made the New York Times bestseller list three weeks in a row in February 2021 and was back on the list in January 2022, helped La Martinière Jeunesse sell the rights in 20 languages including: Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Slovenian, Icelandic, Turkish and Hebrew.

"The large American print runs allowed us to target small territories where publishers were able to print special affordable versions yet more expensive than a classic title. Luxembourg for example, and very recently Iceland, with 1,000 copy print runs."

 

More than 1,700,000 copies have been sold worldwide to date with the sales volumes increasing yearly. "A must-have for any storytime," according to the prestigious American literary journal Kirkus Reviews.

Interview by Katja Petrovic and Hannah Sandvoss 
February 2022