Heart Work by Jonathan Harris

A thoughtful, poetic picture book about the importance of doing human work as AI continues its rapid ascension

Adults in the 21st century have known a world without widespread AI. But what about their children? How will kids determine what they are here to do if their questions and answers are handed to them by a bot their whole lives?

Heart Work by Jonathan Harris is a gorgeously illustrated picture book aimed at celebrating and encouraging the jobs of humankind today and in the future. And we’re not just talking about construction work and desk jobs—although, we are, too—we’re talking about the jobs of loving one another, of working together, of appreciating the earth, of raising children. We’re talking about human heart work.

Once we get rolling on the concept of heart work, each page is infused with a single idea and a single illustration, making for quick reading and scanning. “The homing your house work” is paired with a glowing illustration of a family cooking, sitting and loving together; “the look in your eyes work” is paired with the concept and importance of romantic love. How else could we continue humanity without that look? 

We talk about grieving; we talk about sticking together, of harvesting the rain, of planting seeds. All of these, ChatGPT can’t do for us. The bots can feign love; they can tell us what to do. But we are the ones who fill the world. This is a book that inspires people to step outside without their shoes on, to further the human race not by following internet orders but by doing the things we’ve done for centuries. We must find meaning in the places around us. We make meaning by connecting our heart with others. This book celebrates it all.

Heart Work doesn’t scream “book for kids.” The illustrations feature families—young and old—adult romances, gardening, robots, and beyond. The book is filled with ideas that get adults thinking as much as children. The poetry is told slant, repetitive, with occasional rhymes. It reads almost like a coffee table book with vibrant, thoughtful illustrations rather than a Disney-style entertainment piece for kids, combining unique art with the powerful, universal theme of keeping the human world human. 

Some concepts are repeated often, which makes for a few pages or a few rhymes that extend the reading time unnecessarily. The early rhymes can read a bit awkwardly as well, but for a picture book with such fervent celebration of humanity and the type of work only we can do, the extra stumbles or pages don’t take away much from the genuine gladness that this book exists in the first place.

Heart Work is heart work. It’s the type of book that can only succeed with an author who’s deeply invested in the lives that only we can lead. If you’re thinking ahead to your child’s future—over-flowing with false kindnesses and round-about explanations from ChatGPT and its siblings—this book smartly introduces the all-important idea that you have to plant the seeds with your hands if you want to watch them grow.