Given to Matthew Hayes - 05/11/2023

This book of poetry was written by an 11-year-old boy, Mattie Stepanek, who was dying of dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a type of mitochondrial disease. He writes a lot about death, including his future death and how his siblings died of the same condition. This book would be better for mature children as a result, and more advanced readers – he tends to incorporate hospital terms. Mattie died in 2004, at the age of 13 years old.

More poetry for ages 7 and up, celebrating life's gifts. I think this would inspire kids to write poems. ( )

Journey through Heartsongs is a book full of poems by a boy named Mattie J.T. Stepanek who had a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Mattie wrote poems about life and death, love and loss, faith and hope, and innocence and joy. He struggled with his rare form of muscular disease and used his struggles to write movingly and courageously poems. Here is one of his poems.

Every journey begins
With but a small step.
And every day is a chance
For a new, small step
In the right direction.
Just follow your Heartsong.

by Mattie Stepanek

This book of poems is very sad. Some of the poems deal with death and angels and I am not sure if it would be a good book for the classroom because it is very sad. I am amazed at his poems and his wisdom that has touched so many people’s lives including mine. Mattie was a peacemaker and wanted his poems to spread out all over the world to touch the hearts of people to bring peace. Mattie passed away in 2004 at the age of 13. If you have not read his poetry book I would say go out and buy it because it is very touching.

If I was to use this book in the classroom I would pick the poems to read aloud such as the one Titled "A Handful of Mattie" which is a picture of Mattie’s hand with written words that describe himself them put into a poem. This would be a fun activity to do with a group of students.

One of my favorite poems Mattie wrote when he was ten is

"Believing for the Journey"

Every day,
Everyone in the world
Should do at least
One thing nice for others.
Doing so can help each person
Believe in himself or herself
More fully, and
Give confidence that may
Inspire each person
To do more and
More new and good things
For the self,
For others, and
For the world.
These poistive attitudes
And actions
Can be the first of many steps
Towards the journey
For world peace.
And world peace,
Harmony, and
Confidence are essential
For our futre. ( )

Mattie J.T. Stepanek takes us on a Journey Through Heartsongs with more of his moving poems. These poems share the rare wisdom that Mattie has acquired through his struggle with a rare form of muscular dystrophy and the death of his three siblings from the same disease. His life view is one of love and generosity and as a poet and a peacemaker, his desire is to bring his message of peace to as many people as possible.