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As you probably noticed there are a lot of picture books about Valentine’s day. It’s impossible to read all of them and there are well meaning lists that list 50 titles or more, but that may be overwhelming, so I decided to go through most of them to pick the best few. I read a lot of them and I also own a few so here is the list of my 10 favourite picture books about Valentine’s Day.
I’m sure you want to save time and money and only want to read the best. We all have different tastes when it comes to picture books but I think you can find something that you will love from the books below.
The books are not in any particular order:
1. The Legend of the Valentine by Katherine Grace Bond
What the book is about: fighting injustice with the power of love; it mentions such figures as Jesus, Saint Valentine, Roman Emperor, Martin Luther King; it touches on segregation and the civil rights movement…
Why it is great: it will introduce kids to many social and historical issues; it’s a must for teachers and great for parents too. Amazing resource to introduce so many subjects! It is a little long, so not for little tots. It takes about 14 minutes to read, just to read. You will likely need more time to explain some things. In our house, we read this book every year for Valentine’s Day.
Age: 5+ ( it is more a storybook than a picture book, so suitable for older children, including high school)
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
2. Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat
What the book is about: what will happen when Gilbert writes some mean Valentine’s Day cards and signs them with somebody else’s names?
Why it is great: it will make kids think twice before doing something similar; they will learn about the consequences of their actions
Age: 3-8
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
3. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
What the book is about: Mr Hatch thinks he has a secret admirer. But who is it? And is the parcel really for him?
Why it is great: it’s sweet, surprising and it teaches to be kind
Age: 4-8 and beyond (good enough for upper elementary up to high school)
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
4. The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
What the book is about: When it starts raining hearts one day, Cornelia Augusta decides to use them to make valentines for all her animal friends
Why it is great: it teaches the value of handmade gifts and also to be a thoughtful person who notices what his friends like and incorporates it into the gift making. It encourages kids to be crafty and considerate.
Age: 3-8
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
5. Snowy Valentine by David Petersen
What the book is about: Jasper the bunny wants to make the perfect Valentine’s gift for his wife. He spies on his friends to see if this can give him an idea, but chocolate-covered flies and other gifts just don’t seem good enough for his Lilly…
Why it is great: it made me tear up, so I think that means it’s good enough to make my top list. Who needs gifts when love is all you need. Lovely gift even for a human wife. Just look at this precious cover. I had a feeling it will be a good book and it was.
Age: 3-103
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
6. The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll
What the book is about: Clayton and Desmond are two friends who try to make a valentine together, but it’s just not working!
Why it is great: it explores the themes of friendship, disagreement and working together as a team. And the result is quite spectacular. Fun book and could lead to some awesome art projects.
Age: 3-8
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
7. Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood
What the book is about: Cat is annoyed by his new neighbour dog. He builds a rocket to send the dog into space when a valentine arrives from behind a fence that changes everything.
Why it is great: the book is about being judgemental but it is so lovely, cute and quirky that kids are going to love it. For cat lovers, dog lovers and for anyone who loves an awww ending.
Age: 3-8
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
While the following 3 books do not mention Valentine’s Day, I think they are perfectly suitable as read-aloud for that holiday. We have them and we read them.
8. The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
What the book is about: mum explains to her scared children at night that they are never really alone because they are all connected by an invisible string of love
Why it is great: this is a sweet book that may help separation anxiety or even with grief; recommended by many teachers, therapists and psychologists
Age: 3-103
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
9. Delivery by Aaron Meshon
What the book is about: it is a wordless book about a granny who bakes some goodies and delivery man comes to pick it up and we follow the parcel; the ending is fabulously funny and surprising
Why it is great: whether for home or school use this is a fabulous book as they are lots of details to pour over and illustrations are fresh and great; my kids enjoy this book very much
Age: 3-8
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
10. Love from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt
What the book is about: not a story based, more of a concept picture book or a poem
Why it is great: it explains what love is in a very concise manner and even though I’m not sure he understands it all, my 6-year-old likes it; good conversation starter for older kids or students and they can write their own definition of love or a poem about love
Age: 5+
Check the preview and reviews: click here for US amazon or UK amazon
Bonus Picture Book – My Mum is a Superb Superhero
If you need a book that celebrates mother’s love, for Valentine’s Day gift or for Mother’s Day gift here is my own book:
The magical link will take you to Amazon in your country
http://mybook.to/MyMumSuperbSuperhero
The magical link will take you to Amazon in your country
http://mybook.to/MyMumSuperbSuperhero
Happy Valentine’s Day!
