9 Books to Help Young Readers Feel the Love on Valentine's Day

February 14th isn't just about romantic love. These nine titles show young readers that Valentine's Day is for celebrating all kinds of love.

February 14th isn't just about romantic love. These nine titles show young readers that Valentine's Day is for celebrating all kinds of love.

 

Bad Kitty Does Not Like Valentine’s Day by Nick Bruel. illus. by Nick Bruel. Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781250749956. 
PreS-Gr 1–Bad Kitty is back. This time she’s celebrating Valentine’s Day, or at least trying to. No one has given Bad Kitty a valentine. While this book is not breaking ground on a unique point of view of Valentine’s Day, it’s a fun and sweet story that will delight Bad Kitty lovers, both old and new. 

Laugh-Out-Loud Valentine’s Day Jokes: Lift-the-Flap by Rob Elliott. illus. by Anna Chernyshova. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780062991881. 
K-Gr 3–Adorable and colorful illustrations will keep children looking at the pictures and finding new items in this lift-the-flap book. A great pick for joke book lovers and non–joke book lovers alike.

First Valentine by Kallie George. illus. by Joelle Murray. Scholastic/Cartwheel. ISBN 9781338803938.  
PreS–In this Valentine’s story, a child called little friend struggles to make a heart for a valentine. Little friend’s dog is there for support, but cutting a valentine shape is still hard. This title combines the theme of Valentine’s Day with lessons on shapes and not giving up when faced with a challenge.

Grumpy Monkey Valentine Gross-Out by Suzanne Lang. illus. by Max Lang. Random House Studio. ISBN 9780593486924. 
K-Gr 2–Happy Valentine’s Day, Jim Panzee! There are couples everywhere, and, according to Jim, they are gross. Continuing along with other “Grumpy Monkey” titles, this fun read with a holiday twist will make a superb read-aloud. 

Love Stinks! by Diana Murray. illus. by Gal Weizman. Random. ISBN 9780593488461.
K-Gr 2–Children will root for a young skunk searching for love in this comic reader full of visual support for emerging readers. The visual clues will make this a pleasant Valentine’s Day read, especially for animal lovers.

 

Construction Site: You’re Just Right: A Valentine Lift-the-Flap Book by Sherri Duskey Rinker. illus. by AG Ford. Chronicle. ISBN 9781797204307. 
Toddler-PreS–It’s Valentine’s Day down at the construction site, and Valentine messages are being discovered all over the place in this lift-the-flap book. This title is the right mix of a construction-centric story for young vehicle fans and a holiday tale. 

Love, Escargot by Dashka Slater. illus. by Sydney Hanson. Farrar. ISBN 9780374314262. 
PreS-Gr 2–The charming Escargot is back for a Valentine’s Day adventure. Escargot models kindness, demonstrates how to cope with daunting circumstances, and even introduces healthy relationship standards in a way that feels just right for a young audience. 

Valentine’s Day, Here I Come! by D.J Steinberg. illus. by Laurie Stansfield. Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN 9780593387177. 
PreS-Gr 1–This latest title in the “Here I Come!” series is filled with short, rhyming poems celebrating Valentine’s Day at home, at school, and in the community. Keep a copy for story hours; adults will have fun reading the poems aloud.

Dino-Valentine’s Day by Lisa Wheeler. illus. by Barry Gott. Carolrhoda. ISBN 9781512403190. 
K-Gr 3–February snow is on the ground, and the dinosaurs in town are all aflutter with Valentine’s Day preparations. A roarsome addition to your Valentine and “Dino-Holiday” collection.

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