If you’re looking for a “traditional” Valentine’s Day book list, this isn’t it. We aren’t big on little pink hearts and mushy love poems and flowers (now, chocolate is a whole different story – bring on the chocolate!). Valentine’s Day is so much more than the traditional symbols! “Love” is such a complex, abstract thought for little people, but this book list will help make it more accessible and practical. Discover a new outlook on Valentine’s Day, as you explore these great titles that are packed with opportunity for discussion, reading skills practice, and even content integration.
Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
The collaboration of Rosenthal and Reynolds is gold – pure gold. Keeping true to his trademark style, found in Ish and Dot, Reynolds creates drawings that seem simple, but captivate our little readers. In a similar fashion, Rosenthal shares a seemingly simple story that packs a big punch. The moral is that one small act of kindness can change someone’s life and emotions. This lovely story of kindness and love should be shared this Valentine’s Day with your younger readers (K-2). Check out this illustration tutorial and read aloud by Reynolds!
I Love You and Cheese Pizza: A Story about the Meaning of Love, by Brenda Li
New favorite alert! How hard is it to explain what love means or how to appropriately show love? This picture book explains both by giving definitions and examples. As a mom, I especially love this one – you’ll have to read it to see why! There is a fun amount of humor in this story too that is sure to keep the littles giggling. Use this book to help your students answer the question: What is Love? (Cue Haddaway) and provide examples of how they can show their love to their classmates and family members.
You Loves Ewe! by Cece Bell
Okay, for real, I can’t even with these books. I fell in love with I Yam a Donkey ages ago. I still laugh out loud every time I read it. I’m a total nerd and have a ridiculously immature sense of humor, but I love a good pun. Admittedly, the students don’t always get the play on words and sometimes they explain it to others – which is not funny, but helpful. However, they love this story for the parts that they get and the fact that they get to see their teacher bust a gut every time. So here is Bell’s Valentine creation, complete with new hysterical puns and with a love triangle twist.
Love, by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Loren Long
Similar to the stories above, this lyrical text explains what love is through specific examples from boy’s life. He literally grows up before our eyes in this picture book and his definition of love grows as well. There are plenty of places to not only discuss the abstract theory of love, but also to have students make inferences and discuss figurative language. As always, Matt de la Peña gives us a book that is poignant and memorable.
Groggle’s Monster Valentine by Diana Murray, illustrated by Bats Langley
I originally gravitated towards this book because of the cover illustration – the monster is just so cute! The story was equally cute and I am sure the kids will love it. Groggle is hunting for the perfect Valentine gift, but he keeps getting in his own way. What I really like is that he is thinking about the person he is creating a valentine for and really personalizing his efforts. The kids will really like it for Groggle’s amusing attempts and failures. Additionally, be sure to point out the onomatopoeia instances as you read, and there are several places to tie in reading strategies through predictions as well.
Crocodiles Need Kisses Too, by Rebecca Colby
Crocodiles, tarantulas, vultures, porcupines…not necessarily animals you’d associate with kisses and hugs and snuggles, but this book expands the meaning of love past the warm fuzzies at Valentine’s Day to include the things that might, on the surface, seem unlovable. The beautifully colorful and vibrant illustrations and the lyrical text remind us that you don’t have to be cute and cuddly to deserve love. Make a connection to science with all the different animals, or enjoy the rich descriptive vocabulary used to describe each unlikely Valentine!
Ways to Say I Love You, by Marilyn Singer
“Every creature wants a mate.” Humans are drawn to one another, but so are animals in their different ways. This book explores the different ways that animals attract mates and compare them to the human practices of love and courtship – things like dancing, singing, kissing (yes, kissing), giving flowers and notes, etc. The simple text really augments the illustrations, which you could study for hours as they’re so detailed. Each two-page spread is a great opportunity to practice compare/contrast between animals and people, and at the end, the backmatter includes factual paragraphs about how the animals included in the book attract their mates.
Valentine Be Mine, by Jacqueline Farmer
Nothing like a good non-fiction book to wrap up a book list, and this is a really good one! Valentine Be Mine explores the history behind the legends, customs, and symbols associated with Valentine’s Day. Each page could stand alone, with a short paragraph at the top of the page (which could be read alone for a read aloud), and several longer, more informative paragraphs below, and could be used for finding main idea/details. Have kids practice generating questions about the holiday and then see if you can find the answer in the book as each page seems to answer an unspoken question. I loved the mixed media collage illustrations – they are a work of art, and could be inspiration for creating your own Valentines as well.
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