Valentine’s day books

I’ve always been a sucker for Valentine’s Day and while I get that it’s a “Hallmark Holiday”, the cheeseball in me loves that it’s an excuse to dedicate a day to celebrate the love I have for my husband and my kids. I mean, every day is Valentine’s Day for them in our home – ha! If only!

This year, I’m trying to focus on creating special moments for our kids especially around the holidays. They’ve been so wonderful about staying at home, not going to school and rarely ever seeing anyone outside of our immediate family, and when I create moments of surprise and excitement, it means the world to them. It’s been a great way for us to celebrate holidays and everyday life, and allows us to spend quality time together as a family. It’s normally simple stuff like going for walks and surprising them by picking up a treat at a local restaurant, doing a random craft together during the week, or making a fun meal or dessert at home together. It’s the little things that make them so happy.

Now, more than any other year, I’m excited to give them this year’s Valentine’s Day boxes and books. We will likely be stuck inside due to the cold weather and the pandemic, and their boxes will be a nice pick-me-up during the dreary winter days. Because I’ve been putting boxes and books together for a few years now, I figured I’d share some of our favorite Valentine’s Day books with you. They are all so very sweet and light-hearted, and we love reading all of them throughout the year. The below descriptions are pulled straight from the listings on Amazon.

1. Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty (such a good one for little girls): BEAUTIFUL breaks barriers by showing girls free to be themselves: splashing in mud, conducting science experiments, and reading books under a flashlight with friends. This book will encourage all girls to embrace who they are and realize their endless potential.
2. Hug Machine by Scott Campbell: This endearing story encourages a warm, caring, and buoyantly affectionate approach to life. Everyone deserves a hug—and this book!
3. I Heart You by Meg Fleming: Little ones adore being independent and trying new things. But they also need Mom and Dad’s reassurance and snuggles. With her spare, lyrical text, debut author Meg Fleming captures the exuberance, the affection, and the tender push-and-pull of life with a child. And illustrator Sarah Jane Wright’s evocative illustrations infuse the story with generous helpings of warmth and love.
4. Love is a Tutu by Amy Novesky: This beautifully designed and playfully illustrated novelty board book is the perfect starting point for tiny ballerinas and parents alike. Sweet and spare rhymes prance across the pages, engaging the reader with real ballet terms and plenty of pink.
5. Love Is by Diane Adams (probably my favorite): This beautifully illustrated book tells the heartwarming story of a little girl and a duckling, who both grow to understand what it means to care for each other as they learn that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding on.
6. Love, Z by Jessie Sima: When a small robot named Z discovers a message in a bottle signed “Love, Beatrice,” they decide to find out what “love” means. Unable to get an answer from the other robots, they leave to embark on an adventure that will lead them to Beatrice—and back home again, where love was hiding all along.
7. Love Monster by Rachel Bright: Love Monster sets out to find someone who will love him just the way he is. His journey is not easy―he looks high, low, and even middle-ish. But as he soon finds out, in the blink of a googly eye, love can find you when you least expect it.
8. Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal: One small act of love blooms into something bigger and more dazzling than Little Miss could have ever imagined in this epic journey about life, kindness, and giving.
9. Crocodiles Need Kisses Too by Rebecca Colby: Fun-to-read-aloud, rhyming text describes prickly porcupines, roaring tigers, and slithery snakes–not the most cuddly creatures, but still worthy of hugs and snuggles from their mamas! With a luscious and colorful palette, Crocodiles Need Kisses Too shows that animals (and children) don’t have to be warm and fuzzy to be totally lovable.
10. The Heart of a Whale by Anna Pignataro: In this beautiful story of kindness and empathy, loneliness and love, one creature finds that the help he needs is just a song and a sigh away.
11. The Pink Umbrella by Amelie Callot: When it’s bright outside, Adele is the heart of her community, greeting everyone who comes into her café with arms wide open. But when it rains, she can’t help but stay at home inside, under the covers. Because Adele takes such good care of her friends and customers, one of them decides to take care of her too, and piece by piece leaves her little gifts that help her find the joy in a gray, rainy day. Along with cute-as-a-button illustrations, The Pink Umbrella celebrates thoughtful acts of friendship.

That’s our list for now. I hope to continue adding to it each year. I hope you find something you like! Reach out if you have any other books you love to read with your kids this time of year.