16 Best Valentine's Day Children's Books
Valentine's Day 2021 will be here before you know it. Get your kids in the love day spirit with these fun and inspiring children's books. From "Little Blue Truck's Valentine" to "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," these books are sure to put a smile on your kids' faces. Happy reading!
"Little Blue Truck's Valentine" by Alice Schertle — "Little Blue Truck" has stolen hearts and captured the attention of young readers and hearts since its first book about friendship and helping others. Now take a journey with "Little Blue Truck" and his good friend Toad as they embark on delivering their own set of Valentine's Day cards to all their farm friends while also wondering if they, too, will receive Valentine's cards of their own.
"Valentine's Day Treats" by Tara Knudson — Fresh off the press for this Valentine's Day season, "Valentine's Day Treats" explores all the fun and yummy holiday traditions that go hand-in-hand with Valentine's Day. With catchy rhyming and bright illustrations, this book is sure to inspire your little loves with celebrating Valentine's Day traditions of their own. The sweetest part? A recipe at the end to follow along and make a sweet treat with your child.
"I Spy With My Little Eye Valentine's Day" by Little Learners Publishing — A fun guessing game book for 2-to-5-year-olds, this puzzle book teaches little learners to pay close attention and find Valentine's Day-related objects and images that start with different letters. With 40 pages of more than 100 graphics, your kiddo will be sure to take in all the love this book has to give.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!" by Laura Numeroff — Perfect for preschoolers, this Valentine's Day-themed book from the famous book and television series "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" helps to explain and explore the day of love to little ones in a simple way, following Mouse as he makes special Valentine's Day cards for each of his friends. But Mouse's Valentine's cards are extra special, as he makes each one individually to describe just why he loves each of his friends so much.
"Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine" by Herman Parish — The second book in the series that tells stories from the most famous and loved literal-minded housekeeper, "Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine" explores the excitement of her first Valentine's Day celebration and card, only to realize she forgot to make cards for her friends who thought of her. Explore her resourcefulness and creativity as she remedies the mistake.
"A Little SPOT of Love" by Diane Alber — Aimed at teaching children how to identify and cope with their emotions, the "A Little SPOT" book series has a perfect topic for your child this Valentine's Day: "A Little SPOT of Love." The little character is visually shown to grow by not just saying the words, "I love you," but by learning other ways to express the emotion associated with Valentine's Day. Help your little loved one learn how to grow their little spot of love with this emotional development read, perfect for a wide age range from 4 to 11.
"I Am Love: A Book of Compassion" by Susan Verde — One book in a series of five, "I Am Love: A Book of Compassion" shows young readers the different definitions and ways of showing love to others. It teaches young readers to look within when they come across a range of emotions, and even includes heart-opening yoga poses and a guided meditation for any little budding yogi.
"Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink" by Diane deGroat — Gilbert the Opossum is set to celebrate Valentine's Day and making 15 cards for each of his classmates, but he struggles to write something nice for two of the kids who have not been so nice to him. Instead of being sweet, he decides to be a little sassy on these specific Valentine's Day cards, and it doesn't exactly go as planned. A book about honesty and forgiveness, "Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink" is a great tale for your children to learn how to treat others as you would like to be treated.
"The Day It Rained Hearts" by Felicia Bond — With visuals created by the same illustrator from "If You Gave a Mouse a Cookie" series, "The Day It Rained Hearts" tells the sweet story of a young girl who collects all the hearts that rained one day so she could use them for Valentine's Day for her special friends, who happen to be members of the animal kingdom. Pick up a copy of this book to teach your little love about thoughtfulness and sweetness, and for inspiration for their own Valentine's crafts.
"Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool" by James Dean and Kimberly Dean — Watch the transformation Pete the Cat takes from being too cool for Valentine's Day to realizing that all the cool cats are celebrating it. He quickly becomes interested in it and decides to make cards for all his friends — or does he? Read on as Pete realizes one of his very favorite cats may have been forgotten through this sweet story of friendship. Oh, and don't miss out on the cool swag included with this book from stickers to a fold-out poster.
"Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle — Perfect for any day of the year, but especially on Valentine's Day, "Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is a story about how someone very special can make the world a brighter and more cheerful place to be. Take your children on the adventure of love with the classic character from the No. 1 New York Times best-selling title.
"The Night Before Valentine's Day" by Natasha Wing — Written to the same cadence and rhythm as its Christmas counterpart, read along as a group of young children get ready for the heart festivities of Valentine's Day of the next morning, where they plan to celebrate love with each other during their class party. They pass out out handmade cards, munch on yummy food and even get a surprise at the end. "The Night Before Valentine's Day" celebrates all the different ways of showing friends and family you love them, especially on a particular holiday such as the day of love.
"Duck and Hippo: The Secret Valentine" by Jonathan London — Follow along with this set of animal friends as they each receive a secret Valentine card from someone whose identity they can't quite figure out. As their day continues and they each dream and wonder who their special note could be from, the anticipation builds until 4:00, where they're greeted with a big surprise that not one of them could have predicted.
"One Love" by Cedella Marley — Based on the classic song from Bob Marley, "One Love" brings to life the feel-good song for a younger generation by highlighting a young girl and her desire to better her very own neighborhood. This book shows just how easy it can be to get together and feel one love for the better of us all. Filled with bright and cheerful illustrations, and positive vibes for working together, this would be a great Valentine's Day book for children under the age of 4 to learn a wider approach to love.
"Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts" by Victoria Kann — In this sweet book, Pinkalicious and her classmates are tasked with creating extra-special Valentine's Day cards for another classmate. Read on as Pinkalicious decorates hers in you-know-which color, and anxiously awaits the card she'll receive in return.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Little Critter!" by Mercer Mayer — Join the classic character of Little Critter as he celebrates Valentine's Day with his classmates. The students decorate their classroom with special heart-shaped decor and indulge in yummy cupcakes, and even Little Critter decides he has an extra-special someone he wants to make a Valentine's Day card for. Lift the flaps for fun-filled surprises as the story goes on, and watch as Little Critter has his best day ever.