Children look forward to and enjoy Valentines Day. They love giving and receiving valentines and the chance to share affection with those we care about. It’s a time for making paper valentines and special gifts for friends and family. Valentine’s Day books and activities can add another element of fun and celebration. We’ve carefully selected our favorite books and activities for sharing with your young Valentine.
Babies (Newborns and Infants)
Where Is Baby’s Valentine? : A Lift-the-Flap Book
Author: Karen Katz
Illustrator: By the author
Why We Love It
Your baby may not understand the notion of a valentine, but will certainly enjoy lifting the flaps and searching for that hidden valentine. Sparkly, shiny, textured objects on each page and large flaps are just right for little fingers.
Follow-Up Fun
As your baby lifts the flap, name the feature on the page. “I see the flowers. Can you point to the flowers?” (Model how to point.) In time your baby will be able to point to what is named, especially after they have heard the book many times.
Peek-a-Love
Author: Salina Yoon
Illustrator: By the author
Why We Love It
Even the youngest of babies will be drawn to the brightly colored shapes and animals. The peek-through die-cut hearts show what each animal loves. This sturdy board book has larger flaps for easy exploration and will offer great interactive fun with visual appeal.
Follow-Up Fun
Tell your baby what you love. And name things that you know they love. “You love when I tickle your tummy. You love when I give you a hug.” etc.
Huggy Kissy
Author: Leslie Patricelli
Illustrations: By the author
Why We Love It
This sturdy board book shows many ways that the baby is loved. Babies love looking at other babies and this book is chock-full of affection and delight.
Follow-Up Fun
As you read the book, act out what is described on the page. When the baby in the book is being hugged, hug your baby. Be sure to tell your baby that you are hugging them just like the baby in the book is getting hugged. This helps them make the connection between what happens in the book and what happens to them.
Toddler
Llama Llama I Love You
Author: Anna Dewdney
Illustrator: By the author
Why We Love It
Toddlers love to look at books with familiar characters and this short, sturdy board book features young Llama, this time showing how much he loves special people in his life. Just the right amount of rhyme and repetition, makes this easy for toddlers to remember after they have heard the book a number of times.
Follow-Up Fun
After a couple of reading, see if your toddler can supply the last word on each page.
The Biggest Kiss
Author: Joanna Walsh
Illustrator: Judy Abbott
Why We Love It
Toddlers love books with animals and rhyme and this book has an abundance of both. After seeing how many different ways animals find to kiss each other, show your toddler just one more way with your own special kiss.
Follow-Up Fun
Bend an empty toilet paper tube so it looks like a heart. Wrap tape around it to help keep its shape. Use non-toxic tempera paint and show your little one how to stamp hearts on paper.
Baby Love (Cloth Books)
Author: Sandra Magsamen
Illustrator: By the author
Why We Love It
This soft cloth book is a great holiday addition to your home library. The pages can be spread out in the crib or on a wall as well. Textures and flaps offer plenty of interacting fun to keep your toddler engaged and the message of love will resonate with both parents and little ones.
Follow-Up Fun
Toddlers love to play peek-a-boo. Ask your toddler what is hiding under the flap. Say “Peek-a-book! and lift the flap. Ask your toddler what was hiding. This is both fun and also helps develop language.
Preschool
I Spy Little Hearts
Author: Jean Marzollo
Illustrator: Walter Wick
Why We Love It
“See the picture! Hear the clue! This little book is just for you!” Preschoolers will delight in hearing the clues and finding two hidden objects on each page. Wick’s design makes the objects just hidden enough to provide a visual challenge and give a sense of accomplishment when objects are discovered.
Follow-Up Fun
Make your own I Spy game using some of your child’s small toys, household objects and kitchen or office supplies. For younger preschoolers, show them the object they need to find before it is hidden. Begin with about ten other objects on the table along with the shown object. If this is easy for your child, add other objects until there is an appropriate level of challenge so your child must search but can, in a minute or two, experience the satisfaction of finding the shown object.
Love Monster
Author: Rachel Bright
Illustrator: By the author
Why We Love It
When you live in a world of adorable fluffy animals, it is hard to be accepted for who you are inside. Monster is searching for someone to love. This book has just the right tone for talking about accepting differences. Simple illustrations with age-appropriate language make this a great preschool Valentine’s Day book.
Follow-Up Fun
Cut out construction paper hearts. Talk about how we can appreciate different things about different friends. Give your child a chance to share something they appreciate about a friend. Give the child a paper heart so they can draw one thing they appreciate about a friend or have them dictate what they appreciate to the grown up who can write it on the heart using the frame, “ I like the way you________.”
How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Mark Teague
Why We Love It
Preschoolers are fascinated with dinosaurs. These rambunctious dinos do many of the things preschoolers do. In the end, parents clearly still love their young dinos even when they misbehave. Funny illustrations will entertain parents and preschoolers while showing how much parents love their little ones, even when they are big and bad.
Follow-Up Fun
Use dinosaur and heart cookie cutters dipped into paint to stamp out valentine designs.
Beginner
Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine
Author: Marjorie Sharmat
Illustrator: Marc Simont
Why We Love It
The sixteenth book in this popular series has Nate searching for clues for two Valentine mysteries. Who put the I Love Sludge More Than Fudge on Sludge’s doghouse? And who took the valentine Annie was making for her little brother? Nate and Sludge search for clues in this just-right beginning chapter book.
Follow-Up Fun
This link provides 153 Valentine-related phrases that can be written on Valentine Day cards. Decorate accordingly.
Cam Jansen: Cam Jansen and the Valentine Baby Mystery #25
Author David A. Adler
Illustrator: Susanna Natti
Why We Love It
Cam is at school when her mom goes to the hospital to have her new baby. At the hospital, Cam uses her photographic memory to put together the clues needed to catch the purse thief and stop a car theft. This 25th anniversary edition is a testament to the popularity of this great beginning chapter book series.
Follow-Up Fun
Enjoy this mystery vocabulary and code activity.
The I Love You Book
Author: Todd Parr
Illustrator: By the author
Why We Love It
Bright colors outlined in black with plenty of simple repetitive words about unconditional love make this a great Valentine choice for beginning readers. The situations described will resonate with young children reading on their own and there is just enough humor to keep the simple story engaging.
Follow-Up Fun
Children can use crayons, paint or markers to make their own “I Love You” pictures. Beginners should be able to write a caption (with help as needed) to describe familiar situations where they feel love for someone.
Elementary
My Weird School Special: Oh, Valentine, We’ve Lost Our Minds!
Author: Dan Gutman
Illustrator: Jim Paillot
Why We Love It
The newest book in the My Weird School series is a valentine-themed story perfect for reluctant readers and lovers of series books. There’s just enough boy humor and frequent pictures to keep the pages turning. Thirty-two extra pages of games, puzzles and trivia transform the ordinary into great reading fun.
Follow-Up Fun
Make your own adventure using this comic strip.
Dear Valentine Letters Mad Libs
Author: Roger Price and Leonard Stern
Illustrator: N/A
Why We Love It
Mad Libs is so much fun! That’s why 110 million copies have been sold since 1958. One player prompts others to supply words for the blank spaces throughout short valentine-themed stories. Once complete, each story is read aloud and is usually funny, entertaining while teaching parts of speech.
Follow-Up Fun
Write a three paragraph valentine-themed story. If typing the story, be sure to double space and if handwriting skip a line. Circle one word every two or three sentences and write the part of speech below the word so you can prompt your friend(s) to supply a word. Read your story and enjoy!
Valentine Crafts (With Patterns)
Author: Greta Speechley
Illustrator: N/A
Why We Love It
Books that encourage creativity and focus on crafts other than valentine cards are a refreshing change. Perfect for middle elementary age children, fun, safety and responsibility are smoothly woven into each double-page spread with full-color photos and detailed instructions.
Follow-Up Fun
After making one or more of the crafts/projects in the book, see if you can change one thing to make a new and different craft that is uniquely your own.