The Valentine Bears

Here's the thing about Valentine's Day picture books--it's hard to find a good one. I see a lot of books about Valentine's Day in a classroom setting, which is fine, but they're not relevant to my little homeschooler. I also see a lot of books about crushes--also fine, I guess, but still not relevant to my six-year-old (as far as I know, anyway).

So I look for books that celebrate Valentine's Day in a family setting. One of our favorites is If You'll Be My Valentine, by Cynthia Rylant. This year, we found a new one: The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting.

Mrs. Bear has never celebrated Valentine's Day with Mr. Bear--they've always been hibernating on that day, every single year. But this year, Mrs. Bear has set her alarm clock for February 14th. She's so excited--she's written Valentine poems already, and she has a special meal planned--but she can't get Mr. Bear to wake up! Hmm...will Mr. and Mrs. Bear miss Valentine's Day again? (Spoiler: nope. They have a super-cute Valentine's Day.)

The illustrations in this book are by Jan Brett, which is an added bonus to an already sweet story. I'd recommend it for any age; it's probably best for kids who get the basic gist of Valentine's Day.

The Valentine Bears
Written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett
Age range*: 3-7
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.

The Best Thing About Valentines

We've checked out a few Valentine's Day books that are a bit over Little Boy's head. Stuff about the history of Valentine's Day, or detailed instructions on how to make a complicated valentine--stuff like that.

This book, though, is right at Little Boy's level, as far as Valentine's Day goes. It's all about valentines--making them, mailing them, bringing them to school, and best of all--getting them!

(Oops, I just gave away the ending. Sorry. Also, isn't it better to give than receive? Just sayin'.)

So, maybe you should have a little discussion about giving vs. receiving with your little one if you read this book. But, other than that--it's very cute.

The Best Thing About Valentines
Written by Eleanor Hudson, illustrated by Mary C. Melcher
Age range*: 2-4
My rating: 4 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.

If You'll Be My Valentine

This is one of my fav-o-rite Valentine's Day stories. We discovered it last year, and it was the only one that I INSISTED on checking out from the library again.

Each page of the story has a little rhyming verse starting with, "If you'll be my valentine...," aimed at a different member of his family. Oh, that includes his pets. And his teddy bear, I think. And the reader, at the end.

The illustrations are cute, of course (I'm starting to wonder...are there any illustrations that I don't like?). My Little Boy likes the rhymes, especially "treaties" rhymed with "feeties" on the page about the boy's puppy.

If You'll Be My Valentine
Written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka
Age range*: 2-5
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.

I Lost My Kisses

I totally missed the bloggy-bus as far as posting stories for Halloween and Christmas. So! Here's a Valentine's Day story, before Valentine's Day!

Actually, this story isn't about Valentine's Day. It's about kisses. But do you see how there's a connection between the two? Haha. I checked out waaay too many Valentine's Day and love-related books from the library for Little Boy this week. So far, this is one of my favorites..

Matilda is a little cow (calf?) who has "lost her kisses." This is a tragedy, because her daddy is flying home on an airplane today, and the first thing he always says to her is, "Where's my smoocheroo?" So she goes searching for her kisses, asking her friends, family, and the grocery store clerk where those darn kisses might be.

The illustrations are A-DORABLE. (I seem to talk a lot about illustrations on this blog, don't I?) Really, I just want to squeeze Matilda's chubby little cow cheeks. Good illustrations are a little bit lost on Little Boy, but that's excusable...he is, after all, a four-year-old boy.


I Lost My Kisses
Written by Trudie Trewin, illustrated by Nick Bland
Age range*: 2-6
My rating: 4 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.