At the risk of sounding like a complete scrooge…
I’m so over the correlation between holidays and junk food!
Now, don’t get me wrong…we eat sweets in this house. I’ve been known to eat an ugly amount of Reese’s pieces. Don’t leave me alone with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Netflix and Chill!
But I am ALL for finding more meaningful, less unhealthy, longer lasting goodies to ramp up the celebrating and excitement during these special times of year. I mean, we are just finishing up eating/slowly throwing away (in a non-obvious way) our Halloween candy and BOOM! Christmas candy canes, Christmas cookies and chocolate Santas are upon us!!
So, with candy heart & chocolate bonbon day approaching (aka Valentine’s Day ;)) I wanted to share a list of some of our favorite love themed children’s books that we’ve put in our Valentine’s Day baskets for the kiddies. Some of them have become our all-time favorite books that we read all year round.
Best Valentine’s Day Books For Elementary Ages
The Day It Rained Hearts
From the illustrator of the “If You Give…” series, Felicia Bond tells of a little girl who creates a valentine that is uniquely special for each of her friends.
Funny Valentine
We “love splat” the cat books (pun intended)! They are typically shorter in length and the illustrations give us a good giggle. This Splat book is actually a flip book as well, so there’s an extra element of fun and engagement for little readers.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!
Who doesn’t love a good Laura Numeroff book?! This book features cameos from the characters of the other books in her, “If You Give…” series.
Love You, Stinky Face
This is a classic everyone should own and is wonderful to read with any age! It’s a story of a mother’s unconditional love for her child, but written from the perspective of the little boy.
I Love You So…
These books are so unique in that you can personalize them to include the name of the recipient! The site also allows you to write a dedication page and include a picture of the person/people gifting the book. My daughter received this book from her aunt and uncle and it continues to be so special to us!
Guess How Much I Love You
It’s one of those books that can get the tear ducts flowing when you read it to your little one. It’s a very sweet read about a how much daddy Nutbrown Hare loves Little Nutbrown Hare.
Best Valentine’s Day Books For Ages 3 and Under
I Love You Little Pookie
We have many books by Sandra Boynton! Her board books are so much fun to read and are geared towards babies and young toddlers. My 9 year old daughter loves to read these to her 2 year old sister, especially because one of her nicknames is “Pookie”.
You’re My Little Cuddle Bug
Rhyming books always seem to be more captivating for very little ears. This board book also has 3-dimensional and cut out images that make the pictures more visually stimulating. There are also raised elements that make the pictures fun to touch and feel.
I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home Board Book
If your little reader loves animals, this is a great one! Another rhyming book that sweetly tells of the breadth and depth of the love of a family.
Best Valentine’s Day Books with Christian Themes
This I know
This is my new favorite book that we just recently purchased. The illustrations are beautiful! It’s a little lengthy, but my 2 year old reads it with me from start to finish. It tells of how we can see God’s love for us in all parts of His creation. See if you can spy the Bible verses hidden on each page!
God’s Great Love for You
A sweet reminder for children and adults of God’s great, unfailing, never ending and ever present love for us.
When I Pray for You
We received this book as a gift for Christmas and it’s so beautifully written. I’m always partial to books that rhyme. This is the story of a mother’s love for her child and how she expresses that love through her prayers during all stages of life.
I especially love the last three books as they focus on Christ-like love. Within the last few years, Brian and I have started to use Valentine’s Day as a tool to both teach and celebrate the love of our heavenly Father who loved us before the world began!
If you’d like additional ideas on how to make Valentine’s Day special for the whole family, head over to my other post!
Happy reading to you and your little loves!
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