4 children's books for Valentine's Day
A French snail attends the wrong party, a little boy ponders what it would be like if Jesus came to play at his house, and some sweet, familiar characters celebrating this day of love.
Happy early Valentine’s Day!
This week, my four-year-old son started a new thing: talking in a British accent at random times throughout the day.
At first I was completely caught off guard—how does he even know what a British accent is?—but then I realized that most of the shows on rotation at our house feature British characters (“Guess How Much I Love You,” the Thomas the Tank Engine series and one of the Tinkerbell movies).
Not only is this little British voice bringing joy to my days, but also the witness of how the things we love as parents trickle down to our children. As someone who loves all things British and French, it’s fun to expose my little ones to it (intentionally or not, as in the case of our screen-time picks!) Whether our children end up loving these things too has yet to be seen, but it’s fun to at least put them out there!
With further ado, here are four fun reads for Valentine’s Day:
“Love, Escargot” by Dashka Slater
Speaking of being a Francophile, you know “Escargot” has been on my children’s bookshelves for a while. So when I saw this little pink snail as I was cruising through Target before preschool pick up, I grabbed it. It did not disappoint!
The book begins with Escargot getting ready to go to a Snailentine’s Day party, where he hopes to meet his snailentine. Packed with fun French (and English) vocab, a twist ending and lots of laughs (we were belly laughing by page two), your children—and you!—will love this one.
“Little Blue Truck’s Valentine” by Alice Schertle
When I started compiling this list of Valentine’s Day books, I wanted to avoid books in a series. But frankly, these familiar characters have been important for my children, and maybe for yours, too. My little ones like the familiar characters and settings, and when it comes to introducing new holidays or concepts, the friendly faces make it much easier.
That said, Little Blue Truck is back, and this time he’s delivering valentines. My two-year-old daughter has been loving this one.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Curious George!” by N. Di Angelo
Curious George is another familiar face in our home, so when he celebrated Valentine’s Day, we wanted to read about it! This book introduces several fun ways to celebrate, including decorating the house, cookies, valentines and valentine mailboxes.
“If Jesus Came to My House” by Joan G. Thomas
This book is not specific to Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to include it in this round up because it is a wonderful way to discuss how we can show our love for others any day of the year, and not just by swapping cards.
In this sweet rhyming book, a little boy imagines what it would be like if Jesus came to his house to play for a day: “If Jesus came to my house, I’d like him best to be about the age that I am and about the height of me.” He talks about how he would make Jesus feel welcome, show Him all his favorite places in his home and share his toys.
When the day concludes and Jesus leaves, the little boy says that while he knows Jesus likely won’t appear to him in this way, there are many ways that the little boy can still spend time with Jesus (at church) and show Him that he loves Him (by doing for others).
The illustrations are beautiful, and both of my children were captivated by the idea of Jesus as a little person just like them.
What are your family’s favorite Valentine’s Day books? Please share in the comments!
And if you enjoyed this week’s issue, would you please forward it to a friend or restack it? Thanks for reading. I’m so glad you’re here!
“It is not the things you have that make you happy. It is love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good.” — Laura Ingalls Wilder