Kids Books Perfect for Valentines Day

Valentines for adults is generally seen as a day where couples celebrate their love for each other. For this reason it's not always something that is introduced to children. But in our case thats not true. For the last few years I have let Lily join in with valentines to celebrate love in general. Celebrating what love is, what it means and thinking about the ones we love. Which for many children will be their parents, grandparents, and friends. 

Lily is now 3 years old and very much using the word Love to describe her feelings. She will often tell me she loves me, her daddy and other members of the family. I will often hear her tell me about how she loves her best friend too. 

So this year I am really looking forward to sharing some lovely story books that are all about love. 

Below are a selection of love related books that I think are perfect to read to your children during Valentines. I have also involved a couple of my book loving blogging friends who have chosen a few books that they also recommend. 

1. Mole's in Love by David Bedford 

I actually picked this book up when I stumbled across it in a book store on holiday. For me to buy a book I usually have a quick read of a few pages and if the story catches me and the illustrations please me then i'm sold. This story I could not resist buying. It's a cute story about a little mole who is trying to find another mole to love. He sets off on his journey and on his way keeps meeting other animals that he thinks may be a mole. As you may know, moles don't have great eye sight and so when he is cuddling up to the shiny black fur of an animal he thinks is a mole and blows it a kiss, he is surprised that he gets blown away by the giant kiss back. It's actually not a mole at all, but a horse. The story is funny and also has it's sad parts, but also has a very loving ending when he finally finds his mole to love who actually helps him see by giving him a pair of glasses. We have been enjoying reading this one and I would recommend this as a good read. 

2. The Biggest Kiss By Joanna Walsh

This one doesn't have much of storyline but you can't beat talking about kisses at Valentines. It talks about where to give kisses (on Noses, and Toes-es) who loves to give kisses (the different animals), when its nice to get kisses (in the morning, at night) and then rounds up to say that the best kisses are from YOU! (Who ever you are reading it too).
It's really nicely illustrated and a nice simple and quick story perfect for Valentines. 

3. Wherever you go...I go By Beth Shoshan

This story is based on a baby elephant and it's mum. Although there is only one line that talks about love, I find it very relevant to celebrate what love is all about. Love is about being with each other, being by each others sides, looking after each other, having fun together and caring for each other. This story tells the tale of a special relationship between a mother and a child, showing just how much they love each other by doing all the above things. I think its a great book to be able to teach a child about the things we do for the people we love. 

4. Love makes the world go round - By Igloo Books 

With each line starting with "Love Is", its the perfect book for valentines. Just like the story of the elephant and its mum, it's talks about all the things you do when you love someone and how love is all around us. The illustrations relate to the sentence of what love is. For example, you have a mother and baby penguin cuddling in the ice and it says "Love is cuddling when it's icy and cold". It's such a soft and sweet story that reads so nicely and it is definitely one to snuggle up with this valentines and read together. 

April from Prenderland Books would love to recommend these reads to you for Valentines. 

1. LOVE from the Very Hungry Caterpillar

Most people will have read or heard of The Very Hungry Caterpillar but may not have come across this story of LOVE from the same series. It talks about the love we have for people by comparing that love to items of nature. You are the apple of my eye, you make the sun shine brighter, you are the bees knees. It truly is a lovely book about love and the illustrations are beautiful.

2. If You Love a Bear by Piers Harper 

This is a lovely picture book about a boy who loves a Bear and it is because he loves him so much that he knows just what he needs.  He knows how to make him giggle, how to calm him down when he gets cross and he knows when he wants a hug. I enjoy reading this with Rosie and reminding her that she makes me laugh, gives the best hugs and is fun to be around.  I tell her that I love her just as much as the little boy loves his Bear and she says “oh wow mummy, that is a lot of love!”

3. Dogger by Shirley Hughes

Dogger is one of my favourite stories from my childhood, I have very fond memories of my parents reading it to me. It is now lovely to read this book with Rosie and see her enjoying it too. It is a fabulous story about a little boy who is very sad when he loses his favourite soft toy, Dogger.  His sister knows how upset he is and does something incredibly kind to help him get Dogger back.  Sibling love is a wonderful thing and this book is great at demonstrating how special it can be.

Amanda from Books and Pieces would love to recommend these books which are perfect for valentines. 

1. Foxy in Love by Emma Dodd 

This is the perfect Valentine’s Day read. It’s a cute story about friendship and love between Emily and the magical Foxy.It’s nearly Valentine’s Day and Emily is struggling to decide what to draw on her card. Foxy tries to help, but keeps mishearing Emily and makes a series of funny mistakes (he magics up the wrong type of flower and a room full of raccoons instead of balloons!).In the end, Foxy reminds Emily that Valentine’s Day is about who you love, not what you love, to which Emily replies: “That’s easy, I love you Foxy”. This book can be bought from the Books and Pieces website. 

2. I Love My Baby Because… by Paullina Simons & Cassia Thomas

This gorgeous story is about how a mummy and her little baby spend their day, with a simple, repetitive text that makes it perfect for 0-2 year olds.

I love that it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, with the mummy listing the reasons she loves her baby - ‘helping’ with the washing (when she’s dragging it across the garden), ‘feeding herself’ (when in fact she’s covered herself and her high chair in food!) and getting dressed (when everything is inside out and the wrong way round!).  

Little ones will love the familiar content, and mummies will chuckle at how true the description really is!

3. Words and Your Heart by Kate Jane Neal

We’ve only recently found this book. It’s a story about your heart and the power of words. It talks about how the things you say to other people can affect how their heart feels, and that things other people say to you can change the way you feel too; how your words can do amazing things, but can also make you cry.I read this with my 3-year-old and he really got it. This book is brilliant for teaching little people the power of positive messages, and how saying mean things can make other people sad.

Which of the above books do you like the sound of?

Do you recommend any books for Valentines?