1. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch--This Valentine's Day picture book by Eileen Spinelli wonderfully illustrates the power of love and would make an excellent Valentine's Day gift for a four to eight year old. It is a charming book with a powerful message. The importance of love and kindness comes through loud and clear. Even very young children will understand how good it is to feel loved and how important it is to help others feel loved.
2. Valentine’s Day--Valentine's Day was written and illustrated by the mother and daughter team of Anne and Lizzy Rockwell. It takes place in Mrs. Madoff's elementary school class. The children in her class come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. The story, told as much in pictures as in words, centers on the students' creating Valentines for their friend Michiko, who is thousands of miles away in Japan. This book is perfect for three to six year olds.
3. Queen of Hearts--Here's another in Mary Engelbreit's beautifully illustrated series of Ann Estelle picture books. Ann Estelle loves to make things. She spends hours and hours creating an extravagantly decorated Valentine's Day box to hold the cards she'll receive from her classmates. She focuses so much on the box that she forgets to make Valentine's Day cards to give to her classmates. How creative thinking by Ann Estelle saves the day makes an entertaining story.
4. Too Many Valentine’s--This Level 1, Ready-To-Read book is part of the Robin Hill School series. It was written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by Mike Gordon. The story centers on class preparations for Valentine's Day and one little boy, Neil, who says, "I get too many Valentines. I do not want any more." How the class honors his feelings and still includes him in the celebration makes an entertaining story.
5. Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine--This children's Valentine's Day book is from the Nate the Great detective series for beginning readers by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Nate the Great starts out with one case, finding out who gave his dog a Valentine, and then, his friend Annie asks him to help her find a missing Valentine. This entertaining story, with lots of illustrations by Marc Simont, is both a good read-aloud for 4-8 year olds and a good book for beginning readers, grades 2-3.
6. Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink-- This amusing picture book was written and illustrated by Diane de Groat. While I am not a big fan of books in which children are portrayed by a group of animals, I am willing to make an exception for a story like this one that deals with kindness and teasing. Teasing and hurt feelings are common among elementary school children. The author does a nice job of showing the consequences of both unkindness and kindness when exchanging Valentine's Day cards.
7. Olive, My Love--Yes, it's the same lovable dog from Olive, the Other Reindeer. This time, Olive is surprised when her friend Dexter the winged dog flies by singing of love and drops a giant heart by her door. Thinking it's a mistake, Olive goes to great lengths to return the heart to Dexter's home at the top of a cliff, only to find out, to her delight, that the heart is a Valentine's Day gift for her. The detailed computer art adds a cartoonlike flavor to the story.
8. It’s Valentine’s Day--Jack Prelutsky's humorous story poems cover a wide range of emotions, from the love of family, pets, and friends to the awkward love/hate relationships that develop between pre-adolescent boys and girls. Yossi Abolafia's amusing illustrations add to the fun. This is both a good read-aloud for middle and upper elementary school children and a good read-alone for beginning readers.
9. Guess How Much I Love You--The gift edition of the popular picture book by Sam McBratney, with its captivating illustrations by Anita Jeram, is perfect for Valentine's Day. The small hardbound book has a red cloth cover with cover art of Little Nutbrown Hare inset. This story of the love between parent and child has become a classic since it was first published more than a decade ago. It would make a good Valentine's Day gift for both children and adults.
10. Valentine Hearts Holiday Poetry--Lee Bennett Hopkins edited this collection of Valentine's Day poetry and also wrote several of the poems in this beginning reader. The one dozen poems by a variety of poets range from humorous to sweet. The emphasis is on kids' emotions and experiences: feeling shy, feeling joy at receiving a Valentine, feeling blue at not receiving one, and feeling love - love for a pet, mother love, and more. The joyfully bright illustrations are by JoAnn Adinolfi.

Book reviews are based on Your Guide to Children’s Books by Elizabeth Kennedy