Valentine's Day Books and Activities

Valentine’s Day is a holiday perfect for lots of reading and writing! Here is your one stop shop for all of our Valentine’s Day books and activities to help your kids develop their literacy skills during the holiday.

Valentine’s Day Books for Kids

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Enjoy some sparkly, heart-filled, exuding love read-alouds with the kiddos. I even have a special book just for toddlers.

Bigfoot’s Big Heart by Sarah Glenn Marsh is a sweet story of a shy monster who wants to send valentines to other mythical creatures. But, as Bigfoot finds the courage to mail his notes, things quickly fall apart. But, leave it to the scouts to save the day and share the love.

Valenslime by Asley Belote is a follow-up to the Halloween pick, Frankenslime. In this colorful slime filled read-aloud, Victoria is determined to create a slime friend for Igor. Of course, she gets a little more than she bargained for. Recipes for slime included.

Sparkle is back in a Valentine themed book, A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Perfect Valentine by Amy Young. Sparkle wants to create a special valentine for Lucy but ends up feeling self-conscious about the way it looks compared to the other valentines at the party. But, when Lucy finds it in the trash, she thinks it the most special valentine of all. Lots of playful rhymes to use as extension literacy work in this one too.

My Creepy Valentine by Arthur Howard is the story of Mitzi the Witch and her quest to create the perfect valentine for someone special. She definitely has a way with words that will have your preschoolers giggling. And, of course, there is a sweet ending.

My all-time favorite is The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting. ⁣It is the story of two hibernating bears. Before nestling in for a long winter nap, Mrs. Bear sets her alarm for February 14th. She has a sweet surprise in store for her husband. But, while she is out gathering supplies, Mr. Bear surprises her for Valentine’s Day. ⁣ Oh, I love it so!⁣⁣

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli and Paul Yalowitz tells the story of a man who receives an anonymous valentine that changes his perspective on life and he in turn becomes more sociable and positive.

In Love Monster and the Last Chocolate by Rachel Bright, Love Monster discovers a box of chocolates on his porch. He really wants to eat them but decides that sharing them with friends would be even better than enjoying them by himself.

In Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, Violet is shy about sharing her admiration for Mira. But, Valentine’s Day offers an opportunity to share her thoughts in a valentine. But, will she find the courage to share it with her?

The animals are receiving secret mysterious valentines. Who could be sending them? They all head to the park for the big surprise reveal. Check out Duck and Hippo The Secret Valentine by Jonathan London.

Mirabel’s Missing Valentines by Janet Lawler has lovely old-fashioned feeling illustrations. In the story, Mirabel loses her handmade valentines on the way to school. Those dropped valentines become welcome bits of happiness to the strangers who find them.

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond is the story of Cornelia Augusta (such a great character name) who begins to catch raining hearts one day and then crafts them into special valentines for her many acquaintances. This is the perfect story to lead into your own Valentine card-making activity.

Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Peter Reynolds is a beautiful simple story of a little girl who plants a kiss, nurtures it and then shares it. What a sweet message of the power of tending to something and then sharing its bounty.