Valentine’s Day Picture Book Gifts for Little Readers
I think Valentine’s Day is such a little February blessing. The big holidays are long since over, the glow of the new year is starting to fade, and winter still seems like it has a long time to go, with lots of time cooped up inside. And then comes Valentine’s Day, with lots of celebrating, hearts, and happiness. It’s just about the best thing that could happen right smack in the middle of those long winter months.
My girls love Valentine’s Day and I’ve loved making it a festive occasion in our home the past few years. I especially love adding to our Valentine’s Day book collection every year and gifting them each a book that they’ll enjoy reading over and over again, probably snuggled up with some hot chocolate. If you’re looking for some fun Valentine’s Day book gifts for your little bookworms, here are some of my favorites.
This list originally appeared on ReadBrightly.com.
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1
Add to BookshelfABCs of Love
by Patricia Hegarty
Learn your ABCs with this adorable board book about love. This sweet story teaches tiny readers words and actions that symbolize the emotion. The charming illustrations and gentle rhyme make it a must-have for Valentine’s Day.
(Ages 0 – 3)
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$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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2
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I Love You: A Touch-and-Feel Playbook
by Ladybird
This interactive board book is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for babies and toddlers. They’ll love the colorful illustrations, peek-through pages, and touch-and-feel elements throughout the story.
(Ages 0 – 3)
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$12.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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3
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Love Makes a Family
by Sophie Beer
This inclusive board book celebrates familial love and is perfect for your baby or toddler this Valentine’s Day. Read about all different kinds of families and how they share their love with each other.
(Ages 0 – 3)
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$11.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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4
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Love Is All Around: A Brown Baby Parade Book
by Nikki Shannon Smith
Get ready for warm and fuzzy feelings because this vibrant board book offers plenty. Told through rhyming text and colorful illustrations, a young girl notices how her family expresses devotion to each other throughout the day. Whether they’re sharing a meal or doling out kisses, they do it with love.
(Ages 0 – 3)
Add to BookshelfBoard Book
$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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5
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That’s Me Loving You
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
This sweet, reassuring board book perfectly captures the power of a parent’s love. With soothing rhymes and illustrations of children independently going about their days, the story reminds little readers that no matter where they go, they can find their parents’ love near them: “That feeling you always have in your heart? / That’s me loving you.”
(Ages 0 – 3)
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$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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6
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Love Is All Around: A Brown Baby Parade Book
by Nikki Shannon Smith
The full-length Llama Llama books can be a little long for the two and under set, so the board book versions are the perfect introduction to this bestselling series. In this one, Llama Llama celebrates wholeheartedly with lots of cards and hugs for the people, er, animals he loves best.
(Ages 0 – 3)
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$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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7
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Full, Full, Full of Love
by Trish Cooke
This book celebrates the love between extended family members, and particularly between little Jay Jay and his grannie. Sundays at Grannie’s house are always full of food, smiling faces, and – most importantly – love.
(Ages 2 – 5)
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$5.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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8
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Together: A First Conversation About Love
by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli
Children notice all types of love — and have plenty of questions about them. These questions offer a wonderful opportunity to talk to your children about love, relationships, and what they might look like. With simple text and colorful art, this book helps parents have those essential conversations with their children.
(Ages 2 – 5)
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$15.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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9
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I Love You to the Moon and Back
by Amelia Hepworth
Read by Eileen Stevens
Learn how bears show their love in this sweet board book. This gentle, rhyming book follows a bear and cub throughout their day as they splash in the water, climb mountains, and more.
(Ages 2 – 5)
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10
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Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle
For any child who has spent the first years of their life obsessed with that caterpillar, this book is perfect for Valentine’s Day, with all the collage images and colors that have made Eric Carle so famous. Bonus idea: Pack it with some tissue paper and let your child make their own Valentine’s Day collages.
(Ages 3 – 5)
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$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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11
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Who Will You Be?
by Andrea Pippins
New parents will love this heartwarming picture book about a mother’s dreams for her child. As she thinks about their family, friends, and neighbors, the mother wonders what values and lessons her child will pick up from each person. It’s a lovely reminder of a community’s impact on a child.
(Ages 3 – 6)
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$17.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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12
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I Love You Every Day
by Isabel Otter
While we celebrate love on Valentine’s Day, this sweet picture book shows readers how to enjoy it every day of the year. With its adorable illustrations, die-cut pages, and uplifting message, this picture book makes a fantastic gift.
(Ages 3 – 7)
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$10.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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13
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The Mystery of the Love List
by Sarah Glenn Marsh
The only thing better than a mystery story is one with a secret admirer involved. When Pippa finds an anonymous “love list” with her name on it, she wants to befriend the list’s owner. But she has to find out who wrote it first. Using her budding detective skills, she collects the clues, cracks the case, and makes a new friend.
(Ages 3 – 7)
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$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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14
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The House of Love
by Adriana Trigiani
This sweet picture book will make you want to go all-out for Valentine’s Day. Set in the Blue Ridge mountains, this story is about a young girl and her mom who spend the day decorating, baking, and creating a Valentine’s Day celebration for their family. It’s the perfect way to get yourself and your kiddos into the spirit of the holiday.
(Ages 3 – 7)
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$17.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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15
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Together with You
by Patricia Toht
This sweet book celebrates the unique bond between a child and their grandparents. In this story, readers follow a grandmother and her grandchild through the four seasons as they spend time together playing, laughing, snuggling, and eating. This highly giftable book makes an excellent read-aloud that grandparents and grandchildren will adore.
(Ages 3 – 7)
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$17.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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16
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The Wonderful Things You Will Be
by Emily Winfield Martin
I always appreciate a book that has lots of fun things to look at in the illustrations so that every subsequent read feels fresh and new, and this book does just that. At this age, the most important love in a child’s life is their parents, and this book celebrates the strength and length of that special relationship.
(Ages 3 – 7)
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$17.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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17
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Valentine’s Day, Here I Come!
by D.J. Steinberg
Everyone knows that poetry goes with Valentine’s Day, and young romantics will adore this charming collection of poems about the holiday. Follow a group of kids as they make cards, eat candy, and celebrate the special day. If you like this book, check out the rest of the Here I Come! series.
(Ages 4 – 6)
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$5.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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18
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My Love for You Is Always
by Gillian Sze
Experience love with a family as they cook a traditional Chinese meal. When her child wonders what love feels, tastes, and looks like, a mother uses food to explain that her love for him is endless. This heartwarming story is perfect for fans of Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi and Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang.
(Ages 4 – 8)
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$16.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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19
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Love
by Matt de la Peña
A favorite for baby showers and family libraries, award-winning author Matt de la Peña’s Love — illustrated by the celebrated Loren Long — is a poetic and heartfelt ode to the power of love and the way it shows up in moments big and small, on good days and bad, ultimately connecting us all.
(Ages 4 – 8)
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$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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20
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My Heart
by Corinna Luyken
This gorgeous picture book is all about hearts – open hearts, closed hearts, broken hearts, and more. Written as a poem about the many emotions a heart can feel, Luyken’s message is one of compassion, caring, and self-love. An absolutely lovely book for all ages, even adults.
(Ages 4 – 8)
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$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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21
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Daddy Speaks Love
by Leah Henderson
This adorable picture book celebrates the special bond between a father and his children. Whether he’s telling jokes or teaching his kids how to deal with monsters, dads show love in a million different ways.
(Ages 4 – 8)
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$17.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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22
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Love from the Crayons
by Drew Daywalt
First, the Crayons quit, and then they fled home. Now, the Crayons are feeling sweetly sentimental (and wouldn’t you, after all that hubbub?). In Love from the Crayons, everyone’s favorite colors are waxing poetic on loving colorfully — and even outside the lines.
(Ages 5 – 8)
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$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
