Hey everyone! Valentine’s Day is coming up! Every February, I always buy my toddler new Valentine’s Day board books. Reading is an incredibly important skill. And in order to foster a lifelong love for reading, we buy our son a book for almost every occasion. I want to teach him about how to be a good friend and what love means. So, in this post, I’ll discuss my top ten favorite Valentine’s Day board books for babies and toddlers that I think do a great job of talking about love, friendship and the holiday itself.
Valentine’s Day Board Book #10: Babies Love Valentines
Babies Love Valentines by Holly Berry Boyd is one of the lift-the-flap style board books available that teaches young ones about all of the symbols and traditions of Valentine’s Day. This book does a great job of introducing new vocabulary. Because it talks about all of the holiday traditions, this book is a great introduction to Valentines Day for babies celebrating for the first time.
#9: I Love You, Little Pookie
I Love You, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton is a sweet book where a mother pig talks about all of the things she loves doing with her little piglet. We actually bought this one for our son for this Valentine’s Day. If you haven’t read Sandra Boynton’s books, I highly recommend them.
#8: Tiny T. Rex and the Perfect Valentine
Tiny T. Rex and the Perfect Valentine by Jonathan Stutzman is a really cute board book that illustrates all of the thought that goes into making someone the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. But in the end, Tiny discovers that friendship is the best gift. I love the message this book sends about showing others your appreciation for them but also that just being there is the best gift you can give someone.
Valentine’s Day Board Book #7: I Love You, Stinky Face
I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt has always been one of my favorite books. I actually remember I got this for my 6th birthday, shortly after this book came out. It’s an absolute classic. Now, I know it’s not a Valentine’s Day specific book. However, it clearly illustrates the love between a mother and her curious son who wonders if his mama would still love him if he was a sea monster, a cyclops, and more.
#6: Valentine’s Day Treats
Valentine’s Day Treats by Tara Knudson is more than just a book! In addition to being a cute way to discuss Valentine’s Day fun, there is actually a recipe for treats that you can make with your little ones. I love how this book in particular fosters spending quality time with your kiddos by making arts and crafts and yummy treats together. Also, the illustrations have a great deal of detail. This one is on our wishlist for next year for sure.
#5: Ollie’s Valentine
Ollie’s Valentine by Olivier Dunrea is another board book that will definitely be going on our kiddo’s wishlist. This book is about a little goose who wants a valentine. He notices that all of his gosling friends have one, but he doesn’t have one yet. This book is very sweet and has a cute surprise at the end for your kiddo.
Valentine’s Day Board Book #4: Llama Llama I Love You
Llama Llama I Love You by Anna Dewdney is such a short and sweet book that talks about all of the fun elements of Valentine’s Day such as making cards, getting flowers and chocolates, etc. I especially love the rhymes in these books. I feel like they teach a great deal of new vocabulary to young kiddos as well as having a great rhythm. If you have any of the other books in the Llama Llama series, this one is a great addition to the collection.
#3: Love in the Wild
Love in the Wild by Katy Tanis is actually one of the books we’re buying for my toddler’s Valentine’s Day present this year. I love that this book teaches not only about what love looks like in the animal kingdom, but it also teaches about acceptance, inclusion, and that love is love. In addition to simply teaching our son about love itself, I want to teach him to be accepting of all forms of love and this book is a great place to start.
#2: My Baby Loves Valentine’s Day
My Baby Loves Valentine’s Day by Jabari Asim is an adorable book that talks about all of the different things that baby loves on Valentine’s Day, from snuggles, to making paper hearts. In addition to thinking this is a great Valentines book, I absolutely adore the illustrations. One of the reasons I really want to get this book for my toddler is because I feel there is not enough representation in children’s books. For instance, this book features a black family, which is not the norm for most children’s books. In other words, we feel it’s important for our toddler to see all races, genders, families, etc. in the books we read.
Valentine’s Day Board Book #1: Love
Love by Helen O’Dare and Nicola O’Byrne is a book all about all of the qualities of love. There is a big emphasis on how love shows up in little ways throughout the day. The illustrations in this book are very sweet and simple. This is my favorite book about how to notice love in different ways. For example, love isn’t always hearts and flowers and cards and chocolate. I want to teach our son that love is so much more than “things.” So, this book is perfect for teaching that to kiddos.
In Conclusion:
These ten board books are ones that I think are absolutely perfect for celebrating and discussing Valentine’s Day with young children. As I mentioned before, reading is so important. In our family, we read to foster imagination, creativity, language growth, acceptance and tolerance, etc. so I feel that these books each bring something different to the table. For example, they have diversity, they teach about what love truly is, they teach new vocabulary, etc. But most importantly, I hope you’re able to find Valentine’s Day board books in this list that are new to you and that appeal to your family values too!
What were some of your favorite Valentine’s Day books growing up? Which ones do you enjoy reading to your kids today? If you enjoyed this post and want to see more like it, please feel free to check out my Fun and More page or any of the links below. Also, if you subscribe to Growing Up Garlicky, you’ll receive weekly updates on all of the fun things going on in our lives. Thanks everyone for reading! Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day!
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