Eight Great Valentine’s Day Children’s Books

Whether you plan your holiday reading ahead of time, or grab an ebook on line at the last minute, here are some Valentine’s Day books to tickle your funny bone or warm your heart.

Dino-Valentine’s Day

Lisa Wheeler, Barry Gott (Illustrator)

This cute rhyming book is part of a dino theme holiday series and would be a welcome gift for any dino loving preschooler.

Picture Book
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carolrhoda Books.
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2022
Print length: 32 pages

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!

Laura Joffe Numeroff, Felicia Bond (Illustrator)

In the sequel to If you Give a mouse a Cookie, Mouse creates valentines for each of his friends that fit their interests. This is a cute sweet little book. Although it doesn’t follow the expected “If You Give an animal an item” format it is still delightful. This would be a great book to read before starting a card making project.

Picture Book
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 24, 2009
Print length: 24 pages

A Valentine for Frankenstein

Leslie Kimmelman, Timothy Banks (Illustrator)

Leslie Kimmelman has created a delightfully gross valentine that kids will adore. Frankenstein has TWO eyes, NO tale, he looks almost HUMAN. he just isn’t monster enough. But being a confident monster, he attends the Valentine party anyway. No matter how many contests he loses or how he is teased, he is always polite and compliments the other monsters anyway. Once someone wants to be his valentine, the other monsters reconsider and realize that Frankenstein is acceptable just the way he is. the message of acceptance is written into this story that kids will enjoy because it is full of gross, slimy, yucky details. The art is bold, colorful and full of details to enjoy.

Picture Book
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carolrhoda Books.
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2018
Print length: 32 pages

Valentine’s Day in the Village
Countryside Holidays #5

Phyllis Alsdurf, Lisa Hunt (illustrator)

Be Kind!

This cute picture book tells the story of a young girl who wants to help make everybody in the village feel included on Valentine’s Day. Some people are new to the area, some are lonely. With a little help, she organizes a Valentine’s party on the Village square. This story helps communicate the importance of kindness and making sure that others feel included. Phyllis Alsdurf’s words are illustrated with charming pictures by Lisa Hunt.

Picture Book
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beaming Books.
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 13, 2026
Print length: 32 pages

Valentines for All:
Esther Howland Captures America’s Heart

Nancy Churnin, Monika Róza Wisniewska (Illustrator)

Children exchange Valentines with their classmates every year. But I doubt if any of them know how the tradition became so popular. Nancy Churnin’s book tells the story of a young woman who turned a European tradition for the rich into a thriving greeting card industry. This book is perfect for teachers searching for a different type of Valentine’s Day story, but also sets a great example of empowerment to young girls.

Picture Book Biography
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 7, 2023
Print length: 32 pages

Author, Nancy Churnin has written several picture book biographies. You can read my interview with the author about her career and her award winning parallel biography Martin and Anne here. All of Nancy’s books have teacher’s guides which you can download from her website.

A Waffle Lot of Love!
Narwhal and Jelly #10

Ben Clanton

I won’t waffle about it; this graphic novel is great! It is the perfect valentine’s Day book for older kids. This Narwhal and Jelly story is all kinds of silly with just a little science thrown in two. Older readers will love all the oceanic puns but even preschoolers can appreciate the story. When the two unlikely friends celebrate “Palentine’s” Day, Narwhal overwhelms his friend with a variety of gifts to show how much he appreciates his best friend. But Jelly just wants to go on an adventure with his best buddy. I loved how this story emphasizes that time spent together is more important than material goods. This graphic novel is aimed at six to nine year old kids, but I shared it with a three year old who loved it!

Graphic Novel
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tundra Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 30, 2025
Print length: 96 pages

Will You Be My Valentine?

Ben Clanton

This adorable board book celebrates a person for their special qualities. Each spread has one page with a sentence that says “I love you because you are” curious, smart, funny, silly or another fantastic trait. The opposite page has an adorable animal in black line art, holding a red heart. The simplicity of the illustrations are designed to help send the message provided in the text. Little ones will receive the message that they are special. This is a perfect gift for your littlest valentine. But I also think that with the current price of greeting cards, It would make a great valentine for adults.

Picture Book
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2025
Print length: 20 pages

Would You Rather?
Valentine’s Day Edition

Lindsey Daly

Lindsey Daly has written another fun holiday themed Would You Rather book. This time all the questions are Valentine’s Day themed. Most of the questions are silly or sweet. The book is aimed at tweens, but the whole family can get in the act.

Game Questions
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Z Kids
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 9, 2025, 2025
Print length: 128  pages

More Holiday Favorites

Looking for more Valentine’s Day books? Check out my Goodreads Valentine’s Day shelf for a list of suggested books for all toddler to adult. Look on my Goodreads profile for other holiday shelves.