I published a list of favorite Valentine’s Day picture books a couple years ago, and now we’ve added even MORE books to our collection. Whether you need a good book to read in your library or classroom or want to add some variety to your personal bookshelves, this list will give you plenty of options. Read on for 12 more Valentine’s Day picture books you’ll love.
Crocodiles Need Kisses Too by Rebecca Colby and Penelope Dullaghan. I absolutely adore this darling book featuring animals that you wouldn’t normally think of as cuddly kissing and hugging their babies. Who would have thought I’d actually like seeing pictures of snakes snuggled up? It’s offbeat and has a great message about how everyone needs love.
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey. This is one of those fun, thick books with a cute heart cutout on the cover kids love to play with. It’s also an excellent way to help kids understand that feelings are healthy and that it’s good to have many feelings. Sometimes your heart might be happy or sad or even angry or afraid. Preschoolers especially will like this, but it’s a wonderful addition to any shelf.
Hug Machine by Scott Campbell. Do you have a hug machine in your house? My son is really affectionate and in tune with other people’s feelings, and he will often come up and give me a hug or want to snuggle. (This trait is not welcome in the middle of the night when he doesn’t sleep in his own bed.) The character in this book just wants to share his love with everyone and goes around hugging everything, including pizza and mailboxes. It may be worth having a little conversation about consent when you read this book and explaining that not EVERYONE likes hugs, but it’s cute and heartwarming all the same.
Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers by Laura Renauld and Brigette Barrager. You can’t help but think of love whenever you think of Mister Rogers. We all loved this book about how Fred Rogers’ TV show made it OK for people to express their feelings. I also had no idea that the Mr. McFeely character was based on Fred’s grandfather! This is such a great book for any season but especially Valentine’s Day.
Ida, Always by Caron Levis and Charles Santoso. I am admittedly not an animal person and do not normally tear up reading books that feature animals. For this book, however, I make an exception. It’s the true story of polar bears who lived in the Central Park Zoo. When Ida got sick and died, Gus had to learn to live without his best friend and be happy again. Eventually, he did. I love that this book helps kids understand death and grief and also conveys the power of love..
I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey. If your kids like the Pig the Pug series, they will love this book from the same author/illustrator. This is similar to HedgeHugs and features a porcupine that really wants a hug but can’t find anyone who’ll hug him because of his quills. Then he finds one animal who is willing to hug him (a snake) and isn’t so sure he wants a hug. Aaron Blabey’s illustrations always make me laugh, and this one doesn’t disappoint.
Love, Z by Jessie Sima. WOW. I don’t think I can sum up how great this book is. It’s a simple story of a robot who finds a note in a bottle signed “Love, Beatrice.” Because the robot is not human, it can’t compute what love is (and neither can its parents), so it goes on a hunt to find Beatrice and discover what love is. Of course, Z does discover what love is and that the robot had it all along. The illustrations and message of this book are just wonderful.
Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda. We like all of Deborah Underwood’s cat books (there are books for Easter, Christmas, and fall, too), and this one is adorable. Cat does not like Valentine’s Day and does not want to give Dog a valentine. She is always complaining about Dog’s antics but later realizes Dog is not as bad as she thinks he is. Kids will really enjoy this one.
I Love You Like Yellow by Andrea Beaty and Vashti Harrison. This book has the most beautiful illustrations from Vashti Harrison (who is known for Sulwe, among others) and begs to be read aloud. It shows a lot of diverse families together and talks about the ways they show love. This is also perfect for bedtime!
How We Say I Love You by Nicole Chen and Lenny Wen. My kids and I learned a lot about Chinese culture from this beautiful book about how an Asian-American family shows love to each other. I really like that this book explores ways to show love without saying “I love you,” like cooking, cheering someone on at a soccer game, or holding hands.
Sometimes Love by Katrina Moore and Joy Hwang Ruiz. I was nearly in tears reading this book to my kids. When the mother in the story is deployed in the military, she and her husband and their little girl have to find a temporary place for their dog to stay while they’re gone. This story has inclusive illustrations (a bi-racial family) and the sweetest message about love. I also learned that it’s based on a true story! We just added our dog, Pippin, to our family a few months ago, so this one really touched my heart.
How to Send a Hug by Hayley Rocco and John Rocco. I adored this new release because it’s a love letter both to a family member and the postal service. A little girl explains how she sends a hug to her grandma, who lives far away, by writing her a letter. The illustrations make this one really special.
Do you have Valentine’s Day picture books that aren’t on this list? Share them with me! I’m always looking for new options.
