• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Course
    • Teaching Every Reader
  • Subscriber Freebies
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Member Login

The Measured Mom

Education resources for parents and teachers

  • Alphabet
  • Reading
    • Structured literacy
    • Printable Books
    • Pre-Reading
    • Phonics
    • Sight Words
    • Comprehension
    • Fluency
    • Vocabulary
  • Writing
    • Grammar
    • Handwriting
    • Spelling
    • Writing in Pre-K
    • Writing in K-3
  • Math
    • Counting
    • Number Recognition
    • Addition & Subtraction
    • Colors, Shapes & Patterns
    • Visual Discrimination
    • Time, Money & Measurement
    • Place Value
    • Graphs
    • Multiplication & Division
    • Fractions
    • Problem Solving
  • Book Lists
    • Letter of the Week
    • Early Childhood Themes
    • Pre-Reading Skills
    • Math Concepts
    • Writing Mentor Texts
    • Versions of Familiar Tales
    • Holidays and Seasonal
    • History
    • Leveled Book Lists
  • Join Membership
Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • Alphabet
    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Math
    • Book Lists
  • Podcast
  • Courses
    • Teaching Every Reader
    • Teaching Every Writer
  • Subscriber Freebies
  • About
  • Membership
  • Contact

PSPKK123Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day books

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Looking for books to read aloud to your learners on Valentine’s Day? I’ve put together a list of our favorites just for you!

Here Comes Valentine Cat, by Deborah Underwood

Please promise me you’ll find this book at your library and read it – even if it’s just to yourself! It’s my absolutely favorite on this list. In this book the narrator speaks directly to Cat, who feels that Valentine’s Day is much too mushy to celebrate. The cat communicates through signboards and facial expressions, and the book is both hilarious and heart-warming. It’s also a great book for teaching inferences. Recommended!

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, by Eileen Spinelli

This is a treasure of a book that everyone should read! It’s about lonely Mr. Hatch, who eats by himself during his lunch break at the shoelace factory – indeed, he never speaks to anyone. All that changes when he receives a heart-shaped box of chocolates from a secret admirer. Suddenly Mr. Hatch becomes everyone’s favorite neighbor … until the sad moment when he discovers that the delivery was a mistake. Such a great book! (And if you’re a member of The Measured Mom Plus, be sure to check out the read aloud guide in my collection of Valentine’s Day interactive read alouds.)

Hugs from Pearl, by Paul Schmid

Pearl is a sweet little porcupine who loves to give hugs. Even though her friends are nice about it (and her teacher has a ready supply of Band-Aids), Pearl’s hugs are ouchy. What can a friendly little porcupine do? Pearl finally arrives at a solution. Such a sweet book!

Roses Are Red, Your Feet Really Stink, by Diane DeGroat

This is a good book about taking responsibility for your actions. As Gilbert writes valentine poems for his classmates, he writes two rude poems for students he doesn’t like – and signs them as if someone else wrote them. Before long, everything is topsy-turvy, and Gilbert has some explaining to do. Thankfully, everything is sorted out in the end.

Plant a Kiss, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This is a simple but powerful book about the importance of spreading love wherever we go. I love the simple illustrations and the added texture. Even though the book is very simple (and little ones will enjoy it), its abstract message is very appropriate for older listeners. Use it to start a discussion about the meaning of the book.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Dolores, by Barbara Samuels

Dolores is an irrepressible little girl who means well but doesn’t always make the best decisions. In this book, her bad snooping habit leads her to find a secret Valentine’s Day gift that her older sister has hidden away. Whom is it for? Even though Dolores’ snooping and taking is wrong (which you can discuss as you read it), the book highlights a loving relationship between an older and younger sister – a rarity in children’s literature, and one I’m happy to see.

Elmore, by Holly Hobbie

In this sweet book. Elmore the porcupine has a hard time making friends – for obvious reasons. In the end, this lonely porcupine finds a way into his friends’ hearts. (A read aloud guide for this book can be found in the The Measured Mom Plus.)

Duck Hippo: The Secret Valentine, by Jonathan London

While I didn’t find the story particularly engaging, the vintage illustrations are adorable, and both my Four and almost-Six enjoyed this story about Duck’s plan to surprise all her friends with a Valentine’s Day party. I love that the book focuses on friendship (not romance) as the heart of Valentine’s Day.

One Zillion Valentines, by Frank Modell

In this appealing vintage book (1981), Marvin informs his friend Milton that “Valentines aren’t just for girls. Valentines are for everybody.” These two inventive boys create a “zillion” valentines to slip under doors and share with neighbors. The cartoony illustrations are a plus, and kids will appreciate this non-sappy Valentine’s Day story.

The Day It Rained Hearts, by Felicia Bond

This gentle book about a little girl who catches raining hearts. She uses them to create special valentines for her animal friends. The story is nice, but the illustrations (by the illustrator of the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie books), steal the show.

The Ballad of Valentine, by Alison Jackson

I love books you can sing, so I adore this Valentine book set to the tune of the American folk song, Clementine. Set in a canyon in the west, a lovesick admirer never gives up sending messages to the object of his affection. But for a variety of reasons (a cyclone, a blizzard, etc.) the messages never reach the girl named Valentine. While a lot of the humor was over my preschooler’s head, I loved this one. The hilarious pictures add a lot to the story.

Hug Machine, by Scott Campbell

Oh my – what a wonderful book for little listeners! The Hug Machine is actually a little boy (the narrator of the story) who hugs everything he sees – from family members to strangers, from animals to inanimate objects. The pictures are adorable, and if you’re lucky your preschooler will turn into a Hug Machine as well … it’s been so fun to see my little guy tearing through the house giving hugs while reciting the book!

If You’ll Be My Valentine, by Cynthia Rylant

If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day book that will appear to young preschoolers, try this one. Older children will likely find it babyish, but the sweet pictures and rhymes will delight young listeners.

The Runaway Valentine, by Tina Casey

Victor is the most beautiful valentine on the shelf, until he falls off the rack and gets swept into a corner. When he sets out on his own, Victor quickly becomes a ragged piece of paper. But amazingly, one person after another finds that Victor is just what they were looking for. The happy ending brings all the characters together. What a neat book! (This is also included in the membership’s Valentine’s Day read aloud guides.)

The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting

Bunting’s lovely storytelling and Jan Brett’s beautiful illustrations come together in this lovely vintage book (1983) about two hibernating bears who interrupt their sleep to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  A gentle and beautiful story. (Yes, I know bears aren’t true hibernators, but it’s still a cute book.)

Mr. Goat’s Valentine, by Eve Bunting

Mr. Goat is searching for Valentine’s Day gifts for his first love. The gifts aren’t exactly conventional (weeds in a can and rotten eggs), but apparently Goat’s mother (his first love) isn’t too particular. It’s a a sweet book, but I didn’t feel it matched the quality storytelling we usually get from Eve Bunting.

Slugs in Love, by Susan Pearson

I am very anti-slug (thanks to finding way too many of them in our Virginia garden as a child), but this book is adorable.  Marylou is a shy slug who wants Herbie to notice her. But even though she leaves him poems everywhere she goes (written in slime, of course), it takes the whole book before the two slugs finally meet. Who knew that a love story about slugs would be a winner?

MEMBERS GET PRINTABLE BOOK LISTS!

Members of The Measured Mom Plus get one-click access to each of our printable book lists … not to mention practical video workshops, no-print resources, and hundreds of printables. Not a member yet? Learn more here.

CHECK OUT ALL THE BOOK LISTS IN THE MEMBERSHIP

Free Reading Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade

Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension resources ... all free!

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Book Lists, Holidays and Seasonal Tagged With: Pre-K, preschool, first grade, kindergarten, Valentine's Day

You May Also Enjoy These Posts:

10 of the best books for 5-year-olds Books about Fall Versions of The Princess and the Pea
Versions of Cinderella
Introducing Triple R Teaching – my new podcast!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Grade Level Key

  • PS Preschool (ages 2-3 years)
  • PK Pre-K (ages 4-5 years)
  • K Kindergarten
  • 1 1st grade
  • 2 2nd grade
  • 3 3rd grade

Hello, I’m Anna!

Welcome to The Measured Mom. I’m so glad you’re here!

Meet Our Team

Free Reading Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade

Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension resources ... all free!

Shop our store!

Reading response sheets & Early chapter book lists

$18.00

Community Helpers Theme Pack for Pre-K/K

$16.00

36 Reading Comprehension Passages about Biomes & Habitats

$14.00

Shop all resources

Members get more!

The Measured Mom Plus is the perfect online membership for Pre-K to third grade educators.

Learn More

Love Freebies?

Subscribing to our email newsletter is completely free. And when you do, you'll get access to our library of subscriber freebies! Sign up below to get access to a wonderful variety of math and literacy resources.

Join our online course and get the tools you need to teach every learner in K-2!

Confidently teach every reader in your classroom. Still have time to live your life.

Learn More

Listen and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher

Check out these recent podcast episodes:

  • What does the research say about alphabet instruction? with Dr. Shayne Piasta
  • What is set for variability? A conversation with Dr. Marnie Ginsberg
  • How to help students improve language comprehension – a conversation with Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan
More Episodes

Check out these FREE email courses...

Get strategies and tools to teach a particular topic with a free 5-day email series! Just click an image to sign up. We recommend signing up for just one at a time.

For Pre-K Educators

How to teach phonological & phonemic awareness

How to teach phonological & phonemic awareness

Learn how to develop this important pre-reading skill with a free 5-day email series!

How to teach preschool math

How to teach preschool math

Learn exactly what to teach your preschoolers in this free 5-day series!

For Kinder & 1st Grade Educators

How to teach kids to sound out words

How to teach kids to sound out words

Learn my top strategies for teaching kids to "sound it out"

How to teach sight words

How to teach sight words

Get strategies and tools for teaching sight words to young learners!

Tips for teaching phonics

Tips for teaching phonics

Sign up for our free 5-day email series to learn what phonics skills to teach and how to structure your phonics lessons!

For 2nd & 3rd Grade Educators

How to build reading fluency

How to build reading fluency

Learn smart strategies for helping your learners become fluent readers with this free 5-day series!

How to build reading comprehension

How to build reading comprehension

Discover the essential reading comprehension strategies for 2nd & 3rd grade and how to teach them!

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” –Matthew 6:33

Copyright © 2023 The Measured Mom •  All rights reserved  •  Privacy & Disclosure Statement  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs