Celebrating Valentine’s Day when you have children brings back an innocent and refreshing twist to the holiday. As adults, we’re accustomed to the more romantic and refined ways of sharing our V-Day affections. Meanwhile, from adorable DIY valentines to candy heart-studded Valentine’s Day treats, kids show us how to playfully embrace it. When I was younger, my elementary school teachers used to help me and my classmates make Valentine’s Day crafts. Sometimes, our vice principal would even stop by various classrooms to read Valentine’s Day books. As simple as that sounds, I remember the excitement from me and my classmates when we heard different tales of love from books.
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To help you celebrate this Valentine’s Day with your little ones, we’ve rounded up a list of 30 books that will create fun and love-filled memories. P.S. If you want to keep the Valentine’s Day theme going, have your little ones wear their cute Valentine’s Day pajamas while you read together!
V-Day Board Books
Plant the seed of Valentine’s Day joy early in your little one’s life with this darling board book that will introduce them to hearts, candy, flowers, and more. With sturdy liftable flaps, it’s also interactive and great for encouraging fine motor skills.
This book is all about a tiny dinosaur in a big world who discovers what Valentine’s Day means for him. Featuring 18 pages of illustrations of Tiny the small T. Rex and his friend Pointy, this book shows little ones how to get through a difficult moment.
This was actually one of the first books I bought when I found out I was pregnant with my son. It features 16 pages of illustrations that talk about how a mother’s love knows no bounds. The great thing about the illustrations is the fact that different species of animals are featured, so it’ll begin introducing them to your infant or toddler.
This charming bilingual book is filled with endearing illustrations of Mami and Papi giving their bébé muchos besos. It’s a sweet story of love transcending any language.
From blowing kisses to spreading acts of kindness, Thing One and Thing Two are here to share all kinds of lovey dovey things—with a silly touch, of course. Whether your child has read Dr. Seuss before or not, adventuring along with the Things this Valentine’s Day is sure to be an imaginative and heartwarming read.
The characters from the bestselling series Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site each receive a special note from a mystery writer in this lift-flap book dedicated especially to V-Day.
Little ones love an interactive book, and the Pop-Up Peekaboo series is a toddler favorite. Help your little one guess who’s behind the surprises.
The Llama Llama series board books are beloved by an abundance of young readers, and this spin especially for Valentine’s Day is no different. Littles will adore the fun rhymes and festivities that fill the hearts of the Llamas, and in turn, their own.
This book is all about cuddling with your little one and counting with them. It’s a cute take on the usual counting games played with infants and toddlers. The other great thing about this book is that it’s part of a series that celebrates Black and Brown families.
For little ones who love the Little Blue Truck series, follow Little Blue as he delivers valentines to all his friends.
Celebrate your love for each other as you read this sweet book, complete with tactile pages for an interactive reading experience.
Ten tactile hearts help little ones count down from ten to one in this Valentine’s Day-themed board book.
What little one doesn’t find otters to be some of the cutest when it comes to furry creatures? What’s more, each turn of the page in this delightful story reveals a different cute creature to appreciate! Discover how many different ways there are to say “I love you,” depending on the animal family you’re a part of.
If you or your children are a fan of the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, you’ll love this cute tale about Mouse spending Valentine’s Day with those he loves. It has 24 pages of cute illustrations that will create fun-filled memories for your children.
Learning the alphabet can be as easy as A,B,C with this love-themed alphabet book—like A is for Affection, B is for Buddy, and C is for Caregiver.
Valentine’s Day Picture Books
Widely celebrated as a beautiful story for inspiring an unshakeable sense of love in young children, The Invisible String is a truly touching read. It takes the abstract concept of love and makes it graspable for the precious hearts of our little ones. This is one of those magically told stories that you’ll return to again and again together, far beyond Valentine’s Day.
As relatable to parents as it is to kids, this sweet book shows love in action as it shares a sweet story of tender love and care.
This uplifting book encourages children to look inward and love themselves for who they are. Centered on the themes of mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love reminds children that love is stronger than fear and hate because love has transformative powers. Self-love is equally powerful.
This kind book teaches the simplicity of how love grows in all places while also being a fun read with rhymes throughout.
For the kiddos who dig dinos, they’ll get a kick out of attempts to capture the Loveosaurus, who managed to escape from his museum. It’s not every day you encounter a dinosaur with so much love and kindness to share! It’s definitely an entertaining Valentine’s Day read, and is thoughtfully blended with STEAM concepts and creative scenarios to boot.
Friendly February is here to teach you what she loves about the special month she’s named after. Besides creating valentines and sharing her heart with loved ones, she teaches young readers about Black History Month, Groundhog’s Day, and other notable events woven throughout the month.
An Amazon Teacher’s Pick, this sweet book can help build emotional intelligence by helping kids understand how different emotions feel.
A little boy dubs himself the “Hug Machine,” giving hugs to everyone in sight—from benches to porcupines—because he believes that everyone deserves some love.
also available as a board book
If you’ve got a little one who’s skeptical of all the hearts and sweet affections as Valentine’s Day rolls around, Gilbert’s story of the prank he pulls and the heartfelt lessons that follow is the perfect read!
Everyone’s favorite box of crayons, from the best-selling book The Day the Crayons Quit, are here with a Valentine’s Day-themed story, and it’s not just pink and red who star in this tale.
Add some sparkle and style to V-Day by joining Fancy Nancy as she tries to figure out who the secret sender of her favorite Valentine’s Day card is. It includes a festive assortment of glamorous valentines-y stickers, too!
Here comes an ode to trucks of all kinds! This is ideal for any book-ready toddler.
Bob Marley’s daughter authored this sweet story with lyrics from Marley’s iconic song.
For adults and kids alike, this book is wonderful for starting conversations about how to feel “with” others rather than feeling for them.
If you’re looking for a charming and poetic way to express your unconditional love for your little one, Love You by Heart celebrates your heart’s depths for them in an easy-to-read format.
