If you ask my kids what they think of when they think of Valentine’s Day, they’ll probably tell you candy and valentine cards. But Valentine’s Day is also a great time to remember the people we love and remind them just how much we care.

These children’s books for Valentine’s Day are a great way to remember the power of love and why it’s important to share love with others. They also make great Valentine’s Day gifts — because books are an awesome way to say, “I love you!”

13 Children’s Books for Valentine’s Day

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Groggle’s Monster Valentine by Diana Murray — Groggle stays up all night making a valentine for his best friend, Snarlina. The valentine is perfect, but there’s only one problem…it’s delicious, and he ends up eating the whole thing! He tries again and again, with the same result each time. How will he show his friend that he cares on Valentine’s Day?

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond — One of my favorite Valentine’s Day books! One day, it rains hearts, and a little girl collects them all. She wants to make valentines for each one of her animal friends. Each heart is special, just like each friend is special. This is a great book to read before making your own valentines!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff — The mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… is a very popular figure in our house, so we still love this board book that shows how the mouse celebrates Valentine’s Day. Join the mouse as he makes valentines for all of his friends!

Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool by James Dean — Pete is another favorite character at our house, and my youngest son loves his Valentine’s Day book. Pete works hard to make valentines for everyone he cares about, turning a day he once thought was uncool into one groovy holiday.

Llama Llama, I Love You by Anna Dewdney — This adorable board book follow everyone’s favorite little llama as he shows his love for his family. What is better than hugs and love on Valentine’s Day? A great read for babies and toddlers!

The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll — Clayton and Desmond are working together to make a valentine. However, they can’t agree on how it should look, so they angrily decide to each make their own card. They quickly learn that working together is the only way they can make the biggest, best valentine card.

Love From the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle — This is an adorable book that makes the perfect gift for someone you love! Familiar characters explain all the reasons the person you love is special. I love reading this one with my boys every year.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Curious George by N. Di Angelo — Everyone’s favorite curious monkey celebrates Valentine’s Day, and gets into some trouble along the way. This fun story has fold-out flaps and lots of mischief to keep kids engaged and laughing.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Little Critter! by Mercer Mayer — Little Critter’s class is having a Valentine’s Day Party! They’re decorating the classroom, eating some treats, and making mailboxes for their valentine cards. Who will Little Critter give his extra-special valentine to?

One Love by Cedella Marley — This beautiful adaptation of the classic Bob Marley song is a great illustration of the power of love. Through love, a community comes together to make the world a better place. This book is an excellent choice for any time of year, but is an especially powerful choice as we celebrate love on Valentine’s Day.

Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat — Gilbert writes very nice valentine’s for his classmates…except for two. He doesn’t want to write nice notes to the kids that have been mean to him, so he writes some not-so-nice rhymes instead. He learns an important lesson about kindness and love, on Valentine’s Day and every day.

A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berger — The original Crankenstein is one of our favorite picture books, so of course we loved this Valentine’s Day version. Crankenstein is predictably cranky about Valentine’s Day. Will all the love and kindness win him over?

The Night Before Valentine’s Day by Natasha Wing — This fun book from Wing’s Night Beforeholiday series talks about the excitement of the night before Valentine’s Day. You’ll have visions of candy hearts dancing in your head after reading this one!

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