In our opinion, there's no better way to spend time with the ones you love than by sharing a book together. Here are 28 of our recommendations for all ages that are perfect for the Valentine's Day season!
Picture Books
Love You By Heart by Peter H. Reynolds
Celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds brings to life this ode to unconditional love with a delightful and poetic tribute to the rare and beautiful love that binds us together. From the intimate and unbridled love parents and caregivers have for their little ones, to the tremendous love of a lifelong friendship, and the boundless love of a grandparent — this is a heartfelt message to share with the people we cherish; like a song we have known all our lives, we love them by heart.
Count to Love! by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Snuggle up with your little one to celebrate sweet baby love! You won't be able to resist this adorable board book that is a part of the Bright Brown Baby publishing program. This joyful celebration of roly-poly, perfectly huggable, oh-so loveable little ones that is just-right for the whole family, for Valentine's Day and all throughout the year! So get ready to count to love... because once you start, you just won't stop!
I Love You, Little Monster! by Sandra Magsamen
An adorable reminder of unconditional love for little monsters everywhere! Told with Sandra Magsamen's signature message of love, this sweet and mischievous board book reminds little ones just how loved they are...even when they act a little monstrous!
With All My Heart I Love You by Caroline Jayne Church
Caroline Jayne Church, mega-bestselling creator of Ten Tiny Toes and Good Night, I Love You, brings us an adorable celebration of all things baby! Baby jumps, baby rolls; baby wiggles and baby jiggles.... and when we cuddle, just us two, with all my heart, "I love you!"
The Littlest Cupid by Brandi Doughery and illustrated by Jamie Pogue
Archie is the littlest cupid in his lovable family. He may be little, but Archie knows this is the year he'll be able to finally help out on Valentine's Day! But a cupid's official duties are a little difficult to manage when you're so little! Will Archie be able to find a way to spread love and friendship this Valentine's, or is the littlest cupid still too little?
Clifford Loves
Clifford the Big Red Dog loves playing outside. Clifford loves reading and swimming, too. But most importantly, Clifford loves spending time with his friends-especially Emily Elizabeth!Learn about all of the things Clifford the Big Red Dog loves in this adorable, heart-shaped board book. It's the perfect gift for kids who love Clifford year-round!
Love From Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
Celebrate love with Giraffes Can't Dance! Featuring modified art and text from the bestselling picture book, and a fresh trim size, Love from Giraffes Can't Dance is sure to delight readers of all ages. The perfect purchase for Valentine's Day, bedtime, and all throughout the year, this lyrical book reminds readers to celebrate love, music, and dance!
How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
Parents and children can never have enough ways to say "I love you"--and now, America's favorite dinosaurs are giving families a funny book, perfect for bedtime, storytime, anytime. Even when little dinosaurs are naughty, it's important to remind them that no matter what they do, they are always loved. In this book, readers will laugh aloud as parents cope with the typical antics of childhood, but in the end, hugs and kisses show your little one how much you care.
I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt with illustrations by Cyd Moore
"But Mama, but Mama, what if I were a super smelly skunk, and I smelled so bad that my name was Stinky Face?"
Mothers love their children and this unconditional love is truly tested in I Love You, Stinky Face. Lisa McCourt and Cyd Moore beautifully weave a reassuring tale of the love and affection of a parent. The imaginative son turns himself into a meat-eating dinosaur, a swamp creature and much, much more before being satisfied with the fact that no matter how stinky he is or how slimy of a creature he could possibly be, he is loved and nothing will change that.
Chapter Books and Graphic Novels
Owl Diaries #5: Warm Hearts Day by Rebecca Elliott
It's almost Warm Hearts Day! Everyone is busy making gifts for their loved ones. Eva LOVES crafting, so she creates all sorts of fun gifts and treats for her friends. She is excited to give out her homemade gifts at the big party at the Old Oak Tree. But then Eva realizes she forgot to make gifts for her family! Will she be able to make the gifts in time?
Pikmi to Be Your Valentine
WeirDo by Anh Do
From bestselling author Anh Do comes the hilarious hit chapter book series, WeirDo. These illustrated books will keep readers laughing as Weir and his friends navigate the trials of elementary school.
Meet Weir Do.
No, that's not a typo, that's his name!
Weir Do's the new kid in school. With an unforgettable name, a crazy family, and some seriously weird habits, fitting in won't be easy . . . but it will be funny!
Middle Grade
Meow or Never by Jazz Taylor
Lonely seventh grader Avery just moved, and hasn't really made friends, despite joining stage crew for theater. To her surprise, when she explores behind the stage, she finds a cat tucked away into a nook. Avery names her Phantom and tells her all her secrets. When she is singing to Phantom during lunch one day, one of the other girls, Nic, overhears her — and tells the drama teacher Avery has to be cast in the Valentine's Day play. Even though it's Avery's worst nightmare to be in front of a crowd, she decides to audition to impress Nic, who just so happens to be the prettiest girl Avery has ever seen. To her surprise, she is cast as the lead!
She and Nic, who plays her best friend, start to get closer, though Avery can't give up her secret about Phantom. The cat is the only one Avery feels comfortable practicing in front of. But then she finds evidence that someone else is taking care of Phantom too. What if Phantom gets taken away? Avery's secrets about Phantom, and about having feelings for Nic, start to catch up to her. What will happen if the truth comes out?
Keep It Together, Keiko Carter by Debbi Michiko Florence
Seventh grade is supposed to be a game changer. And Keiko thinks she's got it covered, especially with Audrey and Jenna by her side to shop for a new look, pick out a prime lunch spot, and even hit up that cute new bubble tea place after school. Her trio is ready to tackle life as they always have... together.
But when Audrey decides they need boyfriends before Fall Ball, it looks like things may be changing in all the wrong ways. Jenna is sick of caving in to Audrey's demands, and soon Keiko's besties are barely talking, leaving her caught in the middle. While she's been dreaming about triple-dates, first kisses, and a boy she really shouldn't have a crush on, the friendship she's always thought was rock-solid is beginning to crumble.
Girls Just Wanna Have Pugs by J. J. Howard
The best part of Kat's day is getting to walk her neighbor's irresistible pug, Meatball. So when her parents insist she start an extracurricular this year, she makes her own, by turning her hobby into a business: a dog-walking business, that is.
She and her best friends, Taz and Lucy -- as well as the cute new boy, Declan -- try to get Four Paws Dog Walking into shape. But wrangling puppies and pleasing customers turns out to be harder than they thought! Can Kat keep taking care of the dogs she loves without hurting her friendships?
Pizza My Heart by Rhiannon Richardson
Maya Reynolds has grown up hanging out in her family's Brooklyn pizza shop, Soul Slice, and is a true NYC girl. But when her parents have an opportunity to expand the business and move to a small Pennsylvania town, everything changes.
At Soul Slice 2.0, Maya's immediately assigned pizza delivery duty. And though Maya knows pizza, she's never delivered before. Her first delivery is a disaster. Can you make a worse impression than slipping and falling... right into a rude boy's pizza order?
Bad turns to worse when that rude — and cute — boy, Justin, is in her English class the next day. Maya's had a rough start in her new town. Could Justin — along with some new friends and inventive pizza toppings — eventually turn Maya's new home into her own slice of heaven?
A Batch Made in Heaven by Suzanne Nelson
Mina is excited to start her mentorship at A Batch Made in Heaven, the bakery in her hometown that's famous for their inventive cookies. Mina dreams of becoming a baker herself someday. But there's a problem. Flynn, the (undeniably cute) son of the owner, won't let Mina into the kitchen: the top secret Cookie Vault. If Mina can't bake, then she can't enter the big cookie competition… and if she can't enter, she'll never win the money to help her dad open the restaurant he's always wanted.
Graphic Novels
Logan Likes Mary Anne by Gale Galligan (based on the novel by Ann M. Martin)
It's the first day of a new school year, and while Mary Anne doesn't know what to expect from the eighth grade, she's looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. One thing she definitely doesn't expect is to meet Logan Bruno, who just moved to Stoneybrook!
Logan has a dreamy southern accent, he's awfully cute… and he might be interested in joining the BSC. But the baby-sitters aren't sure if Logan would make a good club member, so they send him on a job with Mary Anne as a test. Logan and Mary Anne hit it off, but Mary Anne isn't sure of where their friendship could go. Life in the Baby-sitters Club has never been this complicated — or this fun!
Forget Me Nat by Maria Scrivan
For the first time in her life, Natalie feels confident in her own skin. Her talents are being recognized, she has supportive friends, and she's spending a ton of time with her crush, Derek! But when Derek tells Natalie that he wants to be just friends, Natalie's self-confidence quickly changes to self-loathing. As she attempts to recover from her broken heart, Natalie casts aside her talents and even her friends. With no one to turn to, Natalie will have to pull herself out of this mess on her own.
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance.
But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
Young Adult
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?
The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali tries her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents' expectations, but lately she's finding that impossible to do. She rolls her eyes when they blatantly favour her brother and saves her crop tops and makeup for parties her parents don't know about. If she can just hold out another few months, Rukhsana will be out of her familial home and away from her parents' ever-watchful eyes at Caltech, a place where she thinks she can finally be herself. But when she is caught kissing her girlfriend Ariana, her devastated parents take Rukhsana to Bangladesh, where everything she had been planning is out of reach. There, immersed in a world of tradition and arranged marriages, Rukhsana finds the perspective she's been looking for in her grandmother's old diary. The only question left for her to answer is: Can she fight for the life she wants without losing her family in the process?
Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud
Until now, her life has been sealed in a boy-proof container, thanks to her strict Haitian immigrant parents, who enforce no-dating rules and send Simone to an all-girls high school. As for prom? Simone is allowed to go on one condition: Her parents will select her date (a boy from a nice Haitian immigrant family, obviously).
Simone is desperate to avoid the humiliation of the setup – especially since she’s crushing on a boy she knows her parents wouldn’t approve of. It’s time to take action. So Simone and her fellow late-bloomer friends make a Senior Year Bucket List of all the things they haven’t had a chance to do. Like: sneaking out of the house, skipping class (gasp!), and oh yeah – choosing their own prom dates.
But as the list takes on a life of its own, things get much more complicated than Simone expected. She’ll have to discover which rules are worth breaking, and which might save her from heartbreak.
Going Viral by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Claire is a junior in high school when a worldwide pandemic strikes, and she’s in the epicenter of it all in New York City. Suddenly, Claire is forced to isolate with her family indefinitely, which means she won’t be able to see her friends or even her girlfriend, Vanessa, in person for a long time.
At first it’s not so bad, but the longer the pandemic lasts, the more Claire feels her priorities changing. That’s when she looks outside her bedroom window and notices something new: A girl who lives in the building across the street sitting on her fire escape.
So Claire starts writing a story online about a girl who falls for the girl across the street. To Claire’s surprise, the story goes viral-and it seems people think it’s true. But how true is true? And what if Vanessa finds out? Will Claire be able to manage her newfound internet fame before everything spirals out of control?
You & Me at the End of the World by Brianna Bourne
Hannah Ashton wakes up to silence. The entire city around her is empty, except for one other person: Leo Sterling. Leo might be the hottest boy ever (and not just because he’s the only one left), but he’s also too charming, too selfish, and too much of a disaster for his own good, let alone Hannah’s.
Stuck with only each other, they explore a world with no parents, no friends, and no school and realize that they can be themselves instead of playing the parts everyone expects of them. Hannah doesn’t have to be just an overachieving, music-box-perfect ballerina, and Leo can be more than a slacker, 80s-glam-metal-obsessed guitarist. Leo is a burst of honesty and fun that draws Hannah out, and Hannah’s got Leo thinking about someone other than himself for the first time.
Together, they search for answers amid crushing isolation. But while their empty world may appear harmless … it’s not. Because nothing is quite as it seems, and if Hannah and Leo don’t figure out what’s going on, they might just be torn apart forever.
Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles
There’s always been a hole in Gio’s life. Not because he’s into both guys and girls. Not because his father has some drinking issues. Not because his friends are always bringing him their drama. No, the hole in Gio’s life takes the shape of his birth mom, who left Gio, his brother, and his father when Gio was nine years old. For eight years, he never heard a word from her … and now, just as he’s started to get his life together, she’s back.
It’s hard for Gio to know what to do. Can he forgive her like she wants to be forgiven? Or should he tell her she lost her chance to be in his life? Complicating things further, Gio’s started to hang out with David, a new guy on the basketball team. Are they friends? More than friends? At first, Gio’s not sure … especially because he’s not sure what he wants from anyone right now.
There are no easy answers to love – whether it’s family love or friend love or romantic love. In Things We Couldn’t Say, Jay Coles, acclaimed author of Tyler Johnson Was Here, shows us a guy trying to navigate love in all its ambiguity – hoping at the other end he’ll be able to figure out who is and who he should be.
