15 Best Valentine Books for Preschool
It must be the early childhood teacher in me because I love pulling out themed book collections to read with my own children! Valentine’s Day is one of those fun holidays – especially when you are little and there are so many cute Valentine’s Day books to read this time of year! I especially love reading valentine books for preschool aged children. They are just so many good ones!
I spent some time looking through our Valentine’s Day picture books and picked out our favorite Valentine books for this holiday. I put these Valentine’s Day books in a box at the beginning of February and we read them almost daily for a couple weeks. We read them right up until February 14th…and our favorites stay out even longer. I believe that if you and your child enjoy reading the book, then read it again as much as you want. Some of these Valentine books are newer but many are classic books worth reading each Valentine’s Day.
I have read many of these books with countless preschool and Kindergarten classes, as well as dozens upon dozens of times with my own children. These books are all an enjoyable way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with literature! Yes, these books were chosen as Valentine books for preschool, but I believe you can read many of them with Kindergarten and older children too. (Hint: Skip the simple board books for older ones, but keep them for preschoolers, and let them read those simple books by themselves!)
This book list is full of many great books for you to read with your children!
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Here are some of our favorite Valentine books for preschool!
Where is Baby’s Valentine? by Karen Katz
This board book is also a flap book that your littlest ones will love opening to find the hidden valentines. Like all of Karen Katz’s book, this one features adorable illustrations. It’s a short book but a great Valentine’s Day read for babies and toddlers.
Llama Llama I Love You by Anna Dewdney
If you are looking for another board book for young children, read this short one about little llama getting ready for Valentine’s Day. And yes, it rhymes nicely like all of the Llama Llama books. Anna Dewdney is one of our favorite authors for preschool children, so this is a nice holiday addition!
Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
This tag team duo makes fun books! If your preschoolers love Mouse, this is another board book you will want to read. It shows mouse making valentine’s day cards for all his animal friends.
Mouse’s First Valentine by Lauren Thompson
This easy read has simple text, but it is a cute book about mice collecting bits of lace and paper to make a valentine. This would be a good book to help little ones think about the different things they could use to make Valentines.
The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
Cornelia Augusta is the little girl in this cute story meant for early readers. As the title says, it actually rains hearts one day and inspires Cornelia to make valentines for her friends. You will recognize the style of illustrations since they are done by Felicia Bond – the much loved illustration of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fame.
The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting
This cute Valentine’s Day story is one by the talented author Eve Bunting – and the brilliant illustrator, Jan Brett. It is one of Jan’s earlier books and many of the pages are black and white, still with lots of gorgeous detail. It’s the story of a married set of bears who decide not to hibernate through Valentine’s Day this year and wake up to surprise one another. Mrs. Bear wakes first with a plan to surprise Mr. Bear. It turns out to be a memorable day for both bears! Truly, an adorable Valentine’s Day story!
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
Mr. Hatch is lonely until he mistakenly receives a box of chocolates meant for someone else. It changes how Mr. Hatch acts towards everyone as he tries to figure out who his secret admirer is that sent him a sweet surprise. This story has a wonderful ending and is a great read for children of all ages! This sweet book has quickly become one of our favorite books to read all year long. It is a slightly longer book that can be read to older children as well as preschoolers.
The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll
This Valentine’s Day book tells of two mice who get into a quarrel over making the perfect Valentine for their teacher Mrs. Mousely. When they try to make Valentines on their own, they each have a hard time making the valentine they want to make. These best friends discover they actually make nicer Valentines together. It’s a good story about teamwork.
The Night Before Valentine’s Day by Natasha Wing
There is a whole series of these ‘Night Before’ books, but this is our favorite. The story is set to the original rhyme of ‘The Night Before Christmas.’ It cleverly tells of children getting ready for Valentine’s Day and celebrating in class. If you are looking for a book to read at school, this one is a perfect Valentine’s Day party book!
Be My Valentine, Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish
We all know Amelia Bedelia, but even for the unfamiliar, this is a great holiday introduction. This book is shorter than some Amelia Bedelia books and it has flaps, which little ones enjoy. Amelia Bedelia gets mixed up when reading the Valentines she is supposed to deliver which always makes my kids smile.
Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine by Herman Parish
If you want to introduce young readers to Amelia Bedelia when she was a little girl herself, this spinoff series is a great way to start! Of course, Amelia Bedelia is literal as always and your kids will laugh as she makes special valentine cards for classmates.
Valentine’s Day by Anne Rockwell
Anne Rockwell has a wonderful series of stories about school. This features a preschool / Kindergarten age class as they get ready for Valentine’s Day. It’s a perfect Valentine’s book to read in school – and at home! I read this book every year with my young preschoolers.
Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit
Mary Engelbreit is a talented illustrator. Her beautiful illustrations have so much to captive the eye! Queen of Hearts is her Valentine’s Day story of a little girl who is so busy decorating her Valentine’s Day box that she forgets to actually make her own valentines! Of course, she discovers that she can give away pieces of her beautiful box and that sharing makes everyone happy.
Guess How Much I Love You? By Sam McBratney
This classic children’s book is not really a Valentine’s Day story but the message of love makes it fit with the theme. Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare have a discussion over who loves one another more. It’s a lovely story about love for children of all ages. Plus, you can always add ‘Love’ Bible verses to each page of the story to make it extra special – and the perfect gift for a new baby!
I’d Choose You by John Trent
Again, while not strictly a Valentine’s story, the message is a perfect one for Valentine’s Day. It’s the story of a little panda who feels overlooked. His mother reassures him that she will always choose him with unconditional love – just like God always chooses us. It’s a great story to read with children year round – including on Valentine’s Day. While this is currently out of print, if you can track down a copy, it is one of my favorite books to read to my own children.
What are your favorite Valentine books for preschool? I’d love to add them to our holiday book list!
If you are looking for simple and fun Valentine’s Day activities, check out these 20 Free No Prep Valentine Activities as well as some ideas for Red and Pink Themed Foods!
