10 Valentine’s Day Books for Early Learners

Weekly Trip to the Library

Here are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day books at a variety of reading levels for preschoolers to second graders. Why are they my favorite books? Because these are my Nanny Kids’ favorite books. Pick the appropriate books depending on your Nanny Kid’s level of reading. The child will enjoy you reading books to them as they learn to read the story to you, while more advanced readers will read them over and over again to themselves. Be sure to pair reading these books with Valentine’s activities. Just use our search engine above to find tons of Valentine’s crafts, cards, and activities on this blog. You can purchase these books by clicking the book titles.

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1. Splat the Cat: Funny Valentine by Rob Scotton

It’s Valentine’s Day, and Splat wants to give a secret present to someone special. His classmates all decide to help, and make the best Valentine ever! Children will enjoy lifting the flaps throughout the story to discover hidden holiday surprise.

2. Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts by Victoria Kann

Pinkalicious loves Valentine’s Day! Everyone in her class is assigned to make an extra-special Valentine’s Day card for one person in the class. Pinkalicious creates a magnificently pinkerrific card. The lesson learned in this book is very sweet. Gifts are about the thought put into them and sometimes they may not be what you are hoping for or expecting — but they still may be just right. This books comes with stickers that children enjoy putting in their sticker collection.

3. Valensteins by Ethan Long

In this hilariously spooky story by Geisel Award-winning author and illustrator Ethan Long, even the scariest of monsters have true feelings. The members of Fright Club are always ready to scare, but tonight Fran K. Stein has something else on his mind. He’s busy making something, and the other monsters want to know what it is. Could it be a mask with fangs? A big pink nose? Or maybe a paper butt? No . . . it’s a Valentine! This story is a brilliant combination of scary Halloween creatures and Valentine’s Day sweetness.

4. Danny and the Dinosaur: First Valentine’s Day by Syd Hoff

It’s Dinosaur’s first Valentine’s Day ever, and someone has left him a secret gift! Can Danny help his friend solve this Valentine’s Day mystery? First introduced in 1958 with Danny and the Dinosaur, this popular pair is together again in a fun adventure sure to please young readers. This book also includes a poster, punch-out Valentine’s Day cards, and a sheet of stickers — making it a great Valentine’s gift.

5. Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! (If You Give…) by Laura Numeroff

I haven’t met a child that doesn’t love Laura Numeroff’s “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” series of books. In this book Mouse celebrates Valentine’s Day with all the friends he loves. This board book with sturdy pages is perfect for preschoolers, who will enjoy the simple introduction to the fun of Valentine’s Day. Budding artists and crafters will love this book, perfect for pairing with Valentine’s Day activities. A surprise at the end adds to the read-aloud fun.

6. Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to Love by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete shares his own groovy tips on love alongside some famous love-inspired quotations. Pete’s positive outlook on love, while predictably simplistic, is playful and can be easily understood by a child. Adjacent to Virgil’s famous phrase, “Love conquers all,” stands Pete atop Mount Everest proclaiming, “Love makes anything possible!” Beneath Lucille Ball’s statement “Love yourself and everything else falls into line,” Pete stands gazing into the mirror offering, “I’m awesome! I’m groovy!” Bold watercolor, acrylic, and ink illustrations highlight the indigo-hued, lazy-eyed, and lanky-limbed feline. Previous fans of Pete the Cat books will enjoy this book as well.

7. Fancy Nancy Heart to Heart: With Fancy Stickers! by Jane O’Connor

Jane O’Connor is an editor at a major publishing house who has written more than seventy books for children, including the New York Times bestselling Fancy Nancy series. This extra-fancy Valentine’s story comes with a sheet of stickers to keep kids engaged and entertained. In this story, mystery is in the air when Nancy receives a valentine from a secret someone. Join Nancy as she follows the clues to find out who it is — all in her trademark fabulous style, of course.

8. The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll

When Mrs. Mousely asks her class to make valentines, Clayton and Desmond decide to make one together and give it to their teacher as a surprise. But things don’t go as planned. First Clayton puts too much glitter on the card. Then Desmond puts on too many hearts. Soon the friends are arguing and they rip the card in half. “I’m going to make my own valentine!” they both say and go home in a huff.But then Desmond and Clayton realize that by working together they can make the biggest, best valentine ever!

9. Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat

Gilbert is all set to write fifteen friendly valentine cards to his classmates. But how can he write a nice poem for the boy who tweaked his nose, or the girl who made fun of his glasses? Instead, Gilbert writes two not-so-nice valentines…and signs the wrong name on both! When his classmates read his poems, their feelings are hurt, and Gilbert’s prank quickly turns into pandemonium. But with the help of a friend and an honest apology, there’s always time for a change of heart on Valentine’s Day.

10. Little Critter: Happy Valentine’s Day, Little Critter! by Mercer Mayer

Join Mercer Mayer’s classic and beloved character, Little Critter®, for his class’s Valentine’s Day celebration! This 8×8 storybook is complete with gatefold flaps for readers to pull back and discover all the fun Valentine’s Day surprises. From decorating the classroom with hearts to eating cupcakes and making Valentine’s Day mailboxes, Little Critter is having the best day ever. He’s even making an extra-special card for an extra-special valentine!