I confess, I haven’t checked out any Valentine’s-specific books yet. But here are three beautiful stories we brought home from the library this month that tug the heartstrings any day of the year.
See You Someday Soon by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Suzy Lee
This story of a boy and his grandmother missing each other as they live far apart is incredibly tender without being syrupy. The illustrations are my all-time favorite style, with peek-a-boo cutouts that are endlessly engaging to flip back and forth and discover what they hide and what they reveal. It was hard to get through it, as my three-year-old just wanted to linger over his favorite images and ask question after question — a great sign that this book is a keeper.
Patchwork by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Corinna Luyken
I find it easy to be boxed in by other people’s expectations of me, so I appreciated this book. It emphasizes that we are all more than any one trait, or experience, or skill. Instead, we’re a big patchwork of everything we are and all the experiences that form us. My 12-year-old sat right next to me as I read this to my littler ones and soaked up the affirming message, for which I am most grateful.
What is Love by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Carson Ellis
A soldier says that love is a horse; a farmer says that love is a seed. The narrator is told over and over, “You do not understand!” But the narrator comes to his own conclusion of what love is, and the story sparks an easy conversation with little ones about what we value and what we love.