Today I was invited to read Valentine’s Day books to a Kindergarten class, and since I always struggle to find holiday books I actually like, I thought I’d share the ones I read. Although none of them specifically mention Valentine’s Day, they all fit the theme of love and friendship. The kids seemed to enjoy all of them, and when I asked them to vote for their favorite at the end, all four books got at least a few votes.

Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox; illustrated by Lydia Monks

Hilarious rhyming story about a prince who calls up to Rapunzel to “let down her hair.” The problem: he’s too far away for Rapunzel to hear, so she tosses out underwear, dirty socks, a cantaloupe, pancake batter, and finally, her maid. I started out by asking the kids about the Rapunzel story, to make sure they would get the joke. The twist at the end got lots of “Ohhhh’s!”

Love Monster and the Last Chocolate by Rachel Bright

When Love Monster returns from vacation, he is surprised to find a box of chocolates on his doorstep. Although he is dying to open the box and eat them, he can’t decide if it would be better to share them with his friends or keep them for himself. Finally, he decides he has to share, only to discover that there’s only one chocolate in the box: the ones his friends have saved just for him as a welcome home present. The story is similar to Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems. This book works well for preschoolers too.

The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise; illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

An unsigned love letter causes a misunderstanding, and lots of happy, helpful feelings, for three animal friends. Sweet story, with a nice message about the value of friendship.

Love, Z by Jessie Sima

When Z, the robot, finds a bottle with a message inside that says “Love, Beatrice,” he asks the other robots what “love” means. But none of them can explain, so he sets off to find the answer. Along the way, he hears lots of different descriptions of love, and, when the other robots worry and come looking for him, he discovers it’s a feeling he’s known all along. Very sweet book with adorable illustrations.

Other Recommended Books

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Paul Yalowitz

Mr. Hatch is a lonely man who keeps to himself, until the postman delivers an enormous box of chocolates with a note that says “Somebody loves you.” Excited to find that somebody loves him, Mr. Hatch begins to open up and do kind things for the people around him. When he learns that the chocolates were meant for somebody else, he is sad, and goes back to his lonely ways, but all the people he has helped join together to let him know that everybody loves him. I love this book, and it’s perfect for elementary school. I would have read it today, but all of the copies in our library system were checked out.

Love, Splat by Rob Scotton

Splat has made a special Valentine for Kitten, even though she doesn’t seem to like him at all. Even worse, Spike, another cat in his class, also likes Kitten. But when Kitten finds the Valentine Splat has thrown away, he learns that she actually really likes him too. Cute story with adorable illustrations.

Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat; illustrated by Marc Simont

It’s Valentine’s Day and Nate the Great and his dog Sludge find themselves faced with two mysteries: who left the mystery Valentine on Sludge’s doghouse, and what happened to the Valentine his friend Annie made for her brother? His investigation reveals that the two mysteries are connected in a surprising way. Funny addition to the Nate the Great series of early chapter books, with jokes and activities at the end.

What are your favorite Valentine’s Day books (for elementary school or other age groups)? Please share them in the comments below. Happy Valentine’s Day!