Children's Book Suggestions | Valentine's Day

A mix of Valentine's Day picture books and gentle, age-appropriate romance stories for older kids & young teens who are experiencing first crushes.

Updated January 25, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Bad Kitty does not like Valentine's Day
Bruel, Nick
Paper Book
New York Times-bestselling author/illustrator Nick Bruel's naughty feline is back in the holiday adventure Bad Kitty Does Not Like Valentine's Day. Kitty does not like Valentine's Day. Because no one has given Kitty a Valentine. Maybe to get a Valentine,...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The Valentine bears
Bunting, Eve
Paper Book
Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated St. Valentine's Day because they hibernate during the winter.

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

First valentine
George, K.
Paper Book
A charming, relatable rhyming read-aloud just-right for Valentine's Day, about first experiences! Little friend. First valentine. A heart will be the best design... Little friend is so excited to make his first valentine--in the shape...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Porcupine Cupid
June, Jason
Paper Book
A porcupine hatches a prickly plan to bring his animal friends together on Valentine's Day in this humorous, heartwarming tale where everyone gets a happily ever after. Love is in the air this Valentine's Day--or it will be if Porcupine has any say. He uses his quills like...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The secret valentine
London, Jonathan
Paper Book
Join Duck, Hippo, and their friends as they uncover their secret valentines! It's Valentine's Day, and something curious is going on. As the birds tweet their love songs, Hippo and his friends Elephant, Pig, and Turtle each receive mysterious, unsigned Valentine's Day cards. Hippo...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Valensteins : (a love story)
Long, Ethan
Paper Book
Something strange is in the air on this dark, cold night. 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...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The secret life of squirrels : a love story
Rose, Nancy
Paper Book
Love is in the air with another irresistible photographic story of wild squirrels in homemade miniature settings, delighting readers and animal lovers of all ages. A companion to The Secret Life of Squirrels and Merry Christmas, Squirrels! sure to surprise and...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The house of love
Trigiani, Adriana
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling adult novelist Adriana Trigiani and beloved illustrator Amy June Bates team up for a heartwarming picture book about a how a family comes together to celebrate Valentine's Day. Mia Valentina Amore loves valentines. After all, her name means My...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Here comes Valentine Cat
Underwood, Deborah
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling Cat is back just in time for Valentine's Day!Full of humor and heart, this picture book is perfect for fans of Bad Kitty, Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie books, and of course, Cat's other capers, including Here Comes the Easter Cat,...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Love, Violet
Wild, Charlotte Sullivan
Paper Book
Stonewall Book Award Winner Lambda Literary Award Finalist Charlotte Huck Honor Book Perfect for Valentine's Day, Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild and Charlene Chua is a touching picture book about friendship and the courage it takes to share...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

How do dinosaurs say I love you?
Yolen, Jane.
Paper Book
With more than 7 million copies sold, everybody's favorite bestselling dinosaurs are back to say: "I love you," in a VERY big way!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,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

A unicorn named Sparkle and the perfect valentine
Young, Amy
Paper Book
The fifth book in A Unicorn Named Sparkle series is about finding out there's no perfect way to say "I love you." Lucy and a unicorn named Sparkle are back for another funny and sweet adventure. Valentine's Day is when you tell the people in your life how...

Holiday Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The Berenstain Bears' extra special valentine
Berenstain, Mike
Paper Book
It's Valentine's Day in Bear Country! Brother and Sister Bear have made valentines for all their friends. Brother Bear has even made a big card for someone special--and Sister Bear wants to guess who! But when Brother Bear doesn't share the card with anyone at school, who could it...

Holiday Easy Reader (Grades K-2)

Happy Valentine's Day, Charlie Brown!
Testa, Maggie
Paper Book
Join Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they celebrate Valentine's Day in this Level 2 Ready-to-Read! It's Valentine's Day and Charlie Brown is trying to find the courage to give the Little Red-Haired Girl a valentine! With a little encouragement from Lucy,...

Holiday Easy Reader (Grades K-2)

Be my valentine
Wells, Rosemary.
Paper Book
Love is in the air! Mrs. Jenkins asks her class to celebrate Valentine's Day the nice way &mdash by making special valentines for everyone. There's plenty of red-hot zingers, Mount Fuji drops, peppermint hearts, and glitter to go around, making this the best Valentine's Day ever.

Holiday Easy Reader (Grades K-2)

Mouse and Mole, secret valentine
Yee, Wong Herbert.
Paper Book
Mole took a piece of pink paper and folded it in half. He drew a curvy line in pencil. "That looks like my tail," giggled Mouse. "Don't be silly!" chuckled Mole. He cut along the line with scissors. Snip, snip,...

Holiday Easy Reader (Grades K-2)

Oh, Valentine, we've lost our minds!
Gutman, Dan.
Paper Book
With more than 35 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading! It's the week of Valentine's Day, and A.J.'s class is getting a foreign exchange student! His name is Pierre, and he's from France. But what happens when Pierre challenges A.J. to a duel (or at least...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Nancy Clancy, secret admirer
O'Connor, Jane
Paper Book
For young readers who grew up with the bestselling picture books, Nancy Clancy is now starring in her own chapter books! Love is in the air! Nancy and Bree decide to play matchmaker, but nothing works out as planned. Will love conquer all in the end Fans of Fancy Nancy...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Junie B. Jones and the mushy gushy valentime [i.e. valentine]
Park, Barbara.
Paper Book
"Hilarious. Barbara Park makes reading fun."--Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man   Celebrate Valentine's Day with the world's funniest kindergartener--Junie B. Jones! The #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series has been keeping kids laughing--and reading...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Secret admirer
Roy, Ron
Paper Book
It's Valentine's Day in Green Lawn! But Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose just aren't feeling the love this year. Valentine's Day was so much more fun when they were little. Then they each start getting messages and clues from a secret admirer! Can the kids figure out who wants to be...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Geronimo's valentine
Stilton, Geronimo.
Paper Book
Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.Okay, I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a cheesy mouse from time to time. What can I say? I'm a romantic! That's...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Babymouse. Heartbreaker
Holm, Jennifer L.
Paper Book
Meet Babymouse--the spunky mouse beloved by young readers for more than a decade! Valentine's Day is here and Babymouse loves everything about it, except for the, well...love part. Find out if she gets any valentines and a date in time for the dance! This groundbreaking young graphic...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Logan likes Mary Anne!
Martin, Ann M.
Paper Book
Mary Anne's beloved kitten Tigger has been missing for 24 hours and she is frantic! Will she ever find Tigger?

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Danny Constantino's first (and maybe last?) date
Acampora, Paul
Paper Book
Between going out with his celebrity crush and his mom's campaign to be the next town mayor, Danny's got a lot to learn about life in the spotlight. When Danny Constantino asks his old-friend-turned-Hollywood-movie-star, Natalie Flores Griffin, to his local school dance and...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Just be cool, Jenna Sakai
Florence, Debbi Michiko
Paper Book
Fans of Lisa Greenwald and Wendy Mass are sure to fall head-over-heels for this funny, sweet story of crushes, competition, and the confusing reality of middle school. "Heartbreak is for suckers." When Jenna Sakai gets dumped over winter break, it confirms what she learned from her...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Rick
Gino, Alex
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of Melissa, the story of a boy named Rick who needs to explore his own identity apart from his jerk of a best friend. Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Puppy love
Soto, Gary
Paper Book
A sweetly humorous middle grade novel packed with action, basketball, and a dash of magical realism about friendship and family, first crushes, and belonging, from acclaimed author Gary Soto. Thirteen-year-old Jordan Mendoza has a huge crush on his classmate, Sierra, but he's...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Courtesy of Cupid
Jones, Nashae
Paper Book
In this "sweetly romantic coming-of-age story with fun, magical touches" (Kirkus Reviews), a girl uses her newfound ability to make people fall in love to sabotage her rival. Erin Johnson's thirteenth birthday unfolds like any other day, from her mom's quirky and...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The language of seabirds
Taylor, Will (Children's literature author)
Paper Book
A sweet, tender middle-grade story of two boys finding first love with each other over a seaside summer. Jeremy is not excited about the prospect of spending the summer with his dad and his uncle in a seaside cabin in Oregon. It's the first summer after his parents' divorce, and he hasn't...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Both can be true
Machias, Jules
Paper Book
*An Indie Next List Pick, a Top Ten Rainbow Book for Young Readers, and one of Bank Street Children's Best Books of the Year!* Jules Machias explores identity, gender fluidity, and the power of friendship and acceptance in this dual-narrative story about two kids who join...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Cake pop crush
Nelson, Suzanne
Paper Book
Sometimes friends, school, and boys can be a recipe for disaster! This sweet treat of a read is irresistible.Alicia Ramirez has always loved baking. Her family owns Say It With Flour, the small bakery in town. And Ali's specialties are cake pops: delicious confections on a stick. But Ali's sweet...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Vivian Lantz's second chances
Ormsbee, Kathryn
Paper Book
Groundhog Day meets Eighth Grade in this time-loop story set on the first day of school, from the critically acclaimed author of Candidly Cline. Vivian Lantz is cursed. Every year, terrible things happen on her first day of school. This year, Vivian has a plan to conquer eighth grade. But...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Spin with me
Polonsky, Ami
Paper Book
From the author of the critically acclaimed Gracefully Grayson comes a thoughtful and sensitive middle-grade novel about non-binary identity and first love, Ami Polonsky's Spin with Me. In this elegant dual narrative, Essie is a thirteen-year-old girl feeling...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

I'm with Cupid
Staniszewski, Anna
Paper Book
Marcus is a Cupid. Lena is a Reaper. Opposites attract in the exciting new Switched At First Kiss series by the acclaimed author of The Dirt Diary. Dared to kiss the adorkable Marcus Torelli at a party, Lena thinks it's the perfect opportunity to cross First Kiss off her list of "Things to...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Well, that was awkward
Vail, Rachel
Paper Book
Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can't breathe, can't walk,can't anything-and the reason is standing right there in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking- A.J. But it turns out A.J. likes not Gracie but Gracie's beautiful best friend, Sienna...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The love report. 1
Béka
Paper Book
BFFs Grace and Lola try to unravel the mystery of romance with a plan to observe, study, and analyze the ways of love at their middle school in the first book in this addictive graphic novel series. BFFs Grace and Lola talk about everything related to romance-and have lots of...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Crush
Chmakova, Svetlana
Paper Book
Jorge seems to have it all together. He's big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he's also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends. The only time he ever really feels off his game is when he crosses paths with a certain girl... But when the group dynamic among the...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Apple crush
Knisley, Lucy
Paper Book
After finally adjusting to life on a family farm with two brand new step-sisters, a young girl faces an even bigger challenge - figuring out where she fits in at her first year in middle school. This middle grade graphic novel explores family, friendship, and change! Jen is just...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Drama
Telgemeier, Raina.
Paper Book
From Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile and Sisters! Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon over Mississippi, she can't...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)


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