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 gets a bath
Bruel, Nick.
Paper Book
BAD KITTY IS BACK (AND BADDER THAN EVER!) when she is forced to take a bath in this hysterical new illustrated how-to for young readers. The following are some items you will need for Kitty's bath: one bathtub, plenty of water, dry towels, a suit of armor, a letter to your loved ones...

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)

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 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)

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)

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)

Matchmaker
Lyons, Kelly Starling
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of the Jada Jones chapter books comes an illustrated spinoff series perfect for STEM fans! Valentine's Day is approaching, and Miles Lewis doesn't really like all the mush that comes with it. He is excited about the candy experiments they're...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Nancy Clancy, secret admirer
O'Connor, Jane.
Paper Book
Nancy Clancy and her best friend, Bree, have love on the brain--after all, they're learning about the human heart in science class! But when the girls decide to play matchmaker, nothing works out as planned. So the big question is: Will love conquer all

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)

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!...

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
America's favorite series returns with a new look and a Netflix tv show. Mary Anne used to have to wear her hair in braids, keep her room painted pink, and ask her dad before she did anything. But not anymore. Mary Anne's been growing up . . . and the Baby-sitters Club members aren't the only ones...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

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." -- Jenna Sakai When Jenna gets dumped over winter break, it confirms what she learned...

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)

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)

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...

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)

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)

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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