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
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
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 1928-
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)

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 1951-
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 12 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...

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
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! 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)

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 joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!<...

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)

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)

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 1979-
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)


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.