These Valentine’s day stories emphasize friendship and kindness, and have a good balance of story and pictures for readers who are ready for plenty of words, but still need a lot of visual appeal.
For younger readers, check out these Valentine’s day easy readers or picture books.
Ellie’s Lovely Idea by Callie Barkley
With large text and plenty of grayscale illustrations, this is a good first-chapter book for those who are just moving on from easy readers (or those who just feel like a lovely, easy read). Ellie and her friends start a singing telegram service in order to raise money for an animal charity, which also provides an opportunity for clever little verses. Readers might want to make up their own “telegrams,” or talk about how they might raise money for a cause that’s important to them.
Warm Hearts Day by Rebecca Elliott
Book five from the Owl Diaries series uses (as they all do) vibrant, colorful illustrations and a lined paper background to make it look more like a diary. Although “warm hearts day” resembles Valentine’s day in many ways, with cards, parties, and doing kind things for loved ones, it also has a lot of “flaptastic” traditions such as costumes and a community tree. When Eva the owl feels guilty that she has given away all the special things she made for her family to those in need instead, she realizes they appreciated her actions anyway.
Families looking for a Bible tie-in may want to discuss the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:40: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
In this case, Nate’s dog has received a surprise valentine that reads “I love you Sludge, more than fudge.” In typical Nate the Great fashion, the young detective leaves a note for his mother and heads out to investigate. What he uncovers is a conflict between people who like to give valentines vs. people who don’t like to receive them.
Families might want to discuss the concept of “love languages,” and talk about the different ways people prefer to give and receive affection. When is important to set aside what we would like to do, and think about what the other person needs? How can we be gracious recipients, even when what we receive doesn’t match our own preferences?
As with many Nate the Great books, a large appendix provides a plethora of activities, riddles, and jokes that tie in with the story.
The Alien Next Door: The Mystery Valentine by A.I. Newton
Looking at life on Earth through the imagined perspective of a newly arrived alien is always good for a laugh (and some deeper pondering, at times: “What does the organ that pumps blood through the body have to do with liking someone?”). Zeke, the main character, struggles to return gestures of friendship when what Earthlings appreciate is so different from what is valued on his home planet, Tragas. Since so many valentine themed books tend to slant toward girls, it’s nice to have one that could appeal equally to boys.
Galaxy Zack: The Annoying Crush by Ray O’Ryan
In this story, which features large text and plenty of grayscale illustrations, Zack’s father brings home the latest household robot he’s developing–SARA, or Super Advanced Robotic Assistant. But when SARA, a learning robot, watches a romantic movie, things start to go haywire. Zack thinks he’ll be able to fix the problem on his own, but has to be honest with his dad to set the program straight. Besides being a fun piece of easy science fiction, this book could be a great discussion starter for how the media we watch can influence our thinking.
Kylie Jean Valentine Queen by Marci Peschke
I really appreciated the respectful tone Kylie Jean uses with her parents, teachers, and those around her. This book has a sweet backstory of planning a surprise party for her grandparent’s 50th anniversary (on Valentine’s day), but the main narrative is about doing kind things for others, especially the elderly. Although it’s mostly text, this book has a good dose of illustrations–grayscale with the addition of pink!
Families may want to take on their own fourteen day “Be Sweet” challenge like the one in the book, in thinking of ways they can show love to others.
Candy Fairies: A Valentine’s Surprise by Helen Perelman
Reading this book almost made my teeth hurt, there’s so much sugar mentioned in it. But, that probably won’t be a problem for the intended audience. All in all, it’s a sweet story as the fairy friends rescue a unicorn who’s lost her magic, and includes fun expressions like “that’s so mint!” to help bring out the uniqueness of the candy setting.
Rainbow Magic: Juliet the Valentine Fairy by Daisy Meadows
I’ve only read a few of the many, many Rainbow Magic books out there, and they all seemed very much the same to me. But that’s one of the joys of series reading–becoming a reader who’s ready to devour the next book, and quickly. While this story doesn’t have a whole lot to chew on, it does make the main characters overcome the effects of an anti-friendship spell, and work through the challenges of being extra kind to each other even when they don’t feel like it. Food for thought in any situation!