Valentine’s Day Picture Book Gifts for Little Readers
by Janssen Bradshaw
I think Valentine’s Day is such a little February blessing.
The big holidays are long since over, the glow of the new year is starting to fade, and winter still seems like it has a long time to go, with lots of time cooped up inside.
And then comes Valentine’s Day, with lots of celebrating, hearts, and happiness. It’s just about the best thing that could happen right smack in the middle of those long winter months.
My girls love Valentine’s Day and I’ve loved making it a festive occasion in our home the past few years.
I especially love adding to our Valentine’s Day book collection every year and gifting them each a book that they’ll enjoy reading over and over again, probably snuggled up with some hot chocolate.
If you’re looking for some fun Valentine’s Day book gifts for your little bookworms, here are some of my favorites.
RELATED: New Valentine’s Day Picture Books for Little Loves
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ABCs of Love
Available from:Learn your ABCs with this adorable board book about love. This sweet story teaches tiny readers words and actions that symbolize the emotion. The charming illustrations and gentle rhyme make it a must-have for Valentine’s Day.
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Cupig
Available from:Kids are going to love this hilarious spin on the classic Cupid myth. An adorable pig named Cupig loves nothing more than spreading love. But when her arrows veer off course, dynamic duos everywhere split up. Peanut Butter pairs up with Anchovies instead of Jelly, and Fork leaves Knife for Whisk. With collage-style artwork, rhyming text, and puns galore, this giggle-worthy picture book will become an annual favorite!
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How to Be Romance with Bluey and Bingo
Available from:Lovable pup siblings Bluey and Bingo are back with a brand new lift-the-flap board book that celebrates the different ways we experience love. From snuggles with family to playing with friends, this sturdy book lets kids discover love on every page! Little readers will also enjoy Love from Bluey.
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Little Owl’s Love
Available from:Little Owl returns to his nighttime forest to discover what he loves most. Soaring under the moonlight, he finds joy in shimmering stars, winking fireflies, cricket songs, and cherished friends. Little Owl’s Love is an adorable lyrical ode to nature and friendship, perfect for Valentine's Day.
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Bigfoot's Big Heart
Available from:Loneliness can feel like a big, hairy monster — but even Bigfoot needs friends! When the gentle giant loses his valentines for his mythical friends, a group of scouts embark on a global adventure to deliver the heartfelt letters. Don't miss this sweet tale about unexpected connections.
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I Love You: A Touch-and-Feel Playbook
Available from:This interactive board book is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for babies and toddlers. They’ll love the colorful illustrations, peek-through pages, and touch-and-feel elements throughout the story.
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Love Makes a Family
Available from:This inclusive board book celebrates familial love and is perfect for your baby or toddler this Valentine's Day. Following a number of diverse family structures, it is a celebration of not only what binds a family together, but the many forms a family can take.
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Love Is All Around
Available from:Get ready for warm and fuzzy feelings because this vibrant board book offers plenty. Told through rhyming text and colorful illustrations, a young girl notices how her family expresses devotion to each other throughout the day. Whether they’re sharing a meal or doling out kisses, they do it with love.
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Getting Ready for Valentine's Day
Available from:Get ready for a sweet Valentine's Day adventure with the newest book from Vera Ahiyya, the Tutu Teacher! Join Kai and their classmates as they prepare for the holiday by making friendship cards, decorating mailboxes, and sharing treats. But what if they don't receive any Valentines? Luckily, their wonderful teacher helps the whole class learn the true meaning of friendship and Valentine's Day.
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That's Me Loving You
Available from:This sweet, reassuring board book perfectly captures the power of a parent’s love. With soothing rhymes and illustrations of children independently going about their days, the story reminds little readers that no matter where they go, they can find their parents’ love near them: “That feeling you always have in your heart? / That’s me loving you.”
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Llama Llama I Love You
Available from:The full-length Llama Llama books can be a little long for the two and under set, so the board book versions are the perfect introduction to this bestselling series. In this one, Llama Llama celebrates wholeheartedly with lots of cards and hugs for the people, er, animals he loves best.
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Together: A First Conversation About Love
Available from:Children notice all types of love — and have plenty of questions about them. These questions offer a wonderful opportunity to talk to your children about love, relationships, and what they might look like. With simple text and colorful art, this book helps parents have those essential conversations with their children.
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I Love You to the Moon and Back
Available from:Learn how bears show their love in this sweet board book. This gentle, rhyming book follows a bear and cub throughout their day as they splash in the water, climb mountains, and more.
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Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Available from:For any child who has spent the first years of their life obsessed with that caterpillar, this book is perfect for Valentine’s Day, with all the collage images and colors that have made Eric Carle so famous. Bonus idea: Pack it with some tissue paper and let your child make their own Valentine’s Day collages.
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A Cup of Love
Available from:#1 New York Times bestselling author and lead pastor, Michael Todd, makes his picture book debut with this story about God’s love. A little girl feels left out when her parents go on a date, so her father uses overflowing cups to demonstrate how love pours from one person to another. It offers an essential lesson for children about cultivating relationships and taking time for individual members of your family.
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Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love
Available from:Can you tell a love story in just 10 words? 😍 This extraordinary picture book collection by former UK Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho proves it's possible! Twenty talented illustrators bring Coelho's bite-sized tales of love, nature, and cherished moments to life with stunning visuals. From sibling bonds to healing connections with pets and the natural world, these tiny tales spark the imagination.
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The Mystery of the Love List
Available from:The only thing better than a mystery story is one with a secret admirer involved. When Pippa finds an anonymous “love list” with her name on it, she wants to befriend the list’s owner. But she has to find out who wrote it first. Using her budding detective skills, she collects the clues, cracks the case, and makes a new friend.
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The House of Love
Available from:This sweet picture book will make you want to go all-out for Valentine’s Day. Set in the Blue Ridge mountains, this story is about a young girl and her mom who spend the day decorating, baking, and creating a Valentine’s Day celebration for their family. It’s the perfect way to get yourself and your kiddos into the spirit of the holiday.
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Together with You
Available from:This sweet book celebrates the unique bond between a child and their grandparents. In this story, readers follow a grandmother and her grandchild through the four seasons as they spend time together playing, laughing, snuggling, and eating. This highly giftable book makes an excellent read-aloud that grandparents and grandchildren will adore.
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Share Your Love
Available from:When you want to teach your child about sharing love and kindness with others, pick up this heartwarming book. Rhyming text and gorgeous illustrations lead young readers through several positive thoughts they can send to themselves, friends, and family. Whether you want to use them as prayers, manifestations, or good vibes, they offer positive and hopeful wishes for kids to send into the world.
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Valentine's Day, Here I Come!
Available from:Everyone knows that poetry goes with Valentine’s Day, and young romantics will adore this charming collection of poems about the holiday. Follow a group of kids as they make cards, eat candy, and celebrate the special day. If you like this book, check out the rest of the Here I Come! series.
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Love
Available from:A favorite for baby showers and family libraries, award-winning author Matt de la Peña’s Love — illustrated by the celebrated Loren Long — is a poetic and heartfelt ode to the power of love and the way it shows up in moments big and small, on good days and bad, ultimately connecting us all.
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My Heart
Available from:This gorgeous picture book is all about hearts – open hearts, closed hearts, broken hearts, and more. Written as a poem about the many emotions a heart can feel, Luyken's message is one of compassion, caring, and self-love. An absolutely lovely book for all ages, even adults.
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Love from the Crayons
Available from:First, the Crayons quit, and then they fled home. Now, the Crayons are feeling sweetly sentimental (and wouldn’t you, after all that hubbub?). In Love from the Crayons, everyone’s favorite colors are waxing poetic on loving colorfully — and even outside the lines.
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The Color of Love
Available from:What do you think love looks like? Is it the bright blue of a favorite pair of shoes? Or the sunny yellow of daffodils blooming in spring? A young girl named Grace grapples with this very question. As her classmates share their ideas, Grace learns that love takes on many beautiful forms.
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You might also like:
- New Valentine’s Day Picture Books To Share With Kids
- 11 Unconventional Love Stories for Kids
- Books and a Craft To Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Your Child
- 8 Picture Books All About Hugs and Kisses
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2025.