Valentine’s Day Books for Toddlers

I’m big on holidays. That’s no surprise if you’ve watched my Insta Stories. I enjoy any reason to celebrate and make things just a bit more cheerful and fun.

My love for holidays stems from my childhood, for sure. My mom had a massive bin of decorations in our basement for each holiday and would let me and my sister help decorate. Every holiday, even random ones like St. Patty’s Day, was festive in our house. Valentine’s Day however was always extra special. My dad came home with flowers and heart balloons for us and my mom would give us a few special treats.

I plan to do something similar for Vienna this year, since she’s old enough now to get excited for special occasions. I’m kicking off the celebrations early by introducing festive books to read over the next month and a half. 

Love Is

Love Is might be one of my favorite children’s books of all time. The illustrations and story are absolutely beautiful. It’s not a book that specifically celebrates Valentine’s Day, but it does reinforce the themes of loving and nurturing something. The story is about a little girl who finds a duckling on the city street. She takes it home to care for it by giving it early morning feedings, baths and love. Eventually the duckling turns into a big duck and it’s time to say goodbye and move the duckling back into the pond. Although it sounds sad, it has a happy ending. I started tearing up while reading, because it’s similar to raising children and seeing them grow up.

The 12 Days of Valentine’s

The 12 Days of Valentine’s is a rhyming book inspired by The 12 Days of Christmas. The first day of Valentine’s brings one warm, fuzzy hug. The second day has two cups of sparkles. The third day has three pink pens, and so on. It’s a great story to encourage counting. Without prompting her, Vienna starting counting all the items on each page! 

The Night Before Valentine’s Day

The Night Before Valentine’s Day is another book in Natasha Wing’s “The Night Before” series. We loved The Night Before The Night Before Christmas so much that I had to order the Valentine’s version. (If you’ve read that one, they have a book for basically every holiday and event.) The Night Before Valentine’s Day follows a group of children as they complete all their tasks to get ready for February 14th. 

The Day it Rained Hearts

The Day it Rained Hearts is a sweet and simple story about a little girl named Cornelia Augusta who sees it raining hearts one day. The hearts are perfect for valentines, so Cornelia customizes them for each of her animal friends. Like the other books on this list, it’s short enough for a toddler’s attention span. It teaches thoughtfulness, creativity, and appreciation of others.

Happy Valentine’s Day Curious George

Happy Valentine’s Day Curious George is a lift-the-flap book that celebrates friendship between George and the man with the yellow hat. There are shiny red foil accents on the pictures throughout, which Vienna really liked. The pages are thick, so this book is very durable if you have a younger child.