March 28, 2023
Finding the right books for kindergarten can be tricky! So here is a list of Valentine’s Day books for Kindergarten that are tried and true! These books show solid examples of love, persistence, and kindness through actions, words, and written expression, that all children can relate to. All of these books offer great opportunities for sequencing events, how to write (as well as other writing strategies and prompts), and creativity.
Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson
Marylou likes Herbie and lets him know by leaving him sweet notes all throughout the farm. Herbie finds the notes each day but does not know which slug is Marylou, among the hundreds of them on the farm He leaves notes for her but Marylou does not find them for one reason or another. Finally, after an entire week of not giving up on finding their true loves, Herbie finds Marylou and they live happily ever after on the farm. This book is a great example of not giving up on love and also a great review for days of the week.
The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
One day it rained hearts where Cornelia Augusta lived. She collected them and made unique valentines for four of her special friends. This would be a great story to read to your students and model making a valentine for a special someone. You could then have a valentine creating station as one of your centers throughout the month of February.
Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat
All of the students in Gilbert’s class were assigned to create a valentine that said something nice about each one of their classmates. Some valentines were easy for Gilbert to write while others were not so easy. Gilbert chooses to play a trick on two of his classmates, Margaret and Lewis, that hadn’t been too nice to him in the past. He wrote not so “nice” valentines and signed another classmate’s name on his valentines to Margaret and Lewis. While the students are reading their valentines in class some of the children become upset because of some of the messages they received. The students start blaming each other. Mrs. Byrd, their teacher, decides that the students will work in their workbooks the rest of the morning because Valentine’s Day was not about fighting. While the students were working they begin to realize it was not Lewis and Margaret that wrote the “bad” valentines, it was Gilbert. All of the students were upset with Gilbert and didn’t want to sit with him at lunch or play with him at recess. Gilbert realizes what he did was wrong and wrote two nice valentines before Valentine’s Day party in the afternoon.
Love Monster by Rachel Bright
This is an adorable story about a monster that doesn’t really fit in with all of the cute and fluffy things that live around him. He sets off to find love but after many attempts does not find what he is looking for. As he is just about to give up, he finds love. This story leads itself to many discussion points about love and never giving up on what you set out to find. This will become a favorite Valentine’s Day Book for Kindergarten.
How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? By Jane Yolan
This story gives examples and non-examples of how “dinosaurs” say “I love you.” It uses common mistakes and good choices children make every day. It offers a clear definition of appropriate ways to show love. This story would be a great story to read and then chart examples and non-examples of showing love. Then the children could write and illustrate 1-3 ways to say/show “I love you.”
Pete The Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool by James Dean
At the beginning of the story, Pete thinks Valentine’s Day is NOT cool. But after talking to his friend Callie he decides to make valentines for all of his friends. He realizes though that he has not made some for some of his friends, the bus driver, the librarian, the firefighters, and police officers. So he and Callie work together to make several more. The valentines make their friends very happy. At Callie’s Valentine’s party, Pete feels bad he didn’t make Callie a valentine. Callie tells him that is ok because spending time with him is better than any Valentine’s Day card. This book is not your usual Pete the Cat book with repetition and rhyme. It instead offers a solid message of actions speaks louder than words.
Love Splat by Rob Scotton
In this story, Splat creates a special valentine for Kitten. He likes Kitten but is confused how she feels about him because she often pokes him in the belly or calls him smelly when they meet. Just before Splat is about to give Kitten the valentine he created, he realizes Spike also likes Kitten. Splat believes that Spike likes her more because Spike convinces him his love is “bigger” so, Splat gives up hope that Kitten likes him back. However, Kitten created a valentine for Splat with a poem telling him she likes him too. Many Kindergartners can relate to how Splat must feel will Kitten teases him by poking him in his belly and telling him he is smelly. Some children think it is mean when all actuality it is their way of pointing out things they like about them.
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro
The old lady swallows a rose, some lace, glitter, candy, a jewel, hearts, and a card to make a special valentine. This book follows the pattern of all the other holiday versions of this book. It is great for repetition, rhyming, and predictable text. My students are always very successful in sequencing the events in books from this series.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! By Laura Numeroff
Mouse is excited to make valentines and deliver them to his friends. This is a short story that revisits many of the characters from the If You Give a…. Series by Laura Numeroff. After reading this story you could revisit some of the stories from this series you have already read this year and the students could choose to write about their favorite or they could create a valentine for someone special. This is a great Valentine’s Day Books for Kindergarten!
Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O’Conner
Fancy Nancy receives a beautiful valentine from someone but she doesn’t know who. Nancy immediately sets out to find out who. She puts on a “mystery solving ensemble” and follows a trail. She figures out who it is and gives them a valentine in return. Fancy Nancy is the definition of Valentine’s Day…glitter, frill, and fushia! I love the vocabulary the books in this series offers, this one is no different.
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