Books like Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!
By Laura Numeroff
In Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!, that mouse makes a card for every friend, and each one names the exact thing he loves about them, Pig's dancing, Bunny's hide-and-seek skills. Little kids get that a valentine is just a true thing you say out loud. Here are more books for that same small, sturdy kind of love.
Same short rhyming board book feel, but Llama Llama I Love You by Anna Dewdney keeps it to one small llama hugging the people he loves.
Mouse hands out valentines to friends he already has. Words to Make a Friend by Donna Jo Napoli is about two girls building a friendship from scratch without sharing a language.
In the rhythm of a classic bedtime poem, kids busy themselves making valentines and treats the night before the holiday, then head to school for a day full of parties and games.
If your kid likes hearing what makes each friend special, Our Best Friends by Gyo Fujikawa does that same thing but with pets tagging along too.
A friendly little truck beeps his way around the farm delivering Valentine's Day cards to all his animal friends, quietly wondering if any card will come back to him.
Mouse's valentines celebrate friends he already has, while Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli shows what one mystery valentine can do for someone with none.
Mouse plans little surprises for his pals, and Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead flips it so the friends plan the surprise for him instead.
Same warmth between close friends, but Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina sits with the sadder side of loving someone you're about to lose.
A stray cat named Debbie starts visiting Mrs. Ainsworth's house, welcomed despite the three Basset hounds already living there, and gives the household an unexpected Christmas gift.
A gentle dog in a circus family of daredevils and acrobats tries to be strong, graceful, and brave like the others — but none of it feels like her, and she wonders if she belongs at all.
The most beautiful fish in the ocean has shimmering silver scales but no friends, until he learns to share what makes him special.
Just as short and just as sweet, though Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon asks a harder question: can a friendship survive when you're far apart?
