Foxy in Love

Emma Dodd writes some of my favorite children’s stories, and her book, Foxy in Love, is one of my go-to Valentine’s Day choices. It’s sweet and silly and just perfect for sharing around this time of year.

Emily asks her fox pal, Foxy, for help in figuring out what to draw on a special Valentine’s Day card. She wants to draw all of the things she loves, but she’s having trouble narrowing down her options, since she loves so many things. Foxy encourages her to think about what she loves the most, hinting that she should pick him. Instead, Emily spouts off things like balloons and hot chocolate. 

As she lists each of the things she loves, Foxy waves his magical tail to make them appear. Funnily enough, Foxy mishears everything that Emily says, so raccoons show up instead of balloons, and instead of a pot of hot chocolate, a bathtub filled with hot chocolate appears. Finally, after Emily has filled her card with drawings of all of those things, Foxy reminds her that Valentine’s Day is not about what you love; it’s about who you love. And, in the end, Foxy gets his wish of being properly acknowledged by Emily.

After reading this adorable book, try helping your children practice writing by making Valentine’s Day cards for the special people in their lives. 

Love Monster

With Valentine’s Day only a couple of days away, Rachel Bright’s adorable new book, Love Monster, seemed like the perfect one to share. Monster lives in a world in which he’s surrounded by cuteness, “which makes being funny-looking pretty, darn hard.” Everybody loves cute, fluffy things like puppies and kittens, but unfortunately, no one loves a not-so-great-looking monster. Since he was not the “moping-around sort,” the little monster decided to set out in search of someone who would love him “just the way he was.”

Monster looked just about everywhere without having any luck. Finally, it was dark, and the sad monster was ready to give up and go home. And that’s when everything changed. “You see, sometimes when you least expect it…love finds you.” The sweet, heart-warming ending will surely leave a smile on your face.

This book is a great one to read on Valentine’s Day or any day, really! J

Oliver

For anyone who has ever felt a little different or has a child who does, Oliver by Birgitta Sif will surely tug at your heartstrings. Oliver is a little boy who knows he is atypical but is content playing with his “friends,” a group of puppets and stuffed animals he carries around with him everywhere he goes. Even though he’s supposedly happy, as the reader, you still feel a twinge of sadness for him when he played his piano for his friends “but no one listened” or when he played tennis by himself against the side of his house. It was the tennis-playing, though, that led to the super sweet, goosebump-inducing ending (so special that I don't want to ruin it for you) that makes this book a MUST-READ and a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day.