If You Were My Valentine

by Lynn Plourde (Author) Jennifer L Meyer (Illustrator)

If You Were My Valentine
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

This Valentine-themed follow-up to If I Could Give You Christmas is an adorable celebration of love and the special relationship between parents and children. If you were my valentine, I would jump, jump with joy!

Valentine's Day is for cuddles, sweet treats, silly games, and spending time with the ones we hold dear. Join all kinds of animals and their valentines--from rabbits and puffins, to cougars and otters, to a bigger-than-big whale--in this cozy picture book celebration of love.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr.2--A wonderful Valentine's holiday book, which conveys the message that love should be shared all throughout the year. On each page, an animal family shares their idea of what they do with their child if "you were my Valentine." A whale would make a big splash for their child, while a bird would make their child's day "sweeter than sweet." Each page leads readers closer to the final message: Love should be heard every single day. Plourde's tale is simple and touching, with just a few words on each page. Illustrations by Meyer are very detailed. Each animal has a special added human quality, such as a hat or pair of glasses. The colors are both vibrant and soothing at the same time. This is a book that can be shared with children of all ages. Even the youngest children, including toddlers, will be fascinated by the colorful images and drawn in by the beautiful message. VERDICT Recommended for public and elementary school libraries, as families will enjoy reading it together over and over again.--Sara Collins

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Pinks and purples abound in this lushly visual festival of love. Employing the refrain "If you were my Valentine," Plourde presents baby animals being showered with care and attention by an adult animal in light-infused scenes. Juvenile hummingbirds and an adult bathe in golden nectar ("I would make your day sweeter than sweet"); a puffin and puffling embrace tenderly beneath cordiform clouds ("I would lean in until our love becomes one"). Close readers will find that consecutive glowing spreads include glimpses of the creatures featured in the previous scene. For added whimsy, Meyer's realistically rendered animals casually sport human accoutrements such as eyeglasses, hats, and clothing. Including whales and wolves, elk and rabbits, the warmhearted text and rich, page-filling digital paintings build to a greeting-card-like conclusion about the staying power of Valentine's sentiments. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This is a book that can be shared with children of all ages. Even the youngest children, including toddlers, will be fascinated by the colorful images and drawn in by the beautiful message."—School Library Journal
Lynn Plourde
Lynn Plourde is the author of forty children's books, including Wild Child, Maxi's Secrets, and Go, Grandma, Go! She lives on a ridge in rural Maine where she spies deer, wild turkeys, foxes, and porcupines, but she's still waiting to spy her first monster. Meanwhile, she's learning to talk Monster, and zuzzer! It is trickier than the French and German she studied in school.

Mike Lowery is an author and New York Times bestselling illustrator who has worked on dozens of books for kids. Some of his favorites are the Gingerbread Man Is Loose series by Laura Murray and the Everything Awesome series, which he also wrote. He likes to collect weird facts and other bits of knowledge, and he draws them every morning in his sketchbook. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and two kids.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316707077
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
January 25, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
JUV026000 - Juvenile Fiction | Love & Romance
JUV017070 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Valentine's Day
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Picture books
Love
Valentine's Day

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