WINNER: Congratulations to pinehillfarm!
With Valentine’s Day creeping up on its tiny, rosy toes, we stopped in to Watchung Booksellers to see what they had on offer to honor a day that’s usually surrounded by candy, stolen kisses, and cut flowers. We found plenty of wonderful reading material for kids of all ages that won’t contribute to cavities or any other Valentine’s Day side effects.
The staff’s immediate suggestion for a wonderful children’s book was The I Love You Book by Todd Parr. Its bright colors and simple illustrations will attract young children, and the unconditional “I love you” examples are fun to read aloud. I like that the narrator brings up “I love you when…” the child is cranky as well as happy. Kids (and their parents!) need to hear that love truly is for always and not just when we’re on our best behavior. Check out a video of Todd Parr reading The I Love You Book.
Another favorite book for Valentine’s Day at Watchung Booksellers is Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. This beautiful book is about the fruits or our labors and patience. Each page goes through a stage of “growing” a kiss. Children with experience growing seedlings or just giving hugs and kisses will love watching the main character, “Little Miss,” nurture 
her own planted kiss. She gives it sunshine, water, and nourishment…and then has to wait for the harvest! Enjoy the adorable video here, and then pick it up at the bookstore.
A sweet book that I noticed at Watchung Booksellers and particularly liked is called “I Like You.” Written by Sandol Stoddard Warburg, and illustrated by Jacqueline Chwast, this little book has been a favorite for many years. A lovely reminder of what makes friendship and love special, it can be a gift to a friend, sibling, life’s love, or yourself. Children find the illustrations silly and recognizable (a fort built out of blankets and chairs!), and adults will cherish and remember friendship’s best gifts.
Thanks to the generosity of Simon & Schuster, we have two fun books about very different kinds of love to give away to one lucky Barista Kids reader!
Zombie in Love, written by Kelly DiPucchio, and illustrated by Scott Campbell, is a fun look at searching for love. It’s perfect for kids who would enjoy The Nightmare Before Christmas and will someday gobble up the Harry Potter series. Written for children 4-8 years old, Zombie in Love follows Mortimer, a lovelorn zombie, as he stays true to himself in his search for love. The illustrations are endearing – despite including zombies and maggots. We also have a copy of a goofy book for the 3-7 year olds, Dinosaurs Love Underpants. Written by Claire Freedman and illustrated by Ben Cort, the team that created Aliens Love Underpants, this book explains one theory of how the dinosaurs became extinct: they fought over underpants! With drawings that make cavemen in underpants look fashionable, kids will enjoy the rhyming text and seeing dinosaurs argue over undies. Fair warning: young children might be disturbed by the “underpants war” images.
To enter, tell us a what you would like to receive as a Valentine’s Gift (saying “Nothing, thanks, but I’ll buy a book at my local book store” is an acceptable answer.). One person who replies to this post by 11:59 pm EST on Thursday, February 9, 2012 will be chosen at random to win both books. Please post only once.
No purchase necessary. Starts Monday, February 6, 2012 at 11 am EST and ends Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:59 pm. Open to U.S. residents ages 16 years and older. Void where prohibited.
Good luck!
The best Valentine’s Day present would be the gift of time- to spend time with my husband, to relax, or to read!
I’m old fashioned…just a box of chocolates!
Really, I all I want is for my husband to find a job. Otherwise, I have everything I need.
Just asking for hugs, laughter, smiles and love.
I’d love a good old fashioned fancy dinner out with roses and chocolates…It’s been a long time since that happened…
Just a home made valentine from the little guy
At home dinner and a movie with the family.
A quiet evening at home sounds nice to me.
Really hot sex followed by a restful night’s sleep.
A nice family dinner with roses followed by some family activities such as a nice and long walk in the park or a Broadway show…
A nice steak dinner and a good movie.
Our three kids have literally worn out our copy of Todd Parr’s The Mommy Book (with two mommies, it gets read A LOT). I would love to have another copy so I can give it to my wife.
I’m awful. I’m really hoping I get another Trollbead for my bracelet this year. So much so I dropped ‘the hint’ today. I mean come on, three kids that can’t make stuff yet? Yeah- totally deserve it
a hug from 2 year old and a smile from my 6 month old
hopefully this comment made it – it’s 11:49 pm PST =)