Monday, February 20, 2012

On the Bookshelf: Books for Valentine's Day

So, it's been a long, long time since I did an "On the Bookshelf" post, and I intended on posting this last weekend, you know, before Valentine's Day, but I suppose it doesn't matter much as we all love our little ones year-round, not just on February 14th. 


Won't You Be My Kissaroo? by Joanne Ryder
This book was a birthday gift from a friend.  It talks about the different kisses that can be given through the day.  We like giving The Bean lots of kisses when we read it to him.  

You Are My Sunshine by Caroline Jayne Church  
Illustrations accompany the lyrics to the song.  I often sing You Are My Sunshine to The Bean, so I kind of like this one for that reason.  My big complaint about this illustrator (she also illustrated the following two books) is that almost all her drawings are of Caucasian children.  There's one black child in this book, but if it weren't for the hair, it'd be hard to tell.   

How Do I Love You? by Marion Dane Bauer
I really like this book.  It features vibrant illustrations of a little girl and goes through a list of similes comparing various things to how the reader loves their baby.  The last line reads, "I love all that you will be, and everything you are."  Very sweet.     

I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak 
Another cutesy book saying all the things the reader loves about their baby.  This one features a little boy.  Kinda' nice for us mamas with boys.  

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
I've heard people say how much they hate this book because Big Nutbrown Hare seems to have to one-up Little Nutbrown Hare each time Little says how much he loves Big, but I still think it's cute.  I also like that it features male characters.  When my dear friend had a baby boy via surrogate, this was one of the few books I found NOT featuring a mother with their baby.   

I Love You by Karma Wilson
This book tells babies about all the things the reader loves about them.   Unlike the books illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church, this book clearly features babies of different ethnicities.  I like that. 

Hugaboo, I Love You by Hans Wilhelm
At a year old, The Bean is a little young for this book since the pages are thin and easily rip-able.  We haven't read it too many times.  Each page has a fold out of a different animal giving their baby a hug.   

Peekaboo Kisses by Barney Saltzberg
This book was a gift from a friend.  It was one of her daughter's favourite books when she was small.  It's cute.  Each page has a fold out "peek a boo" featuring a touch-and-feel animal.  The last page has a mirror and reads, "Peekabook, I see... YOU!"  My biggest complaint is that almost each touch-and-feel page is faux fur and  I prefer it when the pages have different textures.  Still a cute book though.

What are the favourite love/Valentine's Day books in your home?  

3 comments:

  1. "I Love You Through and Through" and "Guess How Much I Love You" were two of Erik's favourites. I still read Guess How Much to him sometimes. Ian isn't as into those types of books. He doesn't have the same attention span Erik did so he likes things like books about Dora that he can participate in by yelling out the answers and talking through the whole story. LOL.

    Ian does love "Mommy, Mama and Me". Short and sweet and he really thinks it's our family. Do you have that one? It's pretty awesome.

    I should get "You Are My Sunshine" because I always sing that song to Ian before bed.

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  2. I love you to the moon and back!:)

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  3. Thanks for making me buy the book. It's so cute even for a mama with a girl ;-) http://fraunilsson.blogspot.com/2012/02/ganz-die-mama.html

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