Love Is All Around – Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your little sweethearts by reading a Candlewick book!

I really enjoyed these books. The stories and illustrations had their own unique styles. Although they were all about love they each approached it differently.

Boys are boys and my little valentines allowed me to read to them. In the 8yr olds opinion none were about “love”. The 5yr old followed along with his brother. I could see that he was a little intrigued by the dinosaur kisses 🙂

They both thought Paul meeting Bernadette was “dumb” but I figure they will (at least once in their lifetime) be circling around a woman in love, forgetting the rules of the world…

I am hopeful to read these books to a group of kids this week at a friends school. Maybe get the whimsical fairytale point of view from some cute little girls!

Get more impartial reviews and details about these and other books:

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb

9780763661304 ∙ December 2013 ∙ Hardcover ∙ $14.00 ∙ 40 pages ∙ Ages 4-7

Paul is a fish who used to go around in circles. What else was there to do? Until one day Bernadette drops in and shows Paul that there is a whole world out there, right outside his bowl, with so many things to see. Simple saturated paintings play off this charming ode to an active imagination — and the way that life changes when a bewitching creature opens your eyes.

«“Lamb’s delectable painting technique recalls that of confection-master Wayne Thiebaud; her backdrops resemble buttercream frosting in turquoise, sky blue, and lichen green, and she lines the fishes’ domain with impasto brushstrokes of white, yellow, and marine blue. Her sly approach to the way that love and friendship can alter one’s very view of life welcomes repeat visits.” —

Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein

9780763661045 ∙ August 2013 ∙ Hardcover ∙ $15.99 ∙ 32 pages ∙ Ages 2-5

For newly hatched dinosaur Dinah, the world is an exciting place. There is so much to see and do. She tries this — STOMP! And she tries that –CHOMP! Then she sees a kiss and knows just what she wants to try next. Who can she kiss? Young children will chuckle and cheer when Dinah finds just the right creature for her dinosaur kisses in this funny new picture book from David Ezra Stein.

«“Kids will plunge into the whomping and chomping with glee, and they’ll understand a hero who means to be careful, but who ends up stomping all over things anyway.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Forever by Emma Dodd

9780763671327 ∙ October 2013 ∙ Hardcover ∙ $12.99 ∙ 24 pages ∙ Ages 2-5 yrs

Love between parent and child lasts a lifetime; this is the beautiful message in Emma Dodd’s Forever. Featuring stunning, foil-embellished illustrations of a polar-bear family, this book makes a handsome addition to any nursery bookshelf and is the perfect read-aloud for parent-child bonding at bedtime.

«“Splashes of bold color — a vibrant blue sky, the northern lights — punctuate the wintry palette in this lovely bedtime read-aloud.” — Publishers Weekly

«“Perfect for one-on-one sharing or a story time read-aloud.” — School Library Journal

©©©Hearts by Thereza Rowe

9781935179597 ∙ January 2014 ∙ Hardcover ∙ $12.95 ∙ 32 pages ∙ Ages 4-8

When Penelope the Fox drops her heart into the sea, she’s swept off on a perilous journey. Young readers will fall in love with Thereza Rowe’s bold and playful designs. And as they follow Penelope (and her heart!), they will learn what is truly precious.

Never Too Little To Love by Jeanne Willis

9780763666569 ∙ December 2013 ∙ Hardcover ∙ $8.99 ∙ 32 pages ∙ 3 years and up

Tiny Too-Little loves someone who’s very, very tall, and Tiny wants a kiss. What if he stands on his tiptoes on top of a thimble? What if he stands on his tiptoes on top of a matchbox on top of a thimble? Clever cut-away pages show Tiny’s precarious pile growing higher and higher as this comical, cumulative tale of a mouse in search of a kiss shows that you’re never too little (or too big) to love.

«“As attractive as it is clever.” — Boo

One or Two Things I Learned About Love by Dyan Sheldon

9780763666651 ∙ December 2013 ∙ Hardcover ∙ $15.99 ∙ 304 pages ∙ 12 years and up

Hildy has only had two-and-a-half dates in her whole life, and she isn’t counting the half. It’s starting to look as if she’s never going to have a third date, or be kissed, or know a boy who is more than just a friend. Then, on an ordinary day, she meets Connor of the melt-that-ice-cap smile — and a summer that was going to be ordinary as toast turns into Hildy’s summer of love. But love for Hildy is a little more complicated than the songs and movies have led her to believe. It’s not so much girl-meets-boy-and loses-her-heart as boy-meets-girl-and-loses-his-mind. Part cautionary tale and part romantic comedy, Dyan Sheldon’s wry, diary-style novel weighs in on all ends of the relationship scale in a story of first love.

The Crazy Things Girls Do For Love by Dyan Sheldon

9780763664688 ∙ December 2013 ∙ Paperback ∙ $8.99 ∙ 352 pages ∙ 12 years and up

In a new comedy from the best-selling author of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, three girls, two popular, one not, vie to out-green each other to snare a boy. But could it be that Cody isn’t all he’s cracked up to be, and that saving the planet really is more important than impressing a boy? With her trademark quick-fire wit, Dyan Sheldon shows just what girls will do for love — and what earth changing realizations they might have along the way.

«“Falling in love blends with saving the earth in Sheldon’s latest novel, and both dramas are passionate, urgent, transforming, and hilarious.” — Booklist

«“Superior comic writing combined with a major snark factor turns this full-on chick-lit outing into major fun…Plenty of witty merriment for all high-school social sets.” — Kirkus Reviews