Love and Kisses

Hearts and flowers are just about attacking us as we walk into stores these days. 'Tis the season of Looove. For the past few years I've been trying to track down Valentine's Day picture books that will be suitable for our family. The large majority of Valentine-related storybooks involve:

1. The issue of boyfriends and girlfriends (which I'm not interested in promoting to our children); and/or

2. The characters are in a schoolhouse setting (i.e., characters exchanging valentine's with their classmates.)

Due to the fact that my children are five and under and given the fact that we intend to home school, I'd rather find books that deal with this holiday in a way which has the characters sharing or showing love to and with family members and close friends. It is easier to identify the holiday as it relates to family members at present.

When I saw the following two titles available from Candlewick Press, I knew I wanted to check them out. I had high hopes that they'd suit us well -- and I was right! They do!



First of all: Maisy. We love Maisy around here and visit with her and her friends on a regular basis. Maisy's Valentine is a sticker book which can make it feel like it's a "one time use only" sort of book. But really that's not so. Of course, the fun for the child is in deciding how to help illustrate the scenes in this book with the provided stickers. If you are, um, kind of fastidious about where you put the stickers, you can read and enjoy this book several times over. (Even if you randomly stick them places, I suppose you could still find a way to enjoy this story!) In Maisy's Valentine we find Maisy baking treats for her friends. Cyril gives balloons to Eddie the Elephant. Eddie has presents for Ostrich. And in the end?! All of the characters go on a train ride together! (So you know that this book is a hit in our house!)

Another cute story involving Maisy!



Love and Kisses is available both as a paperback and a board book. (We were sent a copy of the board book for review purposes.) In this positively delightful story we explore what happens if you start a kiss going. Kiss your cat and your cat might then go and kiss a cow who might then go and kiss a giggling goose and so on and so forth. The kiss circles 'round back to the cat who will likely come back and kiss you! This book is simplistic and sweet. (It's even illustrated by a gal by the last name of Sweet so you know it can't go wrong!) I think this book is very friendly and fun to read. I'm glad to add to this our home library as it is perfectly suited for who we are as a family.

Thank you, Candlewick Press, for sending a copy of these books in our direction! We love them!