Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Say "I Love You" with a book!

If you've been following this blog for a while, you know how much I love to give books as gifts.  I've mentioned some of the many reasons why in the past, but each time a holiday comes around -- especially one like Valentine's Day or Easter that otherwise tends to be celebrated with excessive amounts of candy -- I find myself getting excited to pick out a new book to give my kids in honor of the occasion.  (And don't worry. Chocolate is still involved.)  Fortunately, I can happily report that my kids get more excited about new books than any kind of candy or edible treat.  And by "new," I simply mean "new to them."  I pick up most of our books at the used book sales at our local library for about $.25 a piece, then hang on to them for future gifting.  I did splurge this year and buy brand new ones for my kids for Valentine's Day, but Barefoot Books was having such a fabulous sale recently that I couldn't resist.  (My daughter will be getting the singalong Up, Up, Up!, and my son will be getting Up and Down the Andes.)  While their new books have nothing at all to do with Valentine's Day, here are a few of our favorites that would make perfect gifts for your little Valentine:

 Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

 Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney

 On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

 Someday by Alison McGhee

For Daddy:

 I Love My Daddy Because... by Laurel Porter-Gaylord 

For Mommy:  

 I Love My Mommy Because... by Laurel Porter-Gaylord

From a younger sibling to an older one:

I Can't Talk Yet, But When I Do... by Julie Markes