Books for Preschoolers - If You’ll Be My Valentine

If You’ll Be My Valentine 
By Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Fumi Kosaka

From the Preschool Book If You’ll Be My Valentine

“If you’ll be my Valentine
I’ll take you on a walk.
I’ll pull the wagon
Just for you
And we can sing and talk.”

About If You’ll Be My Valentine

Follow the main character through Valentine’s Day to see what kind of valentines he sends to his kitten, puppy, mother, and big brother. Each one receives a special hand made card, along with a sweet Valentine’s Day gift. Charming rhymes and illustrations create a warm and funny preschool book perfect for sharing on Valentine’s Day.

From the Reviewer – Charlene Haukom

In a time where store-bought gifts rule along with more candy than a preschooler could ever hope to eat, If You’ll be My Valentine is a refreshing return to what Valentine’s Day should be about. True Valentine’s Day treats aren’t heart-shaped candies and stuffed toys – they’re expressions of love in hand-made notes, quality time spent singing, talking, and making funny faces, and even simple gestures like a kiss on the nose.

If You’ll Be My Valentine’s Charming Rhymes

Author Cynthia Rylant beautifully expresses Valentine’s Day sentiments in fun and upbeat rhymes. Neither too simple nor too sing-songy, the verse flows easily and the message is clear. If You’ll Be My Valentine is the perfect read-aloud story for this very special day – and every other day, too.

If You’ll Be My Valentine’s Endearing Illustrations

Illustrator Fumi Kosaka captures the heart-warming sentiment expressed in this preschool Valentine’s Day book. The first page in each double-spread contains the text as well as a picture of the hand-made Valentine’s Day card for the intended recipient. The second page of the spread shows the actions alluded to in the rhyming text. The pages together complete this endearing preschool story about expressing love on Valentine’s Day.

The Warm and Funny Tone of If You’ll Be My Valentine

While If You’ll Be My Valentine is both heart-warming and endearing, it’s also funny. The preschool book’s silliness comes through when we find out that the puppy’s “valentine treaties” is to lick the main character’s “feeties.”

If You’ll Be My Valentine is a Must-Have Preschool Book

If You’ll Be My Valentine deserves a permanent spot on your bookshelf. You’ll never get tired of reading the text and the illustrations will keep preschoolers coming back. The gentle reminder of simple ways to express love for your family members is an appropriate topic every day of the year, not just on Valentine’s Day.

Book Details

Title: If You’ll Be My Valentine
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: HarperTrophy; 1 edition (December 13, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060092718
SBN-13: 978-0060092719

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