Little Blue Truck's Valentine & The Day It Rained Hearts

Board book, 20 pages. Little Blue Truck delivers Valentine cards to his farm animal friends. Published by Clarion Books in 2020.

Picture book, 36 pages. Cornelia Augusta catches rain-hearts to make Valentine cards. Published by HarperCollins in 2001.

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Recap & Review

Read alone or together, these books are sweet, gentle introductions to Valentine's Day and the idea of making, giving & receiving Valentines. I like these stories because each encourages the idea that creating or giving a card should be a thoughtful process, rather than an activity done to impress others.

Alice Schertle

Schertle, a former elementary teacher, is the author of more than 40 children's books.

Felicia Bond

Bond is the author and illustrator of numerous children's books. The Day It Rained Hearts illustrations will be quite familiar - she is the illustrator of the ever-popular If You Give A... series.

Learning Suggestions

Family Read Aloud Time
Read these titles together gives an idea of how and why to create Valentine cards. (Be prepared for a request to cut and glue construction paper!)

Learning at Home
These are superb books to help young children identify emotions and to teach empathy. Take time to talk about the feelings represented in the illustrations and to discuss the different examples of kindness in each story.

Classroom Options
These are good additions to a primary classroom library, as well as useful in any unit preparing for Valentine's Day.

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*The Day It Rained Hearts is currently unavailable at Bookshop.org.