Most of us have a Love/Hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. Even when I was younger and didn’t have a significant other to celebrate the day, I always understood that the day was a celebration of more than romantic love.
The message and meaning I want to convey to my boys (ages 4, 3, and Due in May) is that the day is about love, friendship, kindness, and compassion for others and that we have the capacity to nurture and cultivate love every day.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ― Charles M. Schulz
So, the day is more than a celebration of romance. The day is a celebration of relationships of all kinds. I feel these ideas are particularly necessary to convey to our boys in this “boys don’t cry” society.
In an effort to begin that conversation, I brainstormed my most precious children’s book celebrating love, friendship, kindness, and compassion. I hope that you enjoy it.
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Toot & Puddle Series
Toot & Puddle captured me immediately. Not only do I love the writing of Holly Hobbie, the illustrations are inviting and the messages are always warm ones about a very meaningful friendship between these two characters.
Little Polar Bear and the Husky Pup
I recently discovered Lars, the Little Polar Bear, at our local branch of the library. The illustrations are beautiful and my sons are drawn into the story. Lars befriends Floe, a husky pup, who has lost his way. They learn to get over their initial instinct to growl and to be afraid. So, they become fast friends in a significant way helping one another find the way back home.
Young Masters’ The Friendship Seed 
Pete & Pickles
This book brought tears to my eyes as I read it to my children for the first time. The book is about an unlikely friendship that ultimately deepens and proves strong. Pete & Pickles
Love is Walking Hand in Hand
A remarkably simple book both in words and illustrations, my boys cannot get enough of it. There is something meaningful, perhaps thought-provoking, to a child to consider the idea that a concept such as LOVE can mean many different things to many different people.
Children have the profound capacity to feel deeply and to understand emotions in ways that unfortunately most of us lose as we grow up. This book is a classic and taps into the idea that LOVE is powerful and LOVE is broad. Once you start thinking about it, the list of What love is goes on and on…challenge your children to come up with their own list.
The Peace Rose
Montessori Services and Parent-Child Press offer a variety of children’s books on the topics of peace and compassion. The Peace Rose is one of my favorite books. The book cultivates optimism and brings home the idea that as individuals we have the power to bring peace through respectful conversation and healthy conflict resolution.
The book conveys the idea that compromise is possible and that, with a little hard work, both parties can be happy with the result.
Thank you for reading and enjoy this lovely day!
Marnie