15 Fun Valentine’s Day Read Alouds: Free Printables!

Published: December 31, 2022
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A helpful list of Valentine’s Day read alouds and great lessons for reading skills and reading comprehension, to celebrate this time of the year in your primary classroom. Be sure to download the free Valentine’s Day printables!

Valentine's Day Read Aloud Favorites

Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to conduct some wonderful read-aloud lessons! These fun stories are some of my favorites to share during February. There are so many great topics and conversation starters in these books that are centered around Valentine’s Day. The kids will have so much fun with these stories, they won’t even realize how much they are learning!

This is more than just a book list, you’ll find a treasure trove of important topics to discuss with your kids as you read these books together. So many important values are addressed in this uplifting collection of Valentine stories. For example: Friendship, kindness, loyalty, social skills, empathy, sympathy, differences and similarities are some of the concepts covered.

Remember, when you’re reading aloud to your primary students, you’re giving them so much more than just a story! There are so many valuable benefits to read-aloud books!

Here are just a few:

You’re giving students a shared experience they can relate to, learn from, and have meaningful discussions about.
You’re modeling expression, intonation, new vocabulary, and pronunciation.
You can improve listening skills and listening stamina.
Last but not least, some books are just plain FUN and there’s something to be said for just having FUN in the classroom.

So, here we go!

Here are 15 of my favorite Valentine’s Day books (+ engaging lessons and ideas), for you and your students to have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love is truly in the air this time of year!

Valentine’s Day Book #1: Valensteins by Ethan Long

Fran is in love with a special Valentine and his new friends aren’t sure what to think about it. An adorable look at how children might perceive their first impression of romantic love, with some huge giggles along the way too!

Valentine’s Day Book #2: Who Wants a Hug by Jeff Mack

Everyone liked Bear and he loved to give hugs. Well, that is until Bear gives out a hug to a smelly skunk! Your kids will laugh out loud at this funny yet heartwarming book.

Valentine’s Day Book #3: The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever by Brenda A. Ferber

Another cute story for bringing on the belly-laughs! Leon is in love, but the heart he made for Zoey Maloney keeps running away. Will Leon get to give his heart to Zoey?

Valentine’s Day Book #4: Pinkalicious by Victoria & Elizabeth Kann

Another book in this fun series about Pinkalicious! This story filled with pink cupcakes and a little girl who eats too many and turns pink and red! Will Valentine’s Day ever be the same? This story is one of our Engaging Readers books for February!

Take a look at it here: Reading Comprehension: Engaging Readers Set Two – February

Want to see this great resource in action? Here is a blog post for you:

Pinkalicious Lesson Plans

Valentine’s Day Book #5: If You’ll Be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant

If you know me, you know that I LOVE anything by Cynthia Rylant. This sweet book is perfect for celebrating people and things we love! It’s filled with enchanting rhymes and beautiful illustrations.

Valentine’s Day Book #6: Mr. Goat’s Valentine by Eve Bunting

Mr. Goat is off to show his first love how much she means to him. Some of the different ways include buying her weeds and rotten eggs. Along the way he shares his love with his mom this funny and happy Valentine’s Day story!

Valentine’s Day Book #7: Love by Matt De La Peña

This special book is amazing in the way it celebrates the joys and comforts of love in a way that young children will find intriguing.

“In the beginning there is light
and two wide-eyed figures standing near the foot of your bed
and the sound of their voices is love.”

Simply put, I “love” it. What a great book to talk about celebrating love.

Valentine’s Day Book #8: Rose are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane de Groat

Gilbert is writing Valentine’s Day cards to each one of his classmates, but he has a bit of a problem when he tries to write a note for two classmates who weren’t kind to him. If you need some great ideas for teaching this book, they are here.

This story is ALSO one of our Engaging Readers books for February! Check out the reading lesson plans here:

Reading Comprehension: Engaging Readers Set One – February

Valentine’s Day Book #9: Groundhug Day by Anne Marie Pace

Moose is planning a party for Valentine’s Day but Groundhog Day is coming. What if Groundhog can’t come to his party? Will he still be Moose’s best friend? A fun story with endearing animal friends.

Valentine’s Day Book #10: Click, Clack, Moo I Love You! by Doreen Cronin

Being friendly to newcomers is a theme of this story. Little Duck gets the barn ready for a Valentine’s Day party, but will everyone make Little Fox feel welcome too? You can find activities for this book and other Doreen Cronin favorites in this Listen Up unit:

Listen Up! Doreen Cronin Series

Valentine’s Day Book #11: A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berger

Crankenstein does not like Valentine’s Day or annoyingly sweet Valentine cards, until he finds someone who understands how he feels. Kindergarten students can relate to his grumpiness and this is a favorite Valentine’s Day book for your little learners.

You can find response pages for this book by clicking:

A Crankenstein Valentine Book Activities

Valentine’s Day Book #12: Hug Machine by Scott Campbell

A sweet story about a little boy whose perfect gift is giving out amazing hugs! Hugs are a great way to show love! This is definitely a hug-inspiring tale for your little learners!

Valentine’s Day Book #13: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro

The ‘old lady’ is definitely one of the favorite characters of kindergarten readers! You can read these books all year long and your students will never get tired of them. There are seriously SO many!

You can find activities for this book and other themed-focused titles in this Listen Up unit:

Listen Up! There Was an Old Lady Series

Valentine’s Day Book #14: When an Elephant Falls in Love by Davide Cali

Students will enjoy the silliness of Elephant’s actions as a lovesick suitor. He falls in love, but he is nervous to speak to her. Will they ever meet or will he remain a secret admirer?

Valentine’s Day Book #15: Love Monster by Rachel Bright

Kids will love the theme of this cute story. The main character “just wants to be loved for himself” because not everyone comes in a fluffy sweet adorable package. Finally, the big day comes when he finds his true love!

To accompany this book, your kids will enjoy five full days of engaging read-aloud lessons to go with it, just click here!

Here’s a link to the Love Monster Read-Aloud Lesson Plans.

Free Valentine's Day Printables

Your students will have fun practicing CVC words with this set of free Valentine’s Day mazes. Add your name and email address to the box. If you are using school email, make sure to check your spam folder.