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13*2 Books to Gift for Kids of All Ages for Valentine’s Day

January 25, 2019

Did you know that 14th February does not just celebrate St.Valentine, but is also International Book Giving Day? What a wonderful day indeed and what better gifts than the gift of books.. So this Valentine’s Day, gift/give a book to loved ones, and to strangers too – you can leave a book in those mini-libraries if available in your area, donate books to the local library, wrap gently used books prettily and leave on a park bench or other places with a note so people know it is just a book, and oh, protect as needed based on the weather in your area!

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International Book Giving Day

My favorite item to gift, to anyone, has always been books. My kids know by now that there will be at least one book as part of their gifts, for any special occasion, and sometimes just like that. Birthday goody bags and gift bags for class parties (when I was room parent) invariably contains(ed) a book.

Today, I bring to you a list of 13*2 (yes 26) books for kids of all ages that they will enjoy receiving…(and many for adults too). This list contains picture books, books for early/young readers, tweens and teens, and journals as well that are totally giftable. Two reasons to gift these books on February 14th now. So go ahead and check these books out and gift them to a loved one and watch their eyes light up. I know mine will!

  1. Hug Me by Simona Ciraola – endearing, uplifting, sweet. A young cactus needs a hug and goes looking for one. For 3 – 6 year olds but don’t you think anyone can use a hug, no matter how old you are?
  2. One Love – Board book by Cedella Marley illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton – Based on Bob Marley’s much loved song, this book is sure to enthrall new audiences 🙂 For the young ones!
  3. Owl Love You – I reviewed this beautiful book earlier here and I am sure owll of us will love this book. For 4 – 8 year olds.
  4. Love by Matt de la Pena and illustrated by Loren Long – ‘and the sound of their voices is love‘ say the words as the illustration shows parents looking on lovingly into a crib(at their lil one). This award winning book portrays love that can be found all around us, on the streets, in play, at home, in nature – both by lyrical words and beautiful illustrations. Suggested age range is 4 – 8 years (note that a couple of images/pages might be a little too dark for your intended audience so preview the book)
  5. Love Is – a wonderful book that explores the tender side of love, of letting go, of holding on, and of caring. Claire Keane’s art accompanying Diane Adam’s words make this book simply beautiful! While it’s suggested age range is 3 – 6 years, it works well for moms of all ages too 🙂
  6. Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine – We all love(d) reading the antics of Amelia Bedelia, literally! For 4 – 8 year olds.
  7. The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond – Pair this with a craft activity (cloud with hearts!). Portrays the wonderful act of giving. For 4 – 8 year olds.
  8. Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle, LOOOVE this just like the other Eric Carle’s, enough said!
  9. There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose – The old lady does not chew her food! And she seems to swallow just about anything and does not fail to make us smile. For 3 – 6 year olds.
  10. You Read to Me & I’ll Read To You: Stories to Share from the 20th Century – A book that is for the family library, to enjoy hours of togetherness. I reviewed this book earlier here. For 5 years and up.
  11. Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Jen Hill – with words that flow gently and colorful art that matches the sentiments perfectly, this book shows how easy it is to Be Kind. For 3 – 6 year olds.
  12. Somebody Loves You, Mr.Hatch – a sweet, sweet book I read years ago and recall tearing over as I read it. For 3 – 8 year olds.
  13. Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart – We love Fancy Nancy in our home, and she always finds a place on our bookshelves, or in a gift-bag to those who we know also adore her. 4 – 8 years of age
  14. Heidi by Johanna Spyri- I wanted a grandfather like Heidi’s (not that my granddads were not most wonderful themselves!) when I first read this book, and then the other times I read it as well. I wanted to live where she lived. And loved the love that was there all around her. You can get four wonderful classics in this beautiful collection too, if that is your choice.
  15. Sarah, Plain and Tall – I read this book with my son when he had it as part of his reading assignment in elementary school, and it is one of those reads that is sweet, realistic, and a look into life in the early 1900s. For 6 – 10 years of age
  16. Little Women – I have said so much about this one already!
  17. The Princess Bride – The movie or the book? For this one, both is the answer. And order too does not seem to matter, at least to me. For tweens and older.
  18. Tuck Everlasting – I am not sure now if I watched the movie first or read the book, but both of them I did as an adult, and truly enjoyed both. Recommended for 10 years and older.
  19. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli – I read this when my kids were reading it, and it is always fun to discuss books with them. This way, they read books like Little Women when I read Stargirl 🙂 For ages 12 and older.
  20. Up to this Pointe by Jennifer Longo – While I don’t recall how I picked up this book to read, I remember planning to review it but never did. But suffice to say, this book was wonderful (and I loved that it has Shackleton, LucasArts, and San Francisco, but you don’t need to know or love any of this or even ballet, which also the book has a lot about, to enjoy the read). Note that while the book does say ages 12 and up, some of the content for me were for ages 15 and up.
  21. Anna and the French Kiss – From my review of the book – A little quirky, a little cheesy, a little predictable, a little everything-you-expect-in-a-teen-romance – overall, sweet! More appropriate for ages 15 and older.
  22. The Fault in our Stars – My son, after he read it. asked me why I did not let him know beforehand how heart-wrenching it was…
  23. Pride and Prejudice along with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: A Book-to-Table Classic (Puffin Plated) – While I already love Pride and Prejudice, books like this recipe collection and a coloring classic, as well as ‘What Would Jane Do‘ never fail to catch my attention, and when put all together in a gift bag along with a coffee mug, perfection! For teens and older.
  24. Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E Smith – I know I read this but I don’t know why I did not review it however. For 15/16 years and older
  25. Pour Your Heart Out – a journal you know you want for yourself! I do and it is on its way home.
  26. Everything Grows with Love – a Flow book – tiny pocket sized cuteness of inspiration
13*2 Books to Gift for Kids of All Ages for Valentine's Day

You can check out my previous posts for the month and for Ultimate Blog Challenge below. Today’s post goes toward’s Thursday 13 ( and I still need to catch up with my Comment 4 Comment challenge and other reading challenges as well)

Day 23 Day 22Day 21Day 20Day 19Day 18Day 17Day 16Day 15Day 14Day 8Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7Day 9
Day 10Day 11Day 12 Day 13

43 thoughts on “13*2 Books to Gift for Kids of All Ages for Valentine’s Day”

  1. What a great list of books, so many I remember from when my girls were younger. I love the idea of wrapping up books on International Book Giving Day! What a joy for those who find them!

  4. You have a great set of books that I would recommend to my future kid! And the Fault in Our Stars broke me into a million pieces. Also, as a first-grade teacher The Old Lady books and Amelie Bedelia are awesome! I am also partial to anything with Pete the Cat!

  7. What a great list! My son loves being read to – he start learning to read next school year – but I think an entire English written book is still a bit too much for him. We do try to teach him some English – our native language is Dutch – so I’m hoping I can buy some English books for him sometime in the future as well. I’ll definitely keep this list in mind!

    1. thank you Melissa.. i remember my son wanted to read Harry Potter when he had not yet started reading, and I told him that he first needs to learn to read, and he was so keen that he picked up reading with my help within a couple of months (before he started school).. but he did not read Harry Potter until later..

  8. I didn’t know it was also International Book Giving Day! What says love more than gifting books and the wonderful creative world it opens up for us!! I have a niece and nephew both under the age of 6 and I love sharing books with them, thanks for these suggestions!

  15. This is a great book list! Thanks for including the recommended age for each book. Oh that book “The Fault in Our Stars” made me cry! I have a copy of that in my bookshelf and I will read it again today. Not that I love crying, but I do love a good love story.

  16. I’m a bookworm too and have been so since childhood. “Hug Me” sounds interesting as a young cactus with prickly spines wants a hug lol. I guess there’s a message somewhere. Also, I read Heidi as a child and I also wanted to live in the snowy Swiss mountains lol. Now that I’ve experienced snow and chill, maybe the tropics lol.

  20. I’d appreciate reading Love by Matt de la Pena. Why? I think it feels so nice when it’s shown in the book that love is everywhere, we just have to see it.

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