Our very first guest post comes to us from a friend of mine. Mom of two boys and Librarian for Orange County Public Libraries, Jenny. She has put together a great collection of Valentine Books for Boys.
Like most holidays, Valentine’s Day brings with it a whole slew of picture books ranging from the sweet to the sappy (all decked out in pink, of course!) But there are a few that won’t make your teeth hurt that the boys might even slow down for:
For Preschoolers and up, Froggy’s First Kiss by Jonathan London is silly and funny, plus you get to holler “FRROGGYY!” This is my 2nd favorite of the Froggy books (after Froggy Gets Dressed), as Froggy dreams of candy, and, oh yeah, love, when he spots the prettiest girl frog in the world.
With its black and white illustration punctuated by red, Sunday Love by Alison Paul has a comic book meets silent film vibe just right for older kids and especially reluctant or struggling readers, as the action is told almost exclusively through the pictures. Bruno the Burglar breaks out of the big house and evades capture trying to reach his true love on Valentine’s Day, and this is a love that even the least sentimental boy can understand – ice cream!
Finally, in a picture book custom tailored for the modern boy, Leon creates a Valentine for his secret, dreamy crush, only to have it run away, listing all the reasons why love is stinky and yucky. With spot-on, full-color illustrations by Tedd Arnold (Fly Guy, anyone?), Brenda Ferber’s The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever is a perfect match for your boys on Valentine’s Day.
My son’s teacher just read this one today and the class cracked up and learned a lesson: http://www.amazon.com/Roses-Pink-Your-Really-Stink/dp/0688152201
I’m getting such a kick out of these! I can’t wait to buy some for a nephew!!