Whether you’re love sick, or sick of love, hopefully you’ve had the pleasure of laughing, crying or sighing over some sappy sweet book, or some ridiculous tale of love and adventure. I’m the Teen Coordinator and also a veteran storyteller, so Valentine’s Day books have crossed my desk and most of them are so sappy that my appetite for chocolate leaves by page three.   The most successful books for Valentine’s Day stories, in my experience, are funny unpredictable and only a little sweet. Books that subversively or subliminally infuse self confidence in a young reader are my favorite. I won’t mention my favorite YA love story here…. Please consider the following books if you want to give your Valentine’s Day a twist this year.

This list is for pre-K through Elementary!

I Loathe You written and illustrated by David Slonim If you love the Sam McBratney classic Guess How Much I Love You, it will be easy to see the humor of this book. Big Monster loathes so much about Little Monster- more than chicken pox, mosquito bites, and fuzzy mold on cheese. And this is a good thing! Monsters loathe instead of love. All of these declarations are in a couplet rhyme scheme that encourages the listener to predict the next word. The water color illustrations are adorably expressive. It’s never been so good to be loathed. (Pre-K- First Grade)