Twelve Picture Books about Love
Rebecca from ThirteenRedShoes is with is with another one of her wonderful lists! Today she is sharing her favorite, love themed, children’s books.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, it is always lovely to share books which inspire kind, loving, honest and good thoughts. The following titles all tell the story of love in their own unique way. Be it between a Father and his children, a Grandparent and Grandaughter or between a stick man and his stick family! I adore a story abut love and these are some of our family favorites from our home library:
1. The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers – The Heart and the Bottle is a story about loss and love by the wonderful Oliver Jeffers, whom I had the pleasure of meeting last year with my Little R. This book brings a tear to my eye, each and every time I read it. We have the version with the audio CD included. The amazing voice of Helena Bonham Carter reads the story with such eloquence and emotion that it is certainly not only for the littles. There is also an iPad app , which I would love to download for the boys this Valentine’s Day. You can find more information about the app here.
2. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney – In Australia, this story is a classic and every child receives at least one copy when they are born, or even earlier! The story is about Little Nut Brown hare and his Father Big Nut Brown hare and a game they play to see who loves who the most. A delightful tale that shows how difficult it is to measure love. We have three or four copies alone, including an audio version. I love audio books!
3. I Love series by Anna Walker – Anna Walker has created a lovely little series, each title based around different family members. There’s Mum, Dad, Grandmother, Grandson, and the list goes on. Her illustrations are beautiful and suit the simple text perfectly. See Anna’s blog for some lovely inspiration.
4. & 5. My Dad and My Mom, both by Anthony Browne – These titles both have a lovely flow and have been read so often that both my husband and I know them by heart. Anthony’s illustration style is so very original and is adored by children around the world.
6. The Shape Of My Heart by Mark Sperring and Alyson Paterson – This title is new on the market, only released this month. The illustrations are bright, bold and ever so adorable. The world is full of lots of different shapes, but the most important shape of all is the shape of your heart. We love is book!
7. Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady love and his stick children three and suddenly he is not there any more! This is a story of adventure, as we follow Stick Man on his journey home to his greates love: his family.
8. The Potato People by Pamela Allen – This is a beautiful story about a Grandmother and her Grandson. They love spending time together. When they are separated, Grandma misses her Grandson so very much and longs to be reunited.
9. When I Was Born by Isabel Minhos Martins and Madalena Matoso – This is a story about all the things that you are exposed to as you grow up by those who love you. When I Was Born was originally published in Portugal, but now has been released in numerous languages.
10. When You Were Small by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Julie Morstad – Little F, aged two, adores this book! At the moment it is part of his nightly bed time story request. It is the story of a Dad sitting down each night and sharing stories with his son of when he was small.
11. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox Helen Oxenbury – In my eyes, Mem Fox can do no wrong. Her books are precious and so beautiful to read. This book is the perfect gift for a new baby.
12. Ivy Loves To Give by Freya Blackwood – Freya Blackwood is an amazing children’s illustrator and now, also a children’s author. This book is all about the love of giving and receiving. The main character, Ivy, loves to give, but sometimes her intentions, which are well meaning, can be a little bit muddled.
