Children's Books About Love

February is the perfect time to celebrate black history and love. It’s a time to empower your kids to love themselves and to respect everyone in honor of their differences. Through good books we learn how we can expand our worlds and love for all people.

As a parent it’s my passion to create a library for my kids that is empowering and full of love. As a publisher, it’s my goal to help you find great books too. Check out these books at the library or next time you’re looking to buy a book, follow the links below.

I’ve included children’s books about loving one’s self, family, and community. Happy Valentine’s Day and happy reading!

Love for Everyone

Some of my favorite books to read promote loving all people. Teaching inclusivity is essential to building love for all people. We can do this when we embrace diversity and read books that show kids of all backgrounds, skin colors, genders, abilities, and types of families coming together as a community.

The Big Umbrella

“The Big Umbrella” is a fun illustrated representation of how there’s always a place for everyone. Under the big umbrella there’s room for everyone when it rains. I love this metaphor because when times get tough, we have to stick together, and when the sun shines, we can celebrate together too. This book is great for a classroom read aloud, especially with this cool lesson plan and activities.

All Are Welcome

I love “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold because it shows so many different kids and families all coming together at school. The kids make new friends, and learn and grow together. Even their families come together for Lunar New Year and you can see how unique and united they are at school. Such a great celebration of an eclectic array of American families in one book.

Our Skin

This board book is a great starter to talk with toddlers and young kids about different skin colors and how they’re all beautiful. I like how “Our Skin” very clearly talks about race in a simple way for young kids to understand.

Love for One’s Self

In order to love others, children must also learn to love themselves. What better way to do that than through empowering books! I have many wonderful books about loving one’s self, but I selected these because I feel that they represent self love, empowerment, and building confidence.

I Am Enough

A gorgeous and lyrical portrayal of kindness and self love, “I Am Enough” by Grace Byers is an excellent book to add to your collection. With respect towards others and depictions of girls in all shapes and sizes and backgrounds, kids can see characters like themselves and their friends.

Girl Power: 5 Minute Short Stories

I prefer to show books on their own, but this collection is amazing. While it says it’s for girls, it’s really empowering for anyone. “I Like Myself” and “Princess in Training” are two of my favorites because they’re about loving yourself even if you’re different from everyone else or what’s expected of you.

The Smart Cookie

What I love about “The Smart Cookie” is that one cookie discovers her creativity and builds confidence by reading a poem about herself aloud. She doesn’t just wake up loving herself, she finds something she likes, works hard at doing it, and then feels good about her efforts in the end. That kind of motivation and confidence is powerful and important.

These books about loving one’s self empower kids to embrace their gender and sexuality differences. I think it’s important for all kids to read books about gender and sexuality differences so they can find help in understanding themselves and supporting others too.

Maiden & Princess

In “Maiden & Princess” a knight discovers that the prince is not for her, and in accepting that about herself she finds true love. This book is one of my kids’ favorites. It’s a book for older kids (5-8) with delightful illustrations and a great message that love is love.

My Rainbow

Family is so important to how we learn to love ourselves and each other. In “My Rainbow” by DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal, a mom makes an extraordinary rainbow wig for her transgender daughter. Based on a real-life scenario, this book is a testament to love, support, and being yourself.

Max and the Talent Show

Friendship between Max and Stephen is very special in “Max and the Talent Show.” When the pair sign up for the talent show, both of their skills are shown and make them proud. Max is a planner and Stephen is full of glamour and vision, combined they’re the best of friends!

Books About Love for Young Kids

I added these books to the list because they’re great for babies and toddlers in particular. They show love in three ways, through affection, positive affirmations, and creating art. Each of these three books were very special in our house when our kids were younger.

If Animals Kissed Goodnight

This board book is great for babies and toddlers. It shows animal babies and their parents at bedtime imagining how they say goodnight with kisses. “If Animals Kissed Goodnight” is sweet any time of year, but especially in February.

How Do I Love You?

Such a great book for babies and toddlers, “How Do I Love You?” by Caroline Jayne Church has poetic repetition and pleasant illustrations make this a special book you’ll enjoy reading over and over. I still pick this one out and read it to my kids as a reminder of how much I love them!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!

A classic board book with the mouse from “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” that celebrates Valentine’s Day. I love how Mouse personalizes all of his cards for his friends. Such a sweet story.

Love for Siblings

Teaching sibling love is something we do every day as we foster fun play time with siblings, in how we act and model behavior towards our kids, but sometimes a nice book helps too. We have many books about sibling love in our house, but I chose these because they represent a wide variety of ways to convey love among siblings.

LIFT

What a creative display of sibling love! “LIFT” by Min Le is one of my favorite books because it takes the simple act of pushing an elevator button and turns it into an exciting journey of self-discovery and sibling love. With imagination and care, this book shows how much one big sister loves her little brother… all with the press of a button.

Little Miss, Big Sis

This book is terrific for a child who is about to get a younger sibling. The text is blissfully simple and direct, ideal for young kids. The illustrations are adorable — tackling the highs and lows of getting a new baby in the house. “Little Miss, Big Sis” is a cute one not to miss!

The Two Much Sisters

We were gifted “The Two Much Sisters” by Carole Brendler and my girls adore it. It’s a great book for older kids (5-8 years old). My girls are six and eight, and they love imagining what it would be like to be sisters as adults. This book — which coincidentally has my kids’ favorite colors, red and purple, embodied in the characters of Ruby and Violet — shows how two sisters love each other, and find their personal space too.

Love for Mom

Sometimes I feel like mom needs a little love too! While I mostly suggest books like these around Mother’s Day, I think mom should be acknowledged on Valentine’s Day too.

I Love You, Mom

This book is a classic in our household. My girls adored Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood when they were little (ages 0-4) and “I Love You, Mom,” still gets a read now that my youngest is reading. I highly recommend this one, it’s great for them to see different ways to show they love mommy and it’s a durable one for the littles. Feel like making Mom Tiger’s banana bread? Here’s the recipe.

What Are Mommies Made Of?

Another great book for younger kids, “What Are Mommies Made Of?” shows diverse mommies and how much they love their babies. It illustrates the importance of embracing all forms of modern motherhood with positive phrasing for new moms. It’s the perfect baby shower gift!

The Weird Mother

I came across this book at a local family event in Santa Ana, California. The author, Nicole Sloan is another SoCal author, and she was there with an eclectic array of her amazing art and books (#momgoals). I was inspired by all of her work, especially “The Weird Mother” because it honors women who look, dress, and act true to themselves — and I want to honor all those moms who march to the beat of their own drums.

Love for Dad

Dads are fun and worthy of some recognition! I love these three books about dads so much. They show dads interacting with kids, a bunny wanting to become a daddy bunny when he grows up, and of course a book of dad jokes.

Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies

This heartwarming book, “Daddies Are For Catching Fireflies,” by Harriet Ziefert, shows the many ways dads can interact with kids. I love all the unique illustrations and lift the flap pages are always a big hit with kids. We’ve had this one for many years and I like how it celebrates fatherhood.

The Bunny Book

This book is so unexpectedly sweet. A family of bunnies is trying to imagine what a baby bunny will be when he grows up, in “The Bunny Book.” I think it’s a great story because it shows the stereotypical masculine jobs for the bunny, but then it shows the bunny wants to become a dad. It’s such a feel-good book about love for family.

A Daily Dose of Dad Jokes

I think we all know the key to a kids heart is laughter, right? Well these dad jokes will have you laughing with (and at) DAD. My girls love huddling around their dad and reading these silly jokes in “A Daily Dose of Dad Jokes.”

Love for Grandparents

There are many fabulous books about grandparents out there, but I think so far, these are my two favorites. I like these books because they feature real experiences and feelings. Sometimes when we cannot see grandparents often, it can be hard to bond or relate. Both of these books show how kids’ love for their grandparents triumph across cultural divides and distance with a little imagination.

Grandpa Grumps

In “Grandpa Grumps,” by Katrina Moore we see how one little girl finds a way to connect with her grandfather during his visit from China. At first it is difficult for them to find an activity they both enjoy, but through cooking they discover common ground and their love for one another.

What If My Nana Was a Banana?

During the pandemic we all missed our family, especially grandparents! In “What If My Nana Was a Banana?” a kid misses their nana so they proceed to imagine them going on an adventure together with nana as a crime-fighting banana. The duo bring peace to Earth and the galaxy after settling some bad guys clowns and giant space monkeys. This adventure is not to be missed!

Love for Pets

Pets need our love too! I adore books that teach kids how to care for their animals. This is a nice mix of books ranging from younger kids (0-4 years) “You Belong to Me” by Mamoru Suzuki and “Curious George and the Puppies,” to older kids (5-8 years) with to “Barkus” and “A Kids Guide to Dogs.” All of these books show appreciation and love for animals in age appropriate ways.

We often get books about pets from the library and we have several on this list of great pet books. And for all of you dog-lovers, here’s a great list of books just about children’s books about dogs.