Arts & Entertainment

Share the love of reading on Valentine's Day

Children can celebrate the holiday by curling up with one of these books.

Valentine's Day isn't just for grown-ups. Kids can get into the spirit of the day through the pages of these stories that can be read over and over again.

Farfallina and Marcel, Holly Keller (ages 4 - 8) - A gosling (Marcel) and a caterpillar (Farfallina)  become best friends and have fun together, taking each other's limitations into consideration. When Farfallina feels strange one day, she climbs a tree to rest, but Marcel stays to wait for his friend, but time passes. One day, the friends meet again, but it takes a moment to recognize each other since Farfellina is now a beautiful butterfly and Marcel is an elegant goose. After they realize who the other is, their friendship resumes.

Clementine, Sara Pennypacker (ages 9 - 12) - More often than not, Clementine and her friend, Margaret, end up in trouble because of their wild imaginations. Both boys and girls will like this story of a 3rd grader who makes keen observations of the world around her and the people in her life.

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Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling (ages 10+) - Love and friendship are the central themes of this magical series about witches and wizards in England. The books and the movie series have taken the world by storm and with the second movie for the 7th and final book coming to theaters this summer, Potter's popularity won't dim any time soon.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares (ages 12+) - A quartet of best friends discovers a pair of jeans in a thrift store that turn out to be much more than a pair of jeans. With different body types and sizes, the jeans fit each girl perfectly, and they agree to share them over the summer as each travels to their own adventure with the jeans playing an integral part. 

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The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke (ages 9 -12) - Set in Venice, the story follows Prosper and Bo, two boys who ran away from their horrible aunt and uncle after their parents' death. The brothers meet up with a band of street children who live in an abandoned theater. Their benefactor is another child, a 12-year-old named Scipio, who steals jewels from the homes of wealthy Venetians. When the owner of the pawn shop where the kids fence their goods asks Scipio to steal the last piece of a magical carousel, the kids find out what friendship and family can mean when the traditional trappings don't apply.


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