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Valentine’s Day is almost here and with President’s Day only a day later. Here are some heart-felt books and presidential books on both subjects.
LOVE (From The Very Hungry Caterpillar), by Eric Carle, is a petite little book that reflects the beauty and imagery of love and the small sweet things in life. The simplicity of this book, and the trademark illustrations of the renowned author/illustrator, makes it perfect for tiny hands. The very hungry caterpillar takes you through a sweet strawberry and a brilliant glowing sun. This special book is meant for your special little one.
Love is Everywhere, by Jim Benton, is a sweet and funny rhyming board book that states just exactly where “My love goes”. It “goes everywhere, / and anywhere you go. / It follows you both day and night, / through rain and sun and snow.”
Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to LOVE, by Kimberly & James Dean, is filled with quotes on and about love. The cover states “Tips from a Cool Cat on how to spread the LOVE”. Charles Dickens states, “A loving heart was better and stronger than wisdom.” Mother Teresa said, “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” The bright art is the authorsâ trademark brilliance of reds, pinks and blues.
How to Mend a Heart, by Sara Gillingham, is a beautiful metaphor comparing the emotions of sadness or hurt feelings with actually sewing items back together. A young boy is sad because his stuffed elephant has fallen apart. By gathering the tools to sew, he begins to stitch the animal back together. With the help of mom he completes the task at hand. Even though his little elephant begins to fall apart again due to a little sister he goes about repairing it â again. We need to learn to love this concept to never give up on another! The illustrations are bright and simple and complement the book perfectly.
I Love You Already!, by Jory John & Benji Davies, is a story about two friends who are opposites. Duck is very outgoing. Bear just wants to be left alone. As Duck attempts to get Bear to get involved with Duck’s activities, Bear continually says, “I like you already.” But when Duck asks “You don’t even like me, do you, Bear?” Bear answers with the bookâs title. This is a nice example of getting along and declaring positive feelings. The expressions of both animals are fun, funny and display their unique personalities.
The White House (A Pop-Up of Our Nation’s Home), by one of my favorite paper engineers, Robert Sabuda, fills the pages with pop-ups of our beloved home of the people. Every page pops out with precision and amazingly folds right back into the book. There are pages of the East Room, the Lincoln Bedroom and the Rose Garden. This book is perfect for all ages.
The Left Behinds: Abe Lincoln and the Selfie that Saved the Union, by David Potter, takes three friends back in time by the use of their iTime app. They arrive in Washington, D. C. right as Lincoln is about to deal with the battle at Gettysburg. This is the second in a planned time travel series and there is much exciting and informative history to learn as kids, ages eight and up, read this historical science fiction. There are facts and more interesting historical notes found at the back of the book. Potter’s first book in this series is another excellent book about history: “The iPhone that saved George Washington”.
#Presidents: Follow the Leaders, by John Bailey Owen, is a smallish sized book packed with facts about each of the presidents of the United States beginning with George Washington. The layout has hashtags and has some imaginative responses from one president to another. General Washington1776 lets us know that “since I’m #number-one, it’s only right that I have just #one tooth left!” Be sure to check out the interesting timeline at the back of the book.
Nice Work, Franklin, by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, and beautifully painted with Wolff pencil and watercolor with gouache by Larry Day, highlights Roosevelt’s young life up until his second inauguration. It’s an amazing example of how to overcome great obstacles and challenges as he had to deal with polio and a country in crisis. There are some interesting facts found at the back of the book. But I found one of the most interesting facts in the section at the very beginning entitled: “Do Presidents Have Challenges?”Â
Big George: How A Shy Boy Became President Washington, written articulately but with emotion by Anne Rockwell, and masterly painted with pencil and gouache by Matt Phelan, demonstrates in both word and picture the emotions of a young boy and the traits of courage and fortitude that helped make him one 
of our country’s great presidents. When he became general, he was the first to get in and do what needed to be done, such as digging trenches. This outstanding book showcases a good boy who grew to become a great man! Be sure to check out more interesting facts found at the back of the book.
Ronald Reagan, by Jacob Weisberg, is a book more conducive for teens and adults. Weisberg focused much of this biography on Reagan’s own writings, memoirs, speeches and letters. By doing so, he has brought to surface a very well-read, articulate and thoughtful person. But Reagan was much more than just a person. It was as if he was made for the times to be the president. He was a magnificent statesman helping to make America great again.
