Love is a beautiful emotion, and children are constantly learning about feelings. This list of picture books about love feature darling stories about loving friends, family, pets, hair, and so much more! Kids reading these stories will see how wonderful love is and some sweet ways they can express it. If you have kids who love love, kisses, and cuddles, these are some stories for them.
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30+ Lovable Picture Books About Love
Here are 30+ darling picture books about love:
Love Monster
Published: December 24, 2013
Love Monster is a slightly hairy monster trying to fit in with the cuddly residents of Cutesville. But as it turns out, it’s hard to fit in with the cute and the fluffy when you’re a googly-eyed monster. And so, Love Monster sets out to find someone who will love him just the way he is. His journey is not easy―he looks high, low, and even middle-ish. But as he soon finds out, in the blink of a googly eye, love can find you when you least expect it.
I’ve Loved You Since Forever
Published: March 6, 2018
In the universe,
there was you and
there was me,
waiting for the day our
stars would meet. . .
Sit. Stay. Love. Life Lessons from a Doggie
Published: February 15, 2021
Imbue good character and confidence within your child through easy life lessons, from a doggie!
Dogs make us laugh, and dogs bring us joy. But what can they teach us about life? With its lovable pictures and songlike rhymes, kids will pick up valuable lessons they can use throughout their lives. Sit Stay Love teaches that no matter how we are different, how we are the same is what matters most.
With so many things to learn in life, who’d knew that the best life lessons would come from a dog!
Children thrive on simple phrases, and easy to remember ideas. With a loveable dog-friend as a guide, children will relate to the kind words and advice on every page. Sometimes the guidance parents instill each day seems a bit easier to remember when it comes from a friend. This is one manners book your child will want to read over and over again.
Love
Published: January 9, 2018
“In the beginning there is light
and two wide-eyed figures standing near the foot of your bed
and the sound of their voices is love.
…
A cab driver plays love softly on his radio
while you bounce in back with the bumps of the city
and everything smells new, and it smells like life.”
Smooch!
Published: January 4, 2022
Smooch! A Kiss! It’s stuck on you.
The love inside is just like glue.
Wipe or rub it’s there to stay,
‘Cause kisses never fade away!
Love From the Crayons
Published: December 24, 2019
Love is yellow and orange. Because love is sunny and warm.
Love is purple. Because it’s okay to love outside the lines.
What is Love
Published: December 28, 2021
“What is love?” a young boy asks. “I can’t answer that,” his grandmother says, and so the boy goes out into the world to find out. But while each person he meets—the fisherman, the actor, and others—has an answer to his question, not one seems quite right. Could love really be a fish, or applause, or the night? Or could it actually be something much closer to home? This tender, funny tale is an original take on the “I love you” story, a picture book treasure for all ages to read and cherish.
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
Published: August 25, 2015
From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin’s rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. With beautiful, lush illustrations and a stunning gatefold that opens at the end, this is a book that families will love reading over and over.
I Love You to the Moon and Back
Published: January 6, 2022
When the sun comes up, Big Bear and Little Bear think of new ways to share their love. Big Bear loves Little Bear more and more as each day passes, right up to each new moon – and back.
Hair Love
Published: May 14, 2019
Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it’s beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he’ll do anything to make her — and her hair — happy.
Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair — and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere. A perfect gift for special occasions including Father’s Day, birthdays, baby showers, and more!
Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You
Published: September 14, 2010
. . . I wanted you more than you’ll ever know,
. so I sent love to follow wherever you go. . . .
Love is the greatest gift we have to give our children. It’s the one thing they can carry with them each and every day. If love could take shape it might look something like these heartfelt words and images from the inimitable Nancy Tillman. Here is a book to share with your loved ones, no matter how near or far, young or old, they are.
Love Is
Published: January 24, 2017
This beautifully illustrated book tells the heartwarming story of a little girl and a duckling, who both grow to understand what it means to care for each other as they learn that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding on. A little girl finds a duckling who has wandered away from the park onto the city streets, and takes it home to care for it. The baby duck requires constant attention—early morning feedings, bathing, and tidying—until the time comes to say goodbye. When her pet has grown too big for the bath, the girl takes the full-grown duck back to the pond. Afterward, she misses it and wonders if it remembers her. One day, the duck comes back—with six ducklings of her own.
I Love You and Cheese Pizza
Published: July 14, 2021
Brian, the pig in jeans, thinks all he loves is cheese pizza! All this time, he has been showing love in many different ways without knowing! Celebrate the true meaning of love in this hilarious best-selling series!
More Than Balloons
Published: April 4, 2017
Balloons love the moon, and a tuba loves a tune, but these don’t compare to the love we have for you.
Award-winning poet Lorna Crozier uses evocative rhyme, complemented by Rachelle Anne Miller’s whimsical imagery, to provide babies and toddlers with common concepts that explain just how great love is.
Love, Z
Published: December 18, 2018
When a small robot named Z discovers a message in a bottle signed “Love, Beatrice,” they decide to find out what “love” means. Unable to get an answer from the other robots, they leave to embark on an adventure that will lead them to Beatrice—and back home again, where love was hiding all along.
I Love You Because I Love You
Published: January 18, 2022
“I love you because you tell the best stories.
Because I love you, my best story is you.”
What are all the big and small reasons why we love the people we do? And what does it look like when we voice it out loud?
To be read aloud by one or even two people, this affirming prose demonstrates that love is a dialogue. Love is complex. Love is utterly simple.
This is what love looks like.
Love, Violet
Published: January 4, 2022
Only one person
makes Violet’s heart skip
Of all the kids in Violet’s class, only one leaves her speechless: Mira, the girl with the cheery laugh who races like the wind. If only they could adventure together! But every time Violet tries to tell Mira how she feels, Violet goes shy. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Violet is determined to tell Mira just how special she is.
Love in the Library
Published: February 8, 2022
To fall in love is already a gift. But to fall in love in a place like Minidoka, a place built to make people feel like they weren’t human—that was miraculous.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tama is sent to live in a War Relocation Center in the desert. All Japanese Americans from the West Coast—elderly people, children, babies—now live in prison camps like Minidoka. To be who she is has become a crime, it seems, and Tama doesn’t know when or if she will ever leave. Trying not to think of the life she once had, she works in the camp’s tiny library, taking solace in pages bursting with color and light, love and fairness. And she isn’t the only one. George waits each morning by the door, his arms piled with books checked out the day before. As their friendship grows, Tama wonders: Can anyone possibly read so much? Is she the reason George comes to the library every day? Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s beautifully illustrated, elegant love story features a photo of the real Tama and George—the author’s grandparents—along with an afterword and other back matter for readers to learn more about a time in our history that continues to resonate.
Dear Girl
Published: December 26, 2017
Dear Girl, is a love letter written for the special girl in your life; a gentle reminder that she’s powerful, strong, and holds a valuable place in the world.
Through Amy and Paris’s charming text and Holly Hatam’s stunning illustrations, any girl reading this book will feel that she’s great just the way she is—whether she enjoys jumping in a muddy puddle, has a face full of freckles, or dances on table tops.
Dear Girl, encourages girls to always be themselves and to love who they are—inside and out.
Dear Girl,
This book is for you.
Wonderful, smart, beautiful you.
If you ever need a reminder, just turn to any page in this book and know that you are special and you are loved.
—Amy and Paris
The Love Letter
Published: October 8, 2019
Fall in love with this endearing and adorable picture book that illustrates how a little bit of heart goes a long way to making the world a better place.
Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel are best friends. One day, they each find a letter. But not just any letter…
A love letter.
My word!
My whiskers!
Aww, nuts!
Someone loves them. But who? The answer may surprise you!
Celebrated author Anika Aldamuy Denise and beloved illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins deliver this heartwarming tale about a wonderful mix-up that reminds us of the joys of friendship.
Makes for a perfect Valentine’s Day gift, or for any time you want to tell someone in your life how much you love them!
Dear Boy
Published: April 23, 2019
With the same tenderness as Dear Girl, Paris and Jason’s charming text and Holly Hatam’s stunning illustrations will make any boy reading this book feel that he’s amazing just the way he is—whether he’s offering a helping hand, singing in a choir, or reaching for the stars.
…be kind
…always trust magic
…and pursue your dreams.
Emma
Published: August 1, 2015
Step into the drama filled world of Jane Austen’s Emma: A BabyLit Emotions Primer. Your little one will learn about the meddling Emma Woodhouse, who takes it upon herself to become the village matchmaker, creating all sorts of feelings in others. Her friend’s emotions include Mr. Elton being angry, Miss Taylor becoming happy, while Jane Fairfax is tired.
This Is Not a Valentine
Published: December 26, 2017
This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about? Maybe this book is sort of a valentine after all. A testament to handmade, wacky, bashful, honest love—sure to win over the hearts of all readers—this offering from debut picture book author Carter Higgins and children’s book veteran Lucy Ruth Cummins is the perfect gift to celebrate every relationship, from parent to child, sibling to sibling, partner to partner, crush to crush.
A Little Spot of Love
Published: October 3, 2019
Everyone NEEDS to be loved! Sometimes its hard to figure out how to LOVE someone the way they want to be LOVED! This fun story visualizes LOVE as a fun PINK spot and it guides you through all the ways you can express love, from listening to being kind. so any child can see how to grow their LOVE SPOT!
I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home
Published: December 18, 2018
I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home isfilled with warm, funny art and rhythmic, romping text, perfect for curling up with your little one at the end of the day…or anytime you want to express your love.
I will love you till the cows come home from a trip to Mars through skies unknown, in a rocket ship made of glass and stone… I will love you till the cows come home.
I Love You Through and Through
Published: September 25, 2018
I love your hair and eyes,Your giggles and cries…A toddler and his teddy bear illustrate a young child’s happy side, sad side, silly side, mad side, and more!Babies and toddlers will feel loved all over when they hear this declaration of adoration and affection. A perfect first book for toddlers with sturdy cardstock pages and a padded cover with rounded corners for safe handling by little ones.
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
Published: October 14, 2014
Happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness . . . our hearts can feel so many feelings! Some make us feel as light as a balloon, others as heavy as an elephant. In My Heart explores a full range of emotions, describing how they feel physically, inside, with language that is lyrical but also direct to empower readers to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions.
Friends Are Friends, Forever
Published: January 4, 2022
On a snowy Lunar New Year’s Eve in Northeastern China, it’s Dandan’s last night with Yueyue. Tomorrow, she moves to America. The two best friends have a favorite wintertime tradition: crafting paper-cut snowflakes, freezing them outside, and hanging them as ornaments.
As they say goodbye, Yueyue presses red paper and a spool of thread into Dandan’s hands so that she can carry on their tradition. But in her new home, Dandan has no one to enjoy the gift with―until a friend comes along.
Viking in Love by Doug Cenko
Published: December 14, 2021
Stig is your quintessential Viking guy. He loves fresh air, stew, and adorable kittens . . . but he hates the sea. Ingrid is your quintessential Viking gal. She loves all of the above and the sea. What happens when Stig sees Ingrid? Of course, he falls head over heels. But there is one significant problem that stands in their way: the sea.
Will Stig find a way to overcome his fears and woo the bold and beautiful Ingrid? Only if he uses his Viking ingenuity . . . and a few kittens.
Group Hug
Published: December 14, 2021
There once was a slug, / needing someone to hug.
When Slug happens upon a lonely beetle, he knows just what to do. He gives him a big hug―and then the two friends decide to pass it along. They meet Mouse, who’s down in the dumps, Skunk, who’s a bit smelly, and more and more animals, until their group hug stretches wide and tall. But when Bear comes along, will there be enough hug to share? This delightful picture book encourages kindness and goes to show “that a hugger finds happiness ‘longside the hugged!”
I Am Love: A Book of Compassion
Published: September 17, 2019
Love means showing kindness, living with gratitude, and taking care of our minds and bodies. Letting our hearts lead the way can help move us closer to a better world.
From the bestselling team that created I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Human, and I Am One comes a celebration of love in all its forms. Grounded in mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love asks readers to look inward when they feel afraid, angry, hurt, or sad. When a storm is brewing inside us and the skies grow dark, the transformative power of love lets the light back in.
That’s Me Loving You by Amy Krouse
Published: December 27, 2016
Wherever you are,
Wherever you go,
Always remember
And always know. . .
That feeling you always have in your heart?
That’s me loving you.
Worm loves Worm
Published: January 5, 2016
You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of a worm…and a worm.
When a worm meets a special worm and they fall in love, you know what happens next: They get married! But their friends want to know—who will wear the dress? And who will wear the tux?
The answer is: It doesn’t matter. Because worm loves worm.
How Do You Say I Love You?
Published: December 5, 2017
“I love you” may sound different around the world, but the meaning is the same. From China, to France, to Russia, to Brazil, and beyond, this charming board book features “I love you” in ten different languages. Tapping into the emotions that parents feel for their children, the rhyming text is accompanied by sweet artwork that depicts different cultures around the world.
There they are: 30+ picture books about love! Which of these books have you read? What did I miss?
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