BOOK MARKED
12 Heartfelt Books
for February
Discover Stories to Warm the
Heart This Month
BY JENNIFER ROTHSCHILD, COLLECTION ENGAGEMENT LIBRARIAN
ARLINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Love is in the air with these books about romance,
Valentine’s Day and sweet treats.

Explore stories of first crushes, elaborate Valentines
and subverting romantic tropes.

PICTURE BOOKS
“Porcupine Cupid”
by June Jason,
illustrated by Lori Richmond
Porcupine loves romance and decides to play
Cupid for his friends. Unfortunately, he thinks
this activity means he should stick them all with
arrows (he uses his quills.) The reaction is not
quite what he hoped, until he posts a sign for a
party where everyone can complain about the
“Poke-y Porcupine Problem.” As the animals
complain, they each find someone to pair off
with—even someone for Porcupine in this cute,
pun-filled story.

“Valenslime” by Joy Keller, illustrated by Ashley Belote
Victoria Franken is a slime scientist. She even
brought some of her slime to life to make her
friend Goop. As Victoria makes Valentines for
all her human friends, Goop realizes he would
like some slime friends, so Victoria sets off to
make the perfect slime companion for him.

This book is filled with all types of slime and a
few of Victoria’s nonsentient slime recipes to
try at home.

“Love, Violet”
by Charlotte Sullivan Wild,
illustrated by Charlene Chua
Violet thinks that Mira is the greatest and
wants to impress her with grand adventures and
treasures, but every time Mira tries to play with
her, Violet gets shy and can’t speak. In order
32 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2022
to tell Mira how she feels, Violet makes her a
special Valentine. When the Valentine falls in the
snow, Violet must find her courage to still give it
to Mira with wonderful results.

EARLY READERS
“The Course to Chocolate”
by Harriet Brundle
Follow along with the Chocolate Box food truck
to discover how chocolate is made and turned
into some of our favorite treats. This book is
part of the Drive Thru series, which uses food
trucks to explore the journeys our favorite foods
take to arrive on our plates.

“Little Critter: Just a Little Love”
by Mercer Mayer
Little Critter has delighted generations of young
readers. When Grandma gets sick, Little Critter
and his family decide to visit to make her feel
better. They make a card, pick flowers and apples
and make egg salad to bring, but something goes
wrong at each step. No matter what happens
though, a little love at each hiccup can help solve
any problem.

“Teeny Houdini:
The Super-Secret Valentine”
by Katrina Moore, illustrated by Zoe Si
Bessie Lee doesn’t let her lack of height stop her
grand ideas. When she is asked to make a special
Valentine to welcome a new student, she thinks
big. Bessie’s Valentine has glitter, tape and her
special brand of magic. When nothing works