Love…
National Geographic’s History Book: An Interactive Journey has within its eclectic collection of documents a magnificent love letter from Napoleon to Josephine. “I thought I loved you some days ago; but since I saw you, I feel that I love you even a thousand times more.” Be still my beating heart, this is an inspiring document well worth taking a look at, but alas, despite his boundless love, and his legendary letters, Napoleon introduces the two of them to an eternity of heartbreak when he ends their union.
In the spirit of great loves and books, love both heart-breaking and life-affirming, welcome to our latest list: LOVE them, read them…Happy Valentine’s Day.
Plant a Kiss
We’ve said it before: Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the consummate writer/mentor of big concepts for developing young minds. Plant a Kiss grows the loveliest of gestures into a wealth of sharing, friendship and love. Ages 3+
Hug Time
Patrick McDonnell – the creative force behind the wonderful 2012 Caldecott Honor winning, Jane Goodall-inspired book Me…Jane – has written this sweet little Valentine now available in a sturdy board book edition.
Perfect, perfect, perfect for everyone you love!
Love Monster
“He looked high. He looked low.”
A “heart-tingling” book about finding someone who loves you exactly as you are: a wonderful tale of the surprising ways in which love can arrive. Ages 4+
The Runaway Hug
Follow a charming tale of the final hug of the day as it makes its give-and-take rounds through an endearing and lovingly rendered family. Ages 3+
The One and Only Ivan
Derived from the true story of Ivan the Shopping Mall Gorilla, Katherine Applegate’s story is a life-changer. Spare sentences and short meaningful chapters tell a first-person heart-breaking tale of the transformative power of art, friendship and love. Ages 8+
The Mighty Miss Malone
Newbery Medal-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis’ recent novel, the story of The Mighty Miss Malone is the heart-breaking tale of a family “on a journey to the place called wonderful”. This novel is set in depression-era Indiana and steeped in the dignity and life-sustaining love of a family struggling to thrive in a state of poverty. Humorous, wonderful and imminently readable, the current statistics on the state of child poverty in North America make this a relevant and important book for all readers, ages 8+
The Fault in Our Stars
The challenge that accompanies the formidable task of conveying the engrossing readability of the totally unmissable romantic and occasionally comedic portrait of two terminally ill teens, is a welcome one: the unforgettable Augustus Waters and equally quotable Hazel Grace are falling in love and with terminal cancer biting at their heels, clever author John Green creates a unique set of conditions where upon neither party has anything to lose in the final act of living life and falling in love. Ages 14+
WinterTown
Fiction and graphic novel unite in a charming and funny story of long-term friendship transformed into a meaningful relationship that is drawn up in words and pictures to look like love. Ages 12+
Legend
Ahh…dystopia, already optioned for film before the release of the book, raises its pervasive head in the desolate landscape of a future Los Angeles. A first novel by Marie Lu, (video game art director), finds our two formidable young protagonists – having found themselves in isolation from their loving families – in classic opposition to one another and exceeding all normal human expectations to a most thrilling extent. Too absorbed by their noble task to realize they’ve fallen in love, together they conquer the dark forces and find action, resolve and romance for all readers. Ages 12+
**Thank you Maggie Blondeau for your excellent picture book suggestions and Leslie Buffam for The Fault in Our Stars – marvellous…
