cover image Valentine Be Mine

Valentine Be Mine

Jacqueline Farmer, illus. by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy. Charlesbridge, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58089-390-9

Valentine’s Day is about more than just creating paper hearts and eating too much candy—at least, it used to be. Farmer presents a historical overview of the holiday, including the origins of its name (from three saints, all named Valentine and all martyred on February 14) and practice (including ties to the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia), the evolution of the holiday’s traditions, and its symbolism. Halsey and Addy’s mixed-media collages are suggestive of handmade valentines, with a blend of classic imagery (Cupid, flowers, doves) and vintage and modern photographs of couples and families, all assembled on painted canvas backdrops. Romantic quotations from the likes of Picasso, Plato, and Tennyson appear on banners and hearts; craft ideas, jokes, and mentions of global celebrations of Valentine’s Day lend additional substance to this wide-ranging look at the holiday. Ages 6–9. (Jan.)