Will U B Mine?

Love unfolds in an array of interactive Valentine's Day titles. Part of the Fuzzy Board Book series, the die-cut, touch-and-feel Somebunny Loves Me by Joan Holub celebrates love in the animal kingdom, with rhyming couplets and fuzzy patches on each page, highlighting a bunny's ears or a lamb's coat. (S&S/Little Simon, $4.99 12p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-85157-X; Jan.)

Flaps open on six cards that a girl gives to her family in the board book My Special Valentines by Kelli Chipponeri, illus. by Judith Moffatt, to reveal a special message ("Roses are red, Violets are blue" conceals "You're the best, Mom. That's why I love you!") while cut-paper collage adds visual interest. (PSS!, $5.99 12p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-8431-4542-0; Dec.)

In the first of a pair of board books by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Richard Brown, Where's Nicky's Valentine?, the titular feline delivers cards to neighborhood friends; addressees appear behind flaps. Thank You, Nicky! follows the courteous cat as he goes for a stroll and helps his neighbors along the way. (Handprint/Blue Apple, $6.95 each 14p ages 2-4 ISBN 1-929766-72-6; -73-4; Dec.

The liftable flaps in Ziefert's My Funny Valentine, illus. by Emily Bolam, let youngsters follow a Valentine's Day card through the U.S. postal system, from sender to recipient and all stops in between. (Picture Puffin, $6.99 paper 16p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-14-230064-0; Dec.)

The Pixie Pops—Marmalade the monkey, Gumball the cat, Kiwi the frog, Peaches the pig and Ginger the giraffe—get ready for the holiday in the touch-and-feel Valentines by Sugar Pixie. The die-cut cover reveals a satiny heart ("Marmalade made/ a fancy valentine./ He wants to know,/ 'Will you be mine?' "); textured elements appear throughout. The launch title, Fuzzy Bellies, introduces the cast of characters. (S&S/Little Simon, $6.99 each 12p ages 1-5 ISBN 0-689-85406-4; -85407-2; Jan.)

In the first spread of Silly Sweetheart Celebrations: A Tongue-Twister Tale by Quinlan B. Lee, illus. by Clive Scruton, "It's valentine time, and a crafty class creates crazy cards for a silly sweetheart celebration." Similarly alliterative text twists readers' tongues and traces the hubbub, which unfolds in electric-bright colors and three panels of glossy cardstock spreads. (HarperFestival, $6.99 paper 16p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-694-01681-0; Dec.)

"He's the smallest in the family,/ but he causes the most trouble," says BigPig's older sister, Pauline, in BigPig Saves Valentine's Day by Cecile Schoberle. Fold-out flaps at the end of each page reveal the younger siblings' before-and-after antics. (HarperFestival, $6.99 paper 24p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-06-050649-0; Dec.)

In a trio of titles, favorite characters invite readers to join in the fun. Gilbert, Diane deGroat's beloved opossum, makes a guest appearance in Love, Lola, part of the Lola's Dress-Up Box series. Fold-out flaps extend the story line as Lola (Gilbert's younger sister) dons a cap and carryall to hand-deliver Valentine's Day cards. (North-South/Night Sky, $5.99 paper 16p ages 3-6 ISBN 1-59014-082-6; Jan.)

Readers can make cards alongside Snoopy and Charlie Brown with the Peanuts Valentine Craft Kit. The kit comes in a resealable plastic bag and contains two sticker sheets, 24 pink postcards for kids to decorate and a storybook, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, by Charles M. Schulz, adapted by Justine and Ron Fontes, illus. by Vincent Martone and based on the television special. (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 paper 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-689-85018-2; Jan.)

Shaped like a heart, David A. Carter's Love Bugs Mini Edition is a handsize version of the 1995 original, just right for presenting as a Valentine for all ages. Pop-ups of googly-eyed creatures (e.g., Cupid Bugs, Kissing Bugs and topped off with "a dozen Rosebugs") take center stage. (S&S/Little Simon, $6.99 12p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-85815-9; Jan.)

Let Love Rule

Familiar faces make a special Valentine's Day appearance. The bovine pals become barnyard Cupids, penning love poems for friends and delivering them, surreptitiously, via bow and arrow in Minnie and Moo: Will You Be My Valentine? by Denys Cazet, the 10th Minnie and Moo title and part of the I Can Read Books series. (HarperCollins, $15.99 48p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-06-623754-8; Dec.)

In Little Bear's Valentine, Else Holmelund Minarik continues the hero's adventures begun with Little Bear, with illustrations by Heather Green (after the style of Maurice Sendak, the original illustrator), based on Nick Jr.'s animated series. Little Bear makes Valentine's Day cards for friends Emily, Hen, Owl and Duck, but when he receives a card from a secret admirer, it keeps him smiling—and guessing—all day long. (HarperCollins, $14.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-694-01712-4; Dec.)

Alyssa Satin Capucilli's lovable pup stars in the board book What Is Love, Biscuit?, illus. by Pat Schories. Here, the dog demonstrates the answer to his owner's titular question by sharing a favorite blanket with Daisy and her kittens, and helping a duckling find its way home. (HarperFestival, $4.99 16p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-694-01517-2; Dec.)

Cobweb the cat from The Bookstore Ghost, part of Dutton's Easy Reader series, orchestrates a love connection between Mr. Brown, the bookseller, and his new employee, Miss Button, in The Bookstore Valentine by Barbara Maitland, illus. by David LaRochelle. (Dutton, $13.99 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-525-46913-3; Puffin, $3.99 paper ISBN 0-14-230187-6; Dec.)

Anita Jeram's Bunny, My Honey and All Together Now combine under one pink padded cover in Bunny Love. Mommy Rabbit rescues lost baby Bunny in the first; the second explains how Little Duckling and Miss Mouse joined the bunny family. Both feature Jeram's distinctive watercolor-and-ink illustrations. (Candlewick, $12 72p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-7636-1969-8; Jan.)

The team behind Little Bunny's Easter Surprise join up for another holiday outing, 1, 2, 3, Valentine's Day by Jeanne Modesitt, illus. by Robin Spowart. The counting book follows Mister Mouse as he delivers gifts door to door ("Three big badgers, whistling a tune,/ Open the door and get a balloon). Each house has one more inhabitant than the last. (Boyds Mills, $15.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 1-56397-868-7; Dec.)

Illustrated in her signature style, Joan Walsh Anglund's Little Angels' Alphabet of Love, originally published in 1997, features amorous cherubs demonstrating the ABCs of love: A is for "always," B for "beloved" and C for "caring." (S&S, $9.95 32p all ages ISBN 0-689-85358-0; Jan.)

Baby Love

A handful of board books are just right for parent-child Valentines. Converted from the 1998 picture book, I Love You with All My Heart by Noris Kern, which PW called "enchanting," stars Polo, a young polar bear. Confused when his caribou friend tells him that Polo's mother loves him "with all her heart," he seeks clarification from his other friends in the Arctic. (Chronicle, $6.95 26p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-8118-3622-3; Nov.)

Also converted from a picture book, I Love You So Much by Carl Norac, illus. by Claude K. Dubois, follows Lola the hamster after she awakens with "special words" (cited in the title) on the tip of her tongue and must wait all day to share them. PW called the illustrations "effectively unadorned and humor infused." (Doubleday, $5.99 20p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-385-74627-X; Dec.)

When Sylvia Long's Hush Little Baby appeared in 1997, PW said that the artist's interpretation of the traditional lullaby "blends images of nature with timelessly reassuring items." (Chronicle, 26p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-8118-2290-7; Nov.)

Illustrated in her homespun style, Mary Engelbreit's LoveyDovey highlights babies and the pet names grownups give them, including "Sweet Pea," "Snuggle Bug" and "Cutie Patootie." There's a different baby on each page; the final spread shows the multicultural cast together. Also part of the Baby Booky series, Booky introduces cute creatures, "lamby" and "ducky" among them. (HarperFestival, $6.99 each 14p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-06-008134-1; -008133-3; Dec.)

The whole family—dog and cat included—soothe a fussy baby with a variety of smooches, from "ten little kisses on teeny tiny toes" to "one last kiss on [baby's] sleepy, dreamy head" in Counting Kisses by Karen Katz. PW called the hardcover, published last year, "as irresistible as a baby's smile." (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 32p ages 1-5 ISBN 0-689-85658-X; Jan.)

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes (2000) by Rose Lewis, illus. by Jane Dyer, comes to board book. PW said, "Lewis's sweetly sentimental picture-book debut plays out like a love letter to her adopted Chinese daughter. Dyer's watercolors are almost meltingly tender." (Little, Brown, $6.99 24p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-316-52576-6; Jan.)