The retail world tells us that Valentine’s Day means shiny jewelry, candle lit dinners and falling in love. Romance is all well and good but there are so many different forms of love and Valentine’s Day should be about celebrating all forms of love in our lives – our families, our friends and even our pets.

Teaching our children to celebrate love can shape who they become as they grow up. Here are some great titles to help little readers celebrate what love means to them:

Baz and Benz by Heidi McKinnon

Baz and Benz are best friends. Best friends stick together through thick and thin. They stick together even if one of them turns purple and is covered in spots. They stick together because best friends love each forever.

What Matters Most by Emma Dodd

A young horse learns that there are many important things in life but what matters most is love.

Love and the Rocking Chair by Leo Dillon

A rocking chair is passed down from generation to generation. Over the years the family grows and changes, but one thing always stays the same: love.

Love is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer

Love is more than an emotion. Love is also an action. During the Women’s March in Washington, six-year-old Mari uses her voice to prove how love can spark change in the world around us.

I Love you, Fred by Mick Inkpen

Fred can sit. Fred can stay. Fred can chase pigeons in the park. But Fred can’t quite figure out what ‘Fred’ means. In his journey to figure out this mysterious word, he also discovers just how much he is loved.

— Lesley L.