Love's Labour Lost! Mirabel's Missing Valentines by Janet Lawler

Mirabel was very shy.
She'd always been that way.
She trembled at the thought of
giving valentines away.

Still, little mouse girl Mirabel hand-colors her modest little missives, cutting out red hearts and carefully printing good wishes on them. Stashing them carefully in her schoolbag, she spends a restless night worrying about approaching her classmates at school. She doesn't want to go, and she's moving rather slow. But at last she's on her way.

But unknown to Mirabel, there is a hole in her bag, and one by one her Valentines slip out and blow away in the brisk breeze.

But even unintended random acts of kindness have consequences. Each card finds someone who needs it. A lonely old woman whose mailbox is empty smiles at the heart-y card. A construction worker finds a red card with a kind sentiment. One finds its way into a baby buggy pushed by a dutiful dad. Even a garbage man, surrounded by the stinky smell, finds a card that wishes him well.

But then Mirabel discovers that her bag is empty:

"I've lost my Valentines!!" she cried aloud.

The card recipients have a moment of truth.

They hurried up to Mirabel.
"Your cards have made us smile.
Thanks for sharing them with us,
if only for a while."

Seeing how her Valentines have unintentionally brought happiness to their finders, Marabel gets it: Valentine's Day is not about her. It's all about giving. All's well that ends well, with Mirabel enjoying exchanging cards at school and returning home with more heart-filled cards than she gave away, in Janet Lawler's Mirabel's Missing Valentines (Sterling Books, 2019).

Adults forget what an angst-filled day at school Valentine's Day can be. Kids worry that they won't get any Valentines, or that they won't get one from a special person. And for the truly shy, even the act of giving Valentines is fraught with anxiety. But bashful Mirabel learns a little lesson about what giving--and receiving--means in a heart-warming rhyming story with an understated theme of what this overblown and sometimes silly holiday still says about the art of giving.

Love Story: The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting and Jan Brett

It was October 14, and the bear's den was snug and secure for winter.

Mrs. Bear set her alarm for February 14.

Why would a bear want to wake up before spring comes?

The things we do for love!

The Bears had never celebrated Valentine's Day because they have always been deep in hibernation, with weeks to go before awaking.

But this year is going to be different.

Mrs. Bear had things to do.

Back at the end of summer Mrs. Bear decided to make this year different. Now, still yawning, she makes two big red Valentines for Mr. Bear. She ventures out into the snowy scene and digs up a preserved pot of honey.

It was fruity and rich and smelled of summer--just the way Mr. Bear liked it.

She puts the open honey pot on their little tree-stump table, along with a bowl of crispy dried bugs, Mr. Bear's favorite crunchy treat. Mrs. Bear makes a sign for the wall with a big red heart at the top.

IT'S NICE TO SHARE VALENTINE'S DAY WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE.

Now fully awake, Mrs. Bear writes poems for the back of Mr. Bear's Valentines.

Red Berries are red,
Blue Berries are blue.
Termites are sweet,
And you are, too.

Mrs. Bear zooms back out and, breaking the ice on the pond, splashes cold water on her face and smooths out her fur. Now the scene is set for her surprise.

Knowing that Mr. Bear has great hibernation concentration, she starts the task of waking him up. He grunts and moans and rolls over, mumbling about needing another five weeks of sleep. Mrs. Bear knew this was not going to easy. It's time for Plan B. So with a sigh she heads back outside with an empty berry can and fills it with freezing water to shock him awake.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bear." she said. "But you can't just keep on sleeping. This is a very special day. One... two..."

"SURPRISE!"

Mr. Bear shouted and sat straight up. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

It turns out that Mr. Bear has his own plan, and with a smile he pulls out a box of chocolate-covered ants he has kept ready under his pillow, and the two share a very special day in Eve Bunting's The Valentine Bears (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). The award-winning Eve Bunting's story is as sweet as summer honey and chocolates, and best-selling artist Jan Brett's bears are both bear-y loving in this brand-new edition of a charming holiday classic.

Sharing and Caring: Love Monster And the Last Chocolate by Rachel Bright

Love Monster's mind is still on his vacation, sadly now over, as he approaches the door of his own cozy den.

BUT WAIT! WHAT WAS THIS?

A BOX OF CHOCOLATES!

JUST SITTING THERE!

Could one of his friends have left him a surprise welcome-home gift? They all know how much monsters love chocolates.

Love Monster considers the joys of a mixed assortment of chocolate-covered delights. Which flavors may be inside? Chocolate-covered peanut-butter brittle? Fizzy fruit sherbets? His favorite, berry swirls?

BUT THEN HE THOUGHT A THOUGHT THAT HE JUST COULDN'T UN-THINK!

He really should share this box of chocolates with his friends.

He should... but there are problems.

What if there are not enough pieces to go around? Or worse, what if they choose all his favorites?

And worst of all... what if the only piece left for him is one of those coffee-flavored thingies?

EEEEEUUWWWWWW!

It's a crisis of conscience for Love Monster. He weighs the question: To share or not to share?

I'M SORRY TO TELL YOU THAT LOVE MONSTER DECIDED IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR EVERYONE IF HE KEPT THE CHOCOLATES.

Decision made, he brews himself a cup of tea. He peers through the peephole to make sure the coast is clear and then sits down happily with the whole box of chocolates in his lap.

But just as he is ready to open the lid, he notices a queasy feeling inside... that feeling that means what he's about to do is not the right thing to do.

Love Monster is out the door, scurrying to find his friends with the still unopened box, feeling good about making the right choice.

But in Rachel Bright's latest Love Monster story, Love Monster and the Last Chocolate (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015), there's a surprise waiting for our hero when, with his friends gathered around, he opens that box with a flourish, to find it empty--except for just one piece!

"SILLY MONSTER! WE SAVED THE LAST PIECE (YOUR FAVORITE) FOR YOU!"

There's just a touch of irony when author Bright's cute little fuzzy monster finds out that his friends are one step ahead of him all the way, in this sweet story of Valentine candy sharing, and readers will likely not be surprised to learn that the last piece left is not the coffee-flavored thingie. Bright offers up a savory moral but dips it in her sweet but insightful comic coating in illustrative storytelling that makes this one a treat for young readers. Pair this one with Mo Willem's equally empathetic Should I Share My Ice Cream? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (see my review here).

Rachel Bright's early books in this Valentine-approved series are Love Monster and Love Monster and the Perfect Present.