Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 11))
Valentine's Day gets Gibbons' treatment--simple, direct, and illustrated with busily bright watercolors, here punctuated with lots of red hearts. Each spread begins with the sentence "Valentine's Day Is . . ., which is completed with a word or phrase that points out a different aspect of the holiday. For instance, "Valentine's Day is . . . a celebration of friendship and love" or "Valentine cards" or "flowers" or "candy." Then each thought is expanded. Sometimes the explanations are a bit truncated; at other times, they are a little off. It seems odd, for example, to talk about St. Valentine being jailed for his religious beliefs (and named a saint) without mentioning his religion. Likewise, the line "Everyone gets lots of cards" seems insensitive to the many children who don't. But mostly this is a good introduction to a holiday that children become aware of early on. The pictures are filled with kids having a good time, and cards, gifts, and candy, and other symbols of the season decorate the pages. Instructions for making a simple valentine are appended Category: Books for the Young--Nonfiction. 2006, Holiday, PreS-Gr. 1.