29 Picture Books to Read in February
Since it’s a leap year I thought it would be fun to round up 29 fantastic picture books that are fun to read in the month of February. I’ve found I LOVE coordinating our reads with seasons and holidays and simply our mood for the month, but many of these have become favorites we read and re-read all year (yes, even the Valentines ones). So prepare for lots of love, some truly inspiring black history stories, and a sprinkle of fun President Day favorites. I’ve read all of these books and there is a good mix of fun for pre-school and early elementary as well as some longer picture books for more mature children.
Groundhug Day: This is a perfect one to start off the month of February with. It’s a cute twist on Groundhog’s Day and mixes a little bit of Valentines, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter in too. It would also be a really fun one to pair with a day to learn all about shadows!
Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch: Throwing this right out there because it’s a classic from my childhood and I bet many of yours too. It has the best message about service and thinking of others. I have many fond memories of reading this as a child and have read it for years over and over with my own kids.
Saint Valentine: Do you know the story behind why we celebrate Valentine’s Day? It actually may not be what you think but the story of Saint Valentine’s life is a great one to learn about. I love how this book is illustrated with roman mosaics which reflect the artistic style popular during Valentine’s life. In the back of the book there is a brief history on how the holiday of Valentines has evolved.
Heart Prints: No matter how big or small, the things we do for others can make a big impact and this sweet story portrays this important message.
Click, Clack, Moo I Love You: I just love the Click, Clack series and my preschoolers always did too. In the past I’ve paired this book with this mini literature study. And if you can get the glitter version - it’s a lot of fun for little kids who can’t resist touching the pages. It’s also got a great message about thinking of others who are a little different than we are.
Love Monster and the Last Chocolate: This is another cute story about sharing and being aware of our friends. It’s absolutely adorable especially for early elementary.
I’ll Love You Forever: Do you have this one on your shelf? This is one we read all year, but it definitely reminds me of a perfect story for February. And, major props to you if you can get through it without tearing up!
Love From The Crayons: To kick off our school year we did a color unit study and we fell in love with these crayon books. We read them over and over and over. They’re hilarious and the Valentine one is another simple and fun one in the series.
In My Heart: February is also a really good month to check-in and talk about emotions and big feelings and this is a great book to do exactly that.
Construction Site You’re Just Right: Okay, another super cute one especially for the preschool year and little boys who love trucks. My boys have always really been into vehicles so this one is always a hit.
Little Blue Truck’s Valentine: While we’re on the topic of boys and preschool, of course, I had to put this one on the list. We always love a good Little Blue Truck story.
Cupid and Psyche: After diving into Greek and Roman Mythology last year-this one is newer to our collection and my older girls love it as much as I do. The illustrations are gorgeous (I’m a huge fan of this artist as you’ll continue to see below) and while, historically, depictions of Cupid and Psyche can be a little much - this is a very child friendly version. This is probably one of my all time favorite myths as well as love/fairytale stories because you can see so many popular fairytale themes in it…Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty…it’s all right there! There are even figures in this story that may bring Harry Potter to mind.
Grimm’s Fairytales: I think sometimes people forget that February is the perfect month for reading and studying fairytales. We’ve read just about every story out of this Grimm’s book and some of them are a little strange…but there is also a lot of familiarity in them. I am a big fan of this particular version because the illustrations are so pretty.
Beauty and the Beast: I mean, yes, you could just watch the films to any of these fairytales, but all of my kids still LOVE sitting down with the books and this one is no exception. I think it’s generally easier for the kids to see connections between different stories across literature and this one is another Craft favorite of mine.
Rapunzel: Zelinsky’s version or Rapunzel will always be a favorite of mine. (I’ve also got his Rumpelstiltskin book which is a regular around here as well.)
Snow White: This is another one we read out of the Grimm’s Fairytales but if you’re looking for a single version of the original Grimm’s telling - the one I have pictured here is a pretty good one. Either way, I honestly don’t love the Grimm’s ending to this story though…if you’ve read it - do you? For better or worse - I like the Disney tale, ha!
Sleeping Beauty: This was the first fairytale that really opened my eyes to the bigger meaning behind fairytales and now I can never go back. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about - you should probably listen to this podcast: Why Read Fairytales.) We have the Story Orchestra version and while we love this for the music - it does not do the story justice. In fact, my favorite version of this is in the Grimm’s book I linked above, but I am sure you couldn’t go wrong with the Craft version either.
Cinderella: Again, I linked another Craft version here because we have it and, of course, it’s gorgeous. After our Cinderella study last year - I noticed that when we read similar stories back to back - my kids were able to notice and see things they otherwise might’ve missed had we read them months apart so now I’m a big fan of reading the actual fairytales and incorporating them into our yearly rotational reads.
Romeo & Juliet: This is another classic love story for February. I’m sharing this beginner numbers book version we have because I’ve literally had it for 10 years (no joke!). The BabyLit Primers are just too cute and we have multiple books from this series. For the record, we read the Usborne version of Romeo and Juliet this year and it was a fine and a very appropriate introduction to the story for children. But, I’ve heard the Charles Lamb version is fantastic so I actually just snagged it for us to read this February. We’ve also read passages from Poetry from Shakespeare so it’d be another fun way for some poetic romantic reads in February.
Midnight Teacher: I had never heard of Lilly Ann Granderson and so when I first read this book I immediately fell in love with it. I have an especially soft spot for stories about learning and education so this has become one of my all-time favorite history stories and I love the illustrations in this.
The Oldest Student: Wow! This is one of those stories I hope my kids always remember. Mary Walker out-lived all of her children and learned to read when she was 116 years old. It’s just such an inspiring story and pairs really well with Moses as they both cross-connect with the biblical Exodus story.
Moses: Speaking of this book, I cried the very first time I read this story about Harriett Tubman and I still get goosebumps every time I read it. It is, hands down, one of the greatest versions on her story I’ve ever read.
Before There Was Mozart: Many of you know I have loved using Beautiful Feet Books for our history and science studies and this is an original publication on the story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George. This book can be purchased separately or part as the Beautiful Feet Book Black History Month Collection which also looks fantastic.
In The Garden with Dr. Carver: We first read this when we were studying botany almost two years ago and it’s a great story about Dr. George Washington Carver and I love that it’s told from the perspective of a child.
Dear Benjamin Banneker: This is a must-read especially when studying early American history. Banneker sought to make big important changes and was also very well accomplished in many influential scientific matters.
The Story of Mae Jemison: Anytime we study space (which seems to come around quite often, ha!) I pull this book out to remind my kids of Jemison’s story. In fact, we just read it last week when we were talking about the moon. I love this version from The Good and The Beautiful as it places a high emphasis on what a great family Jemison had and her ability to persevere through challenging times.
The Amazing Mind of Granville Woods: During his time, Granville Woods used electricity to experiment and create new inventions that significantly impacted the world around us. It is another one of those stories I had never heard until the last few years and we ended up really enjoying it.
Duck For President: Admittedly, I don’t spend a lot of time focused on President’s Day because I usually talk more about these topics during July or during election time, but this is just one of those cute books that are fun to read around these different kind of holidays and events.
George Washington: Need I say more here? Obviously this is a great read in honor of Washington’s birthday and is a well-told story. There are also some other interesting facts mixed in the book - like more about The French and Indian War. I also really like Cheryl Harness as an author/illustrator.
There are SO many good reads for this time of year. Another fun topic you could explore would be more on the Chinese New Year as it often falls during February. What other favorites do you have for this time of year?
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