7 Picture Books to Celebrate Love this February

When you think of Valentine’s Day, your mind might automatically go to romance. But love can come in so many different forms — love for ourselves, for our family and friends as well as for our community and the world around us. This February, Better Reading Kids wants you to open your heart and mind to a whole new way of seeing and experiencing love.

Books and stories are the glue that holds us together, so grab a young one and read these 7 books that celebrate love in all its forms.

11 Words for Love by Randa Abdel-Fattah, Illustrated by Maxine Beneba Clarke

A family flees their homeland to find safety in another country, carrying little more than a suitcase full of love. As their journey unfolds, the oldest child narrates 11 meanings for love in Arabic as her family show, and are shown, all different kinds of love in their new home, and they also remember the love they have for their homeland and for those left behind or lost along the way.

Recommended for ages 3+

Buy a copy of 11 Words for Love here.

When You’re Older by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Judy Watson

Beautiful, warm, and evocative, this stunning picture book reveals an older brother’s hopes for the amazing experiences he will share with his new baby brother – when he’s older. A triumph of illustration and storytelling.

Recommended for ages 4+

Buy a copy of When You’re Older here.

You’re the Best, Mum! by Charles Fuge

Little Wombat loves his mum because she encourages him to bravely explore the world around him, and she is always there to comfort him when he’s sad or pick him up when he falls. You’re The Best, Mum! is a celebration of the special bond between mother and child from a beloved picture book creator.

Recommended for ages 3+

Buy a copy of You’re the Best, Mum! here.

Dear Grandpa by Kate Simpson and Ronojoy Ghosh

As Henry measures the distance between his new apartment and Grandpa’s wooden house under the mango tree, Grandpa works out how close they really are. A moving story that celebrates the bond between a boy and his grandfather.

Recommended for ages 4+

Buy a copy of Dear Grandpa here.

Aunty’s Wedding by Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler, illustrated by Samantha Fry

Everyone on the island is getting ready for Aunty’s wedding. Maningawu puts on her best hat and I can wear a wurrijinga in my hair. Lucky! We all dress up, but I still don’t understand. Why do people have a wedding? A warm family story that celebrates love and culture from actor, activist, writer and Australian sweetheart, Miranda Tapsell, and Joshua Tyler, co-writer of Top End Wedding, lushly illustrated by Samantha Fry.

Recommended for ages 3+

Buy a copy of Aunty’s Wedding here.

Miimi Marraal, Mother Earth by Melissa Greenwood

From Gumbaynggirr artist Melissa Greenwood, of mother-daughter art and design label Miimi and Jiinda, comes a deeply felt and heart-stirring picture book about the connection between mothers, babies and Miimi Marraal, Mother Earth.

Recommended for newborns.

Buy a copy of Miimi Marraal, Mother Earth here.

The Story of Us by Michael Wagner and Beck Feiner

The Story of Us makes it easy and fun to share family stories with your children, to capture them in the book’s pages, and to create a keepsake to treasure forever. Whether the stories are funny, sad, exciting, scary or even weird, sharing them with your children will give them a stronger sense of their place in the world, and the feeling that they’re part of something big and important – their family.

Recommended for ages 3+

Buy a copy of The Story of Us here.