Was last month Valentine’s Day? Yes. Did I write about it? No. Did I then find two cute books about loveyness? Of course! But instead of waiting for a proper occasion, I’m going to share them with you now, because really, shouldn’t every day be lovey?
True Love
by Rachel Buchholz
National Geographic
ISBN: 978 1 4262 1036 5
This sweet book is full of little anecdotes about animals who have shown each other devotion, from friends to siblings to mates. They are accompanied by sweet photos of affectionate animals, along with quotations about love and friendship. The whole thing is not really an informational book or a reading book, but makes a sweet gift to give someone you love, especially an animal lover.
Miss Mousie’s Blind Date
by Time Beiser and Rachel Berman
Tundra Books
ISBN: 978 1 77049 251 6
When Miss Mousie overhears an unkind comment about her appearance, she holes up at home to lick her wounds, and is not sure at all what to do when an anonymous note arrives asking for a date, for she has lost her confidence entirely. She dresses up to hide herself, and when she arrives, she finds her date being just as absurd, until they drop their facades and accept who they are.
This book suggests that knowing and accepting yourself is the only way to have the confidence to go forward, and does avoid the dreaded pitfall of preaching, though I do wonder if Miss Mousie accepting herself as “plain and fat” is the real end goal. Still, it is rare to find a book that takes on self-acceptance in a way that is fun rather than earnest, and this book does it with a bouncy rhyme, a few funny moments, and wonderful illustrations, so if you are looking to have this talk, it’s a good place to start.
Also available as an ebook.