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     Valentine's Day is always such a fun school day holiday.  There are Valentines to make/address and Valentine Mail Boxes to decorate.  Then there are the heart shaped cookies and chocolate kisses.  Themed days like Valentine's Day are great ways to encourage reading in children as the fun and excitement for the holiday builds.  I've gathered some great suggestions that will draw your kids into reading without them even realizing that as they celebrate a holiday, they are building reading skills as well.  An extra bonus is that many of these books about love can help you teach your children lessons about love, kindness and healthy human interactions.  And, remember, books make great Valentine's gifts! 

For the Youngest (Especially if they have older siblings, they want to join the fun as well!)

• You Are My Sunshine-Sarah Magsaman:  It is the song with a cute sun finger puppet! 

• The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs-Mark Sperring

• Splat the Cat Funny Valentine Lift the Flap Book-Rob Scotton:  If you haven't seen this adorable, hilarious cat, you won't want to miss out any longer!  And don't forget Love Splat while you are at it! 

Primary School Age (They will probably like Splat the Cat, too).

• Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts-Victoria Kann: Every little girl will love this one! It includes stickers and Valentines! 
• Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart-Jane O'Connor: Not to be outshone by Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy is a grade school favorite! Stickers also included! 
• Happy Valentine's Day Mouse-Laura Numeroff: The same mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie has more antics! 

• Happy Valentine's Day Little Critter-Mercer Mayer: I am always a sucker for Little Critter Books.  The illustrations always have little things to find and talk about.  There is usually a cute lesson to be learned. 
• Robot In Love-T.L. McBeth: A cute robot, with heart shaped pupils in his eyes is in love.  He dreams about her, snoring in binary code!  A darling book for up to 2nd graders. 
• Groggle's Monster Valentine-Diana Murray: Adorable story and fantastic illustrations will captivate kids.

• 3 Berenstain Bear Books for Valentine's Day- Stan, Jan and Mike Berenstain: For books that always are sweet, have challenging vocabulary and teach good values, you can always turn to the Berenstain Bears.  Here are 3 of their many choices:

• Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day is Cool-James Dean: Pete the Cat is always popular with young grade schoolers and this book will really enchant with its cards and poster.  Super Cool! 

Second to Fourth Graders (Give or Take)

• This is Not a Valentine-Carter Higgins: Not all Valentines are hearts and flowers.  This sweet book will teach that expressions of love can come in many forms. 

• Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine-Marjorie Weinman Sharmat: A great Valentine mystery book for boys and girls alike! 
• And finally, 2 Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park that everyone will adore:

    So, there you go! 18 books to get you started enjoying Valentine's Day with your kids.  If you have more suggestions, drop them in the comments! 

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Today I thought I’d do a What to Read Wednesday gift guide for tweens. And I also wanted to combine it with books that would take you back to your childhood.  At least my childhood. These series are timeless classics that will just get better with age. ​

​1. Babysitter’s Club. All about that entrepreneurial spirit and learning important life lessons, Babysitter’s Club will suck your tween into the story. The era may be different but the problems the girls in the books faced are still problems kids face today.

​2.Harry Potter. Being a huge Harry Potter fan, how could I NOT mention it? The struggle to find where he fits in the world, starting a new school, making friends, choosing between right and wrong, dealing with grief, fighting a powerful wizard; Harry Potter is one of the most relatable characters in literature. The rereadability is off the charts too so this series will keep giving for life!

3. Goosebumps. I have already written a WTRW post on Goosebumps, which you can check out here. It will suffice me to say that there’s a reason these books are still around. Tweens will love the horror aspect while parents can feel happy it never gets gory just chilling. ​

4. Anne of Green Gables. Talk about relatability, although Anne grew up in the early 1900’s, her struggles with friends, boys, and family will be familiar to your young reader. She’s also a little over dramatic, a huge plus for me as a child as it gave me one of my favorite phrases of all time “I’m in the depths of despair.” ​

5. A Series of Unfortunate Events. I loved these books in Junior High. I even got my mom into reading them. The books follow the Baudelaire orphans through a series of unfortunate events while being “chased” by Count Olaf in order to steal their fortune. The kids use their talents and ingenuity to work together and get out of trouble, but things don’t always work out the way you plan. These books have a way of disappointing you without frustrating you at the same time. It’s all very delightful actually, you’ll want to keep reading because you have hope things will get better.

​I hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll down memory lane with me. I love these books, and would still reread them all today. I hope you and your tween will enjoy them too. It isn't too late to add them to their Christmas list! 

What book series did you enjoy when you were younger? What would you add to the list?

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For What to Read Wednesday this week I was thinking about family and Thanksgiving being tomorrow and Christmas soon to follow. It made me think of how much I love this time of year and how much I love my family. And not just my family that is with me on Earth right now, but my family that has passed on and the family to come in the future. I love knowing that we're all connected as a family. It reminded me of how sometimes when I write in my journal I think about the things I want my posterity to know about me, about our time, or just some truths I've learned in my life. Of course not every time I write is with them in mind because I definitely have gone on angry, unbecoming rants in my journals, or talked extensively about the mundane day-to-day of my life.

And one year I had a goal to write in my journal everyday and some of those entries are just "I'm tired." Though those two words were a pretty accurate portrayal of my life. But I digress.

I have been writing in a journal since second grade. Not continuously everyday, or week, but I love writing in my journals and even more I love going back and reading my journals. It's fun to see what was important to me when I was eight or nine years old, what impacted me as a teenager, and what life lessons finally got pounded into my head as a college student. I truly love reading my own journals! I also enjoy reading journals of my ancestors or other people who lived before me. If you can't learn from the past you're doomed to repeat it, right? (This is probably why I also love non-fiction so much). 

So I thought I would encourage you to write In your journal more, or to get a journal and start writing because no matter where you are In life you have wisdom and personality to share with those who will come after you. I have gathered a list of journals and pens that I love and that will help you (I hope) to love journaling as much as I do. Or I think they're perfect gifts for anyone in your life too. A way of saying "I think you have something awesome to say."

• 5-Year Journal. If you feel you're not the most verbose or don't know what you would write in your journal this is the perfect journal for you. The 5 Year Journal asks you a question for everyday of the year. Underneath the question is a place for you to write your answer for the next five years. This makes it easier for you to go back and read what you wrote (because when the year is over you start at the beginning again). And the room for writing isn't extensive so you can keep your answers short and sweet. It's a fun journal I've been eyeing for years. 

When it comes to writing in  journals you definitely want to use a pen. Pencils fade immensely over time and then your memories and thoughts are lost. While any pen will work, I personally prefer a fine point pen and will recommend a few of my favorites here that won't break the bank. 

• Pilot G2 gel pens. These are reliable, write smoothly, and are refillable.
• Sharpie Art Pens. I love, love, love the fine point on these and all the fun colors they come in.
• Zebra Pen Journaling Set. This comes with pens and double ended markers. They make journaling a more fun and creative art project than just writing down your story.
• Pigma Micron pens. These pens are the most expensive of my list at $1/pen but there's a reason. They're awesome! My husband got me these last year and I have loved how smooth they write and the fine lines they make.
• RSVP Pentel Pens. My last rec is the cheapest (less than $4 for an 8 pack) but an old reliable. The RSVP pens come in fun colors and write smoothly. The lines aren't the finest but if you just need a good pen and nothing fancy these are great pens. Also great to give to kids who lose things often as they are cheap to replace. My favorite color to write with was the turquoise and the purple from this set.

I hope that you will consider taking up journaling even as a casual hobby. Would you like to hear more tips for journaling? Let us know in the comments below!