This is not a valentine

Carter Higgins

Book - 2017

A valentine is all about sweetness and gooey love, but this book is about all the things you might give someone that are not exactly gifts, but that show that you care for them and for what they think--but is not that a kind of love?

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j394.2618/Higgins
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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
San Francisco : Chronicle Books [2017]
Language
English
Main Author
Carter Higgins (author)
Other Authors
Lucy Ruth Cummins (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 22 x 22 cm
ISBN
9781452153742
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Higgins (A Rambler Steals Home) follows a boy's unconventional courtship of one of his classmates, presenting her with a few humble gifts that are a far cry from mass-produced, glitter-laden cards. First up is a bunch of dandelions, "and I already blew the wishes/ off most of them," he admits, "for a rocket ship/ or the last cinnamon bun/ or moon boots and a mega-blaster." Throughout the school day, the blush on the girl's cheeks suggests that she appreciates the thought and care behind the gifts. Cummins's scruffy cartoons are interspersed with still-life portraits that make a plastic ring, paper airplane, and lucky rock feel like treasures. What's clear, and what makes the book so poignant, is that the boy pays real attention to his crush and is doing his best to deliver gifts that will be truly meaningful to her. Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-3-A little boy in a yellow shirt and glasses likes a girl in his grade school class. He brings her things like gumball machine jewelry that matches her shoelaces and his lucky rock. None of these gestures, among others, are valentines, he insists. After all, he likes this girl not just one day, but all the days. Almost every other page has the text and title of the book, "this is not a valentine," with not underlined. This proclamation is followed by a signal of everyday affection from the boy to the girl. Multimedia illustrations that mimic childlike drawings made with crayons and makers reinforce the grade school setting. As a children's picture book, the tender message of everyday acts of affection, as opposed to grand and less frequent gestures, is quite intellectual. Therefore, this book would make a good book for discussion with older children after it has been shared. VERDICT This enduring message of friendship should give this title a longer and broader shelf life than just another Valentine's Day book.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Each time a boy gives his female classmate a gift (dandelions, a rock, etc.), he explains why it isn't to be construed as a valentine (e.g., valentines "come with buckets of roses"). Readers, like the girl, will see right through him and appreciate him all the more for his vulnerability, reinforced in mixed-media illustrations that have the conspicuous non-polish of children's art. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.