If You Were My Valentine

Pinks and purples abound in this lushly visual festival of love. Employing the refrain “If you were my Valentine,” Plourde presents baby animals being showered with care and attention by an adult animal in light-infused scenes. Juvenile hummingbirds and an adult bathe in golden nectar (“I would make your day sweeter than sweet”); a puffin and puffling embrace tenderly beneath cordiform clouds (“I would lean in until our love becomes one”). Close readers will find that consecutive glowing spreads include glimpses of the creatures featured in the previous scene. For added whimsy, Meyer’s realistically rendered animals casually sport human accoutrements such as eyeglasses, hats, and clothing. Including whales and wolves, elk and rabbits, the warmhearted text and rich, page-filling digital paintings build to a greeting-card-like conclusion about the staying power of Valentine’s sentiments. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)