First Valentine

Arts-and-crafts and resilience help set the stage for a special Valentine’s Day surprise in George’s amusing rhyming story. Many a scissors-wielding creator will understand the frustration of Black-presenting child “little friend” as they try to fashion a perfect homemade valentine. “Little friend/ Snips to start,/ Sure to make/ a perfect...// CIRCLE?” Following several more attempts at the elusive heart shape, little friend accumulates a “Great, big mess/ Without a heart!” But when all the attempts assemble on the floor, little friend sees the project and its purpose with fresh eyes, rekindling the creative spark. In cozily appointed and richly hued images with plentiful pink and red accents, Murray deftly captures the emotional highs and lows of the journey via the faces of both the kid and their expressive dog. Readers will have fun identifying the different shapes as they appear across this title about how “Care and love/ Make great art.” Ages 3–5. [em](Dec.) [/em]