I Love My Texas Valentine

This Texas-themed padded board book, one of 26 state-specific versions publishing simultaneously, sprinkles references to the Lone Star State throughout a simple love poem. Unfortunately, the all-caps emphasis on Texan words and phrases only exacerbates the fill-in-the-blank nature of the rhymes, whose meter is rough at best (“I love you as gigantic as the Dallas Zoo lion’s roar,/ and as deep as the Gulf of Mexico, I love you much more”). Cartwright’s digital illustrations are bright and sunny, but they, too, never escape an Anywhere, U.S.A., vibe that’s at odds with the book’s supposed regional focus. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)