Be My Valenslime: Valentine's Day Book for Kids

by Kris Tarantino, Cori Doerrfeld (Illustrator)

Overview

A hilarious and heartwarming picture book about a sweet little monster who really wants to celebrate a not-so-monstery holiday: Valentine’s Day.

“There are powerful messages about the nature of love on almost every page.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

Snoodle is an unusual monster. She loves candy hearts, fun parties, fuzzy kittens, fancy hats, sparkly stickers, and . . . valentines! There's just one problem: Monsters don’t do Valentine’s Day!

And when Snoodle tries to throw a Valentine’s Day party for her monster friends, nothing goes right. Every attempt to show them what love looks like turns into monster mayhem! With each disaster, Snoodle tries to be patient and kind, and to not be rude or get easily angered. But if the party isn’t perfect, how can Snoodle convince the other monsters to be her Valenslime? 

Debut author Kris Tarantino and New York Times bestselling illustrator Cori Doerrfeld bring to life a wonderful cast in this laugh-out-loud exploration of the true meaning of love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593579466
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kris Tarantino loves Valentine’s Day cupcakes and cards—almost as much as she loves writing humorous, heartfelt stories for kids. Before becoming an author, she worked in marketing for companies that make fun products like toys, books, and balloons.

Cori Doerrfeld is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of The Rabbit Listened and numerous other children's books. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, comic-book artist Tyler Page, and their two storytellers in the making, Charli and Leo.

Read an Excerpt

Meet the Monsters

A tad gruffy. A bit grumpy.

And definitely not lovey-dovey.

Which makes Snoodle an unusual monster. 

"I love candy hearts! And fun parties! And fuzzy kittens and fancy hats and sparkly stickers! And valentines!"

But monsters don't do Valentine's Day!

"We're tough!" says Iggy.

"Love's icky!" snaps Zee-Zee.

Editorial Reviews

10/23/2023

Tarantino’s chipper picture book about a crew of monsters wraps Valentine’s Day traditions in the message of 1 Corinthians 13. Confronted by the idea that “monsters DON’T DO Valentine’s Day!” green-hued Snoodle, who loves “candy hearts/ and fun parties/ and fuzzy kittens...// and valentines!” sees a challenge. Her mission to prove that her favorite holiday is “the BEST” begins with coaching the others on how to decorate a valentine box. But when the monsters send the glue and paint flying, Snoodle stays calm, because “after all, love is patient.” When another monster lends his claws as a substitute for scissors, Snoodle is grateful, “because love is always kind—and never rude.” As the messages continue, Doerrfeld’s gleefully frenetic depictions of party monsters and a slimy valentine creation get right to the heart of the matter, offering readers memorable images of love in action. Ages 3–7. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

This book’s biggest strength goes beyond its holiday tie-in and fun: There are powerful messages about the nature of love on almost every page. . . . This book manages to be simultaneously important and fun.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

“[In] Tarantino’s chipper picture book . . . Doerrfeld’s gleefully frenetic depictions of party monsters and a slimy valentine creation get right to the heart of the matter, offering readers memorable images of love in action.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2023

PreS-Gr 2—Snoodle doesn't fit in with the other monsters. That's because Snoodle loves candy hearts, sparkly stickers, and valentines. The other monsters don't do Valentine's Day. Snoodle decides to convince her friends—"I'll prove Valentine's is the BEST!"—and that's where the fun begins. Children will enjoy this silly story and love to look through the vibrant, detailed illustrations. Educators will find numerous connections to makerspaces and creating Valentine's art. But this book's biggest strength goes beyond its holiday tie-in and fun: There are powerful messages about the nature of love on almost every page. For example, when the monsters go wild during a craft lesson, Snoodle remembers that, "love is patient." VERDICT Highly recommended. An accomplishment, this book manages to be simultaneously important and fun.—Christina Salazar

School Library Journal