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Valentine
Waiting for her mother to return home from work on Valentine's day, young Heather stays with her grandmother and is called upon to assist in the rescue of a newborn lamb. By the author of Patrick's Dinosaurs.
29 pages, Hardcover
First published January 20, 1995
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 17, 2020
When Heather's mother must go to work on Valentine's Day, the little girl is deeply unhappy. Fortunately, her grandmother distracts her with a Valentine cookie-making project. Then they discover that Grandma's favorite sheep, Clover, has had babies, and that the littlest lamb is not doing well. Taking this runt of the litter into the house, Heather and Grandma work together to save him, naming him 'Valentine' in the process...
Although I wouldn't describe Valentine as particularly outstanding, from either a storytelling or illustrative perspective, I did appreciate the idea, implicit in the narrative, that young children can learn to cope with life's little disappointments by keeping busy with other activities. This is the seventeenth picture-books from author Carol Carrick that I have read, and one of the few not illustrated by her husband, Donald Carrick. The watercolor artwork here is sweet, although a little indistinct at times. I've encountered South African illustrator Paddy Bouma once before, in Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (a children's version of Mandela's autobiography), and I think I preferred her work there, to that in Valentine. Tastes vary, of course, and I didn't really dislike anything about this book, despite not being especially impressed, so I would still recommend it to picture-book readers looking for unusual and somewhat old-fashioned Valentine's Day stories.
Although I wouldn't describe Valentine as particularly outstanding, from either a storytelling or illustrative perspective, I did appreciate the idea, implicit in the narrative, that young children can learn to cope with life's little disappointments by keeping busy with other activities. This is the seventeenth picture-books from author Carol Carrick that I have read, and one of the few not illustrated by her husband, Donald Carrick. The watercolor artwork here is sweet, although a little indistinct at times. I've encountered South African illustrator Paddy Bouma once before, in Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (a children's version of Mandela's autobiography), and I think I preferred her work there, to that in Valentine. Tastes vary, of course, and I didn't really dislike anything about this book, despite not being especially impressed, so I would still recommend it to picture-book readers looking for unusual and somewhat old-fashioned Valentine's Day stories.
February 15, 2011
A little girl wishes she could spend Valentine's Day with her mom, but Mom has to go to work and the little girl stays home with Grandma. They bake cookie-valentines then go out to tend to the animals Grandma keeps. Turns out, the sheep had babies and the third one is not doing well. The little girl and her grandma spend Valentine's Day warming up the little lamb and showing it some love.
This book so highly rated here, I feel like a bit of a party-pooper giving it only three stars but, while I appreciated the heart of the story, I just wasn't captivated by the storytelling or the illustrations.
This book so highly rated here, I feel like a bit of a party-pooper giving it only three stars but, while I appreciated the heart of the story, I just wasn't captivated by the storytelling or the illustrations.
January 24, 2022
Beautifully written and illustrated book about a young child who lives with her mother and grandmother on a farm.
Heather and her grandma are baking cookies, and then go to the barn where they discover that the sheep has given birth. Two healthy lambs and one bummer lamb have been delivered. Heather gets to help her grandma take the bummer lamb to the house where she learns to care for it.
A simple story, this book won my heart.
Heather and her grandma are baking cookies, and then go to the barn where they discover that the sheep has given birth. Two healthy lambs and one bummer lamb have been delivered. Heather gets to help her grandma take the bummer lamb to the house where she learns to care for it.
A simple story, this book won my heart.
January 24, 2019
A simple story, but it tugged at my heartstrings. A little girl (seemingly Dad is not around, she and her mom live with Grandma) misses her mom when she is gone at work all day. Who didn't want their mom to be their Valentine at that age? She spends the day baking cookies with Grandma and saving a little lamb's life by warming up the newborn by different methods. The last scene is full of so much love, the three women in the family sharing cookies, plus a new pet!
February 17, 2020
Despite the happy ending, sorrow pervades the text. The book is beautifully illustrated by Paddy Bouma, whom I was surprised to learn lives on a different continent than author Carol Carrick (South Africa and New England [U.S.], respectively).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2019
Rounded up a bit. Old fashioned illustrations that look dated. Kind of an odd premise... heavy handed with the single mom going to work on Valentine's Day, but we suddenly veer to a lamb having babies. Not enough flow.
July 25, 2021
Very sweet story for children whose mothers have to go to work. I picked it for the illustrations by Paddy Bouma, especially p. 7 which resembled a granddaughter so much. The 3-year-old was engrossed by the story and asked for the book often.
January 28, 2018
A little girl plays with her grandpa and a lamb to distract herself from the fact that her mom isn't home for Valentines day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2019
It’s suck website I have meet
February 15, 2024
An adorable story about love, mothering, sheep and totally not burnt cookies 😇
March 2, 2013
Heather is sad to see Mama leave for work on Valentine’s Day. Grandma tries to get “such a sad face on this special day” to turn around by making Valentine cookies shaped like the animals on Grandma’s farm, a sheep, some chickens, and some cats – and a special heart cookie for Mama’s Valentine. While the cookies bake, Grandma and Heather check on the pregnant sheep Clover – to find that she’s given birth to two lambs! Heather bends down to see through the fence. She sees a shocking sight! Apparently there are THREE lambs, but one was on the ground, barely alive! Heather soon forgets about her sadness and thinks about helping the little lamb she calls Valentine.
Why I liked this book – First off, this has got to be one of the cutest Valentine’s books ever! The illustrations are warm, and inviting! I like the untold words in the pictures. Like when Grandma is putting the second batch of cookies in, Heather is smiling and pointing at the heart cookie for Mama. I like what Grandma and Heather do to try to save the lamb. Heather is frequently worried if the lamb is alive. One of my favorite lines from that time is “Grandma, I don’t want the lamb to die”. It is so touching and pretty much sums up the feelings of someone afraid of losing someone. I like the happy ending!
**Note - I reviewed a library copy of this book
Why I liked this book – First off, this has got to be one of the cutest Valentine’s books ever! The illustrations are warm, and inviting! I like the untold words in the pictures. Like when Grandma is putting the second batch of cookies in, Heather is smiling and pointing at the heart cookie for Mama. I like what Grandma and Heather do to try to save the lamb. Heather is frequently worried if the lamb is alive. One of my favorite lines from that time is “Grandma, I don’t want the lamb to die”. It is so touching and pretty much sums up the feelings of someone afraid of losing someone. I like the happy ending!
**Note - I reviewed a library copy of this book
October 27, 2022
A story about a little girl who's sad her mother has to work and the little lamb she takes care of.
Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
February 12, 2009
Fantastic story about a young girl hanging out with her Grandmother, making cookies and tending to her sheep. The narrative is short and entertaining and the watercolor illustrations are wonderfully expressive. We enjoyed reading this book together.
January 22, 2009
I wanted to just hug all my kids after I read this book. I love that the little girl loves the small things in life, holding a baby lamb by the fire and making cookies. I wanted to snuggle up and enyoy winter. I loved it! Simple and sweet!
December 23, 2007
I'm at the Children's desk and I have to stop reading these books! They make me cry.
December 20, 2013
So adorable :-) Not a great fit for storytime but a sweet sweet book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews