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Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine
Takes readers on a tour of the animal kingdom, discovering what each of the animals would give their friends on Valentine's Day.
20 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2005
About the author
Sarah Weeks
103 books513 followersSarah Weeks has been writing children’s books and songs for the past twenty years. She is a graduate of Hampshire College and NYU and recently became an adjunct faculty member in the prestigious Writing Program at the New School University, in New York City.
Her first YA novel, So B. It, which appeared on the LA Times bestseller list was chosen as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and received the 2004 Parent’s Choice Gold Award. In addition to being an author, Sarah is an accomplished singer/songwriter. She has written for television, stage and screen and a number of her picturebooks include songs which she both writes and sings for the accompanying CD’s. Sarah's titles have sold well over a million copies, including several foreign editions.
Sarah is a tireless promoter, visiting schools throughout the country, serving as author-in-residence and speaking to teachers and librarians at national conferences including IRA, ALA and NCTE. She lives in New York City with her two teenage sons.
Her first YA novel, So B. It, which appeared on the LA Times bestseller list was chosen as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and received the 2004 Parent’s Choice Gold Award. In addition to being an author, Sarah is an accomplished singer/songwriter. She has written for television, stage and screen and a number of her picturebooks include songs which she both writes and sings for the accompanying CD’s. Sarah's titles have sold well over a million copies, including several foreign editions.
Sarah is a tireless promoter, visiting schools throughout the country, serving as author-in-residence and speaking to teachers and librarians at national conferences including IRA, ALA and NCTE. She lives in New York City with her two teenage sons.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 9, 2021
A perfect last book for the story time crowd. They loved the simple illustrations, short text, and guessing component. I love ending with books like this one because it pulls them back in for our ending songs and saves me the dreaded "THIS BOOK IS TO LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG" warning siren that lets me know all hell is about to break loose if I don't turn on some music right NOW.
Loved this.
Loved this.
February 14, 2025
Cute! A lift-the-flap book, of animals offering their prize possessions (e.g. bone, fish, clam) to their Valentine's.
February 9, 2025
This book made me unhappy. The start was OK. Dogs DO in fact eat bones. But then I realized that the female dog (and female cat on the second page) are wearing bows. This is a sexist stereotype which reinforces gender roles in the minds of children. The feminine dog's facial spot is also switched to the other side of its face on the cover. Another thing, on the cat page, it promotes cats drinking cream. This is harmful. A simple Google search was able to tell me that cats are actually lactose intolerant and cream can cause stomach upset, Pancreatitis, and DEATH. The fish on the pelican page appears to be a Red Snapper, a fish that pelicans DO NOT eat. Google told me they will eat Red Snappers if they are hungry enough. This proposes the possibility that the pelican is in financial hardship, perhaps because of a fish shortage in the area in which they live. This promotes the idea that one should give their romantic partner a gift, even if they are in economic hardship. This should not be a top priority and is harmful. I very much enjoyed the otter page because it was realistic. Pandas eat between 26 and 84 pounds of bamboo a day. The amount of bamboo that the male panda gives the female one is barely a light snack and simply not a good gift. Interestingly, the authors decided to make the male anteater smaller than the female, despite males generally being larger and heavier. He then proceeds to materialize an anthill out of nowhere. Such an inconsistency. The female horse on the following page appears to wear blush and has fluttery eyelashes. Last time I checked, horses do not wear makeup. The male horse gives the female a pile of hay shaped like a heart. I find it incredibly unlikely that a horse could be capable of constructing such a shape, let alone having the brainpower to do so. Finally, the last page is designed poorly. The flap folds up rather than to the right. Because of this, it has been ripped at the top multiple times. This is an easy mistake to make, not just for a child but for an adult as well.
To sum it up, this book is incredibly unrealistic with countless inconsistencies and jeopardizes a child reader's entire education.
To sum it up, this book is incredibly unrealistic with countless inconsistencies and jeopardizes a child reader's entire education.
January 12, 2018
Very sweet, rhyming and interactive picture book with flaps. Invites readers to guess what particular animals might want as a Valentine gift.
"Be mine,
Be mine, (Dog in this section)
Be mine alone,
Sweet Valentine, for you a ...... bone."
"Be mine,
Be mine, (Dog in this section)
Be mine alone,
Sweet Valentine, for you a ...... bone."
February 9, 2018
Flaps would appeal to kids. Not for storytime.
February 29, 2020
Very cute!
January 6, 2021
On Valentine's Day, each pair of creatures finds the perfect gift for their friend.
A very cute rhyming book that is engaging and great to use for storytime.
Storytime:
Valentine's Day
A very cute rhyming book that is engaging and great to use for storytime.
Storytime:
Valentine's Day
February 5, 2026
This one is perfect for young toddlers! Love the animals, rhyming, and flaps!
February 14, 2014
Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine was a last minute addition to storytime. I had already printed out the handouts for storytime (I print out the words to the songs we'll be singing and the titles and call numbers of the books in case the parents want to check them out later), but when I received Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine at the very last minute, I took one quick glance at it and decided to include this book instead of A Giant Crush, which felt a little redundant. However, my failing to take more than a quick glance at the book proved to be my downfall (she says, dramatically) when I realized that there was a huge rip at the very last page. HOW EMBARRASSING. Anyway, the children didn't seem to mind and really loved this book. (This is one of the ones that they checked out after the storytime.)
Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine has little foldouts on the end of each two page spread. When you fold out the page, you discover what the animals have given each other for Valentine's Day. It's a great way to introduce to kids different animals and what they eat. For example, for an otter picture: "Be mine, be mine, I'm yours, I am. Sweet Valentine, for you a... clam." That was one of the ones they could not get. But, like I suspected, this was a huge winner for the kids, who were bursting out of their seats to tell me what would be hidden under the flap. The only issue I had with the book, other than the rip in the page, which is no fault of the book, is that it's quite small, so if you're going to have a big audience, you may not want to choose this one.
Ages 2-5, but worked pretty darn well for the up-to-7-year-olds I had in storytime.
Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine has little foldouts on the end of each two page spread. When you fold out the page, you discover what the animals have given each other for Valentine's Day. It's a great way to introduce to kids different animals and what they eat. For example, for an otter picture: "Be mine, be mine, I'm yours, I am. Sweet Valentine, for you a... clam." That was one of the ones they could not get. But, like I suspected, this was a huge winner for the kids, who were bursting out of their seats to tell me what would be hidden under the flap. The only issue I had with the book, other than the rip in the page, which is no fault of the book, is that it's quite small, so if you're going to have a big audience, you may not want to choose this one.
Ages 2-5, but worked pretty darn well for the up-to-7-year-olds I had in storytime.
February 15, 2017
I love this sweet little book about different animals and what they would want for Valentine's day. The answer is under a flap. Toddler and up.
January 22, 2017
This is a simple book that my 4 year old granddaughter loved as I read it to her. She even repeated some of the lines for me after she realized it was repetitive from page to page. She loves puppies and so the combination of the easy words and the puppies she loved it. It goes from animal to animal and shows things that animals 'eat' and its written in rhymes. So not only could she follow along with me reading it but also she could 'guess' at what was under the 'flap' that she raised to see what that animal ate.
February 1, 2011
Cute if not exactly spellbinding little "lift the flap" rhyming Valentine's Day story featuring a cast of fun animals offering valentines, from the familiar (cats offering cream) to the more exotic (anteaters with ants, sea otters with clams). Children with a fondness for animals will probably enjoy this.
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December 5, 2016this book is about different animals asking other animals to be there valentines by giving them a gift. This would be a good book to introduce students to valentine. the pictures in this book are done with some type of pencil.
February 10, 2009
Valentine theme. Spring 09. A bit long, but very cute. Good for vocabulary. Lift the flap
February 26, 2009
Sweet story for Valentine's storytime.
December 22, 2012
This was a bedtime story for my daughter. Cute book but nothing special about it.
November 8, 2012
a very cute guessing game for Valentine's Day; where the reader tries to guess what the Valentine's gift for each animal is.
January 31, 2013
Half-page flaps open to complete each rhyme featuring adorable animal pairs and their favorite foods.
February 9, 2013
This is a fun Valentines Book that even a little reader could read. The pictures are great and the story is simple and sweet(yes I said sweet...scary!!!
February 12, 2013
Cute, though hetero-normative.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews