Love, Violet

by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, Charlene Chua (Illustrator)

Perfect for Valentine's Day, a touching picture book about friendship and the courage it takes to share your feelings.

There's only one person in Violet's class she wants to go on adventures with: Mira, the girl with the cheeriest laugh and who races like the wind. So Violet has made Mira a very special Valentine.

Because Mira is magnificent.

But what if she thinks Violet isn't? Violet is afraid that Mira won't want to go on adventures together, and in order to share her feelings, she must overcome her fears—and maybe a snow flurry or two—to tell Mira how she truly feels, and ask, Want to go on an adventure?

Genres: Picture Books, LGBT, Childrens, Queer, Friendship, Holiday, Love

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Dee (on Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars - rounded up due to the haters. A very sweet picture book about a friendship between two young girls at Valentine's Day, way to young to have established any "identity or lifestyle" yet, just going on adventures together & having fun (which I still do with my friends). While I failed to find any 'hidden agenda" in it, this is one of the books that's been targeted and is part of a current SCOTUS case. I'm going to read them and other targeted books & hope others who hate censorship do too.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As far as Violet was concerned, only one person in her class raced like the wind. Only one had a leaping laugh. Only one made Violet’s heart skip. Mira.”

My heart is so full! Who has two thumbs & still loves a pure & joyful children’s book as a pick me up? That’s me! This beautifully illustrated picture book shares a journey of first love & genuine friendship. I was so besotted to see a kids book that touched on a first crush between two girls. It was an absolute delight. I so wish there were books like these when I was a little girl, but I’m beyond thrilled they exist now!

[Bek (MoonyReadsByStarlight) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually rate kid's picture books, but I really adored this one. I was crying in the bookstore (in a good way)

[Rereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book had a better romance than 99% of adult romance novels.

Fight me.

[Milton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is one person in Violet's class who makes her heart skip. She loves everything about her and wants to ask her to be her valentine. The only problem is that Violet is too shy to deliver the special valentine that she made for her. Violet fights with anxiety, self-doubt, and societal pressures before finally going for it and delivering her valentine.

This books is wonderful for so many ways. First, this is one of the only picture books I have read where there is a girl with a crush on another girl. Representation matters! Second, most kids fight with the same feelings that Violet does while deciding to give her valentine. This book is a great way to make kids realize that they are not alone in those feelings. Lastly, the pure joy of being a kid who is unabashedly themselves, no matter how different, is the best thing to see! Pick this up today to read to your littles!

Find it in our SHARE Catalog today!

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Christine Zandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Violet wants to show Mira how she feels. We follow Violet's ups and downs as she confronts her emotions, wondering how this expression of affection will be received.

The art captures the many moods of this story where Violet hopes to share an adventure with Mira--if only Violet can overcome her shyness around her.

Not just a Valentine's Day book, but one that will warm your heart all year along as it embraces friendships, relationships, and firsts.

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels almost contrived, as if the author is looking back on childhood with the lens of an adult. Having spent 33 years among school children, and 33 Valentine's Days with school children, not much about the characters rang true. The author seems to have forced big, BIG emotions into these little kid characters that don't ring true cognitively or socially. As an educator, I have worked in Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 8th Grade, high school, and college classrooms. I've also babysat and nannied and been a family member. Do you know what little kids love about Valentine's Day? C-A-N-D-Y!!! The little notes and valentines don't mean that much to them unless they can scratch-n-sniff or work a mini-puzzle or get a tattoo out of it. I'm wondering if this story is more autobiographical, a bit of a memoir perhaps. My two cents.

[Megan Sanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious!!

[Eric Rosswood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful picture book about a first crush is perfect for Valentine's Day. The pacing is great, the illustrations are adorable, and the story is heartwarming. I highly recommend it.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the watercolor illustrations.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, adorable!

[Sarah BT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I like the art more than the text in this one. It’s a sweet story but something about the text didn’t flow for me. But I adored the art!

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book from my audiobook app.

This story is about a girl named Violet who has a crush on one of her girl classmates Mira. Violet could not wait until the day she dared to talk to Mira. She would imagine all the stuff that they would do together. When Mira approaches her, she is shy and still can not find the courage to express her feelings. Valentine's Day came along, and Violet had an idea.

This picture book can be used for students in Kindergarten through 2nd. This story allows students to see how friendship develops. I like this book because its theme is universal. Students can relate to the story in many different forms.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Valentine's Day picture book for older preschool/younger school age children. Can be read easily all year round however because the focus of the story is about a girl who really is excited to give a girl in her class a Valentine but gets very shy. As Valentine's Day approaches she is determined. The illustrations are pretty and sweet showing diverse characters including Violet who looks androgenous with short red hair. The ending is very nice and encouraging to young readers who may be shy or have social anxiety even to share their feelings or get up the courage to do something they are really excited about.

Could be a nice read aloud for the age range I mentioned above.

I take this as a sweet friendship book. Period. However because the inside flap of the book mentions Violet's "heart skip" about her friend, Mira, and Violet looks androgenous, etc, I wonder if some caregivers will see this in a different light. If that was the case that the author/illustrator were trying to do -- great! But I think it would be unfortunate if caregivers saw this in this light and were critical. I think this is a sweet picture book.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable F/F elementary school crush, love to see the representation!

Valentine’s Day motivates Violet to finally share with classmate Mira how she’s the one to make Violet’s “heart skip.” After several thwarted attempts to deliver her special valentine, Violet musters up the courage to tell Mira how she feels and is met in return with a lovely gift of her own. A gentle holiday story whose namesake and palette offer a subtle nod of symbolism along with this much needed sapphic representation in early school crush stories.

[Charlotte Offsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Violet's heart belongs to one person in her class, Mira, but she struggles to find the courage to tell her. When Valentine's Day rolls around it seems like the perfect opportunity to let Mira know how she feels but can she work up the courage and what will Mira say? A heart-squeezing new picture book that is the perfect read this Valentine's Day (or any day of the year really) about friendship, courage, and sharing your heart.⁠

[Sarah Prager · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly sweet and melted my heart. Violet’s nervousness over her crush on Mira is universal and the WLW rep is fantastastic to see for this age group! Chua is my favorite illustrator of the century TBH so that’s of course a slam dunk, and Wild’s words are moving and emotive. I love Violet’s name and color scheme likely being a queer reference too for those in the know! And yay for queer happy endings in books!! Just an adorable Valentine’s book for anyone.

[nathan]

drag queen cholula lemon read this to us at drag story hour at work and IM COUNTING IT

[clara ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As far as Violet was concerned,
only one person in her class raced like the wind.
Only one had a leaping laugh.
Only one made Violet's heart skip.”

Absolutely adorable ❤️

[Annie Bhurya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, Violet is a story about a girl, with a crush on her classmate, Mira. Violet daydreams about adventures with Mira but struggles to talk to her; she uses a Valentine's Day card as a way to finally express her feelings.

Charlotte Sullivan Wild depicts the essence of Violet’s emotions with a lot of vulnerability. Charlene Chua’s emotive pictures bring the story to life. T
Educational and Emotional Value:
Love, Violet is a text which is supportive of discussions about courage. It depicts same-gender relationships in an accessible way.
This book is written for children ages 4–8. In elementary classrooms I would use this text as a way to talk about identity and what diversity means outside of skin color.

Love, Violet has won the Stonewall Book Award for Children’s & Young Adult Literature (2023), and Lambda Literary Award Nominee for LGBTQ Children's/Middle Grade (2021).

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very adorable and sweet book about a girl who loves her classmate! Perfect for this romantic and heart-filled week!


I was looking around for more adorable and sweet books to read during this week, I have been very much into adult/new adult romance these past days, but I thought a picture book would also be nice to read! And so I came across this one! A book about a girl named Violet (who has totally amazing hair in a great colour, I wished I looked that fab as a kid when I had short hair, but the only thing that happened to me was people confusing me for a boy…) who has feelings for a classmate of hers named Mira (and we read on all those sweet and sparkly feelings as the book goes on)! I was very curious if Violet would be able to woo Mira! Would Mira like Violet back?

Violet has all these wonderful ideas that just made me smile! However.. her ideas are not working as she just hides or turns away when Mira gets close. She is shy! I could totally understand that feeling, it is all great in dreams… but reality is so much scarier. I loved that despite this she didn’t give up and thought of something very sweet, something glittery and home-made. I was so rooting for her to give it to Mira! DO it! Do it!!!! You can do it! insert cheerleading dance Violet definitely could use all the cheering and I also just wanted to give her a hug and tell her things would be all right.

And that ending, omg, it first broke my heart, but after that it was just so sweet and cute. I won’t spoil anything, but I was just tearing up in happiness. It was the cutest!

The illustrations, just chef kiss perfect! They were so pretty and I absolutely love the soft-colours. I will have to see what else this illustrator has done!

All in all, if you are in the need for something adorable. Something cute. Be sure to check out this very sweet book!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Payton C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on the Lambda Literary Award Finalists page. Love, Violet was a finalist in 2022 for LGBTQ Children’s/Middle Grades books. I read the traditional book format of Love, Violet from my local library.

Love, Violet is about a young girl named Violet who has loving feelings for a girl in her class named Mira. Poor Violet is shy anytime she is around Mira, but Mira is the only kid in the class Violet really wants to go on adventures with. Valentine’s Day is coming up so Violet makes a beautiful card for Mira and writes “Love, Violet” on the inside. When Valentine’s Day comes, Violet goes back and forth on whether to give it to Mira because what if she doesn’t feel the same way. In the end, Violet decides Mira is the only girl who ever asks her to play and makes her happy so she will give her the special valentine. Sadly, it gets ruined on her way to give it to Mira, but Mira loves it anyways and even has a special gift for Violet.

Love, Violet is a picture book. The illustrator does a great job of making the two girls stand out amongst the other children in the class. The colors the illustrator uses include a lot of pinks, purples, red, and yellow. I think those colors show the happiness and warmth of the story with a hint of love too. Some pages are double-page spreads to emphasize a pause in the story. The author often asks a question on those pages so the double-page spread gives the reader time to think. The illustrations also show the emotions of the characters well with their faces and body language on each page.

I think this book would be appropriate for preschool to 2nd grade students. The touching picture book would be perfect to initiate discussions about emotions, friendship, love, and the courage to share your feelings. Students could talk about what it means to be a good friend and how it feels when we tell someone how much they mean to us! A good book to include in any library with subtle LGBTQ themes.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so good.

Violet is an adorable baby butch horse girl -- her hair is so good! -- with a crush on her classmate, Mira. And also a great shyness 😭

You feel her aching so much.

Words like "crush" are never used -- they're elementary schoolers, after all (the author has said the girls are intended to be about 7 years old) -- but the vibe is very clear.

"As far as Violet was concerned, only one person in her class [...] made Violet's heart skip. Mira. Every day, Violet dreamed of astounding Mira with heroic feats and bringing her treasures and galloping off together on adventures! But whenever Mira came near [...] Violet went shy."

Violet makes Mira a beautiful valentine but gets shy again. (Spoilers: There's a happy ending.)

The illustrations are lovely. That two-page spread of Violet's imagined adventures with Mira! And did I mention Violet's hair?

As you can see on the cover, Violet is white and Mira is Black. Just a casually interracial sapphic couple in a picturebook.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guaranteed to give you that warm and fuzzy feeling! A sweet picture book about a first crush, great for kids exploring their first peer companionships and all the emotions associated with them. The author perfectly captures that nervous sensation of meeting someone you truly admire--and the euphoria of connecting deeply--while the illustrator renders the snowy landscape and diverse cast of characters with soft, inviting watercolors. Most importantly, this book offers much-needed representation of love in all its forms. A perfect selection for Valentine's Day or Pride month story time, lap reading for families (particularly queer ones), and readers with an interest in diverse human experiences.

[Kit Heminges · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem that perfectly captures first love from a new light. Adorable Violet wants to give Mira a valentine to let her know how special she is but is very shy.

I actually picked this book up because my coworkers told me I reminded them of Violet!

When I tell you I sobbed, I SOBBED. This book was the much needed Valentine’s Day book I needed as a child. It doesn’t make a big deal out of the fact both protagonists are female and shows it as a perfectly normal. If you are thinking of buying this book, do it!

It’s sweet and if you’re anything like me, will leave you with tears in your eyes.

I am an Indigo Employee

[Tara Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has earned 2 starred reviews (Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly), and once you open it and begin to read you can see exactly why.... Wild's word craft is apparent in the age-appropriate emotional journey of Violet. Her language carries us through our own first crushes and through Charlene Chua's excellent illustrations which captures and stimulates the reader's own emotional journey as we journey hand-in-hand and heart-to-heart.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE, VIOLET is beautiful, charming book celebrating love and attraction. Anyone who has ever had a crush will be able to relate, and it lets young queer girls see themselves reflected (and gives them an alternative storyline to "grow up and marry a prince.") There's a deeply moving and insightful interview with the author about why this book is needed here: https://diversebooks.org/no-more-ghos... Perfect book for Valentine's Day too!

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the cutest little book about friendship, crushing, and telling someone you like how you feel about them. It captures those feelings so well, all the what ifs, and all the hope and fear that goes with it too. I love how pure it is, and how much love is stored in these pages. The illustrations are beautiful, and I could read it again and again.

[Abby Johnson]

In this super sweet Valentine's Day picture book, Violet has a crush on a girl in her class Mira, but she doesn't know how to show her. She makes her a special Valentine, but then is too shy to give it to her. This is an adorable book about a first crush that's important for gay/bi/pan+ representation and deserves a spot on your Valentine's displays or book lists.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adore this! Violet tries to find a way to ask Mira to be her Valentine so they can go on adventures together. It does a wonderful job showing a childhood crush between same-sex characters in a child-friendly way.