Valentines For All by Nancy Churnin and Monika Roza Wisniewska - ESSENTIAL

Valentines For All: Esther Howland Captures America's Heart by Nancy Churnin,    illustrated by Monika Roza Wisniewska. BIOGRAPHY   PICTURE BOOK. Albert Whitman & Company, 2023. $19. 9780807567111                       

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY 

This is the story of Esther Howland- the woman who began creating Valentine's Day cards in America. In 1847, when she was only 19 years old, her dad gave her a beautiful card. She loved it so much that she decided she wanted to make fancy cards in America to help people express their feelings for each other. Despite the doubt that was voiced from her family, her business took off. This is an amazing biography that shows determination, creativity, and to not give up on your dreams.   

My daughter and I enjoyed this book a lot. We liked learning how paper Valentines came to be in history. We didn't realize that this tradition started in England, and was later introduced to America. There were cute rhyming Valentines on each page that were funny and kept us engaged.           

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher