Valentine’s Day has always been celebrated in my family, and I look forward to this holiday even as an adult. I’m not sure if it’s reminiscing about my childhood that I enjoy, or the sheer act of sending cards to those I love. At any rate, I do like to give my little valentine small gifts on this holiday, and Franklin’s Valentines has been enjoyed the few years my son’s owned it.

Franklin’s excited about Valentine’s Day, and in counting the cards he made for his friends, he falls behind in his morning routine. He rushes out the door on his way to school, and unbeknownst to him all the cards fall out of his backpack and are ruined from the snowy slush. When it comes time to celebrate the holiday, Franklin hides in the closet because he has nothing to give in return. His teacher, encourages him to come back to the party where his friends convince him that they don’t need a valentine to know they’re his friend. Franklin’s so touched by their generosity, he passes out new cards the following day.

“Oh, these cards aren’t for Valentines Day,” replied Franklin. “They’re for Friendship Day. And Friendship Day can be any day you want it to be.”

Franklin’s Valentines captures the true spirit of the holiday unlike many of the valentine books I’ve read where friends compete for the biggest or best valentine ever. I also appreciate that Franklin’s predicament is realistic. I’m sure all of us at one time, or another have forgotten to bring something to school, or have lost, or broken items along the way. Children relate to Franklin’s dilemma about feeling left out, and embarrassed. The first four times I read this book to my son he pointed out that the cards where falling out of Franklin’s backpack, and he was concerned for his feelings.

The illustrations are bright and bold, which are certainly eye-catching. The artist, Brenda Clark, uses watercolor for the illustrations, but these aren’t the ethereal washed-out kind of pictures. There’s lots of color, and details in this 32-page book. I especially like the animal expressions. One can almost tell what’s happening without reading the words.

The author, Paulette Bourgeois, does a fine job of communicating her story without stretching the vocabulary, or being too wordy. There isn’t any rhyme, or cadence to her text, but her sentence structure is easy to follow especially for young readers. The only word my son wasn’t familiar with was cloakroom. Perhaps the term is used in Canada, where the author lives, over our mudroom? The Franklin series is geared to preschoolers through first grade, the 4 to 7 crowd, and touches on subjects that relate to the age group. This most beloved turtle overcomes the dark, thunderstorms, and giving up his blanket. If you aren’t familiar with the Franklin series, I definitely recommend you look into the very accomplished author/illustrator pair of Paulette Bourgeois, and Brenda Clark.

ISBN: 0-590-13001-3
Scholastic Inc., 1998



Additional Valentine's Day Treats:
The Ballad of Valentine
Little Mouse’s Big Valentine
Will You Be My Valenswine?



Recommended: Yes