Classic Love Stories For Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, a book lover immediately thinks of great love sonnets and classic romance novels. Reading love poems aloud to one’s beloved is certainly a dreamy pastime, especially on the most romantic day of the year.

Of course, there are also adorable children’s books to be enjoyed as well.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” –Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“I can scarcely measure the sky’s most spacious eyes and I lean down to your mouth to kiss the earth.” –Pablo Neruda, “In You The Earth”

• Love Poems by Pablo Neruda (published in 1952) is one of the definitive collections of beautiful, sensual poetry that is exceptionally appropriate for Valentine’s Day. Neruda, a Chilean senator and Nobel Prize Laureate, is most well-known and loved for his earthy, passionate love poems. His collection entitled Love Poems includes favorites such as
  “The Queen,” “Your Hands,” “Your Feet,” “Your Laughter,” “In You the Earth,” “If You Forget Me,” and “Always.”

(Illustration by C.E. Brock, 1895)

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813) has, undoubtedly, one of the most recognizable opening lines of any book: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” It also has one of the most intriguing female protagonists of all time: Elizabeth Bennet. This classic is known for its wit, impeccable writing, charm, satire, progressive take on Feminism (before it had a name), and romance between its two main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
• The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (2016) received praise for being a “tender” and “timely” novel about two teenagers who fall in love over the course of twelve hours in New York City. A can’t miss for young adult readers!

• The Art of Loving: An Inquiry into the Nature of Love by Erich Fromm (1956) is a non-fiction book about human nature and our need for love (including self-love, romantic love, motherly and fatherly love, the love of God, etc.). A well-known psychoanalyst and philosopher, Fromm wrote mostly about sociological and emotional issues and was, above everything, a humanist. His philosophies about love are well-informed and refreshing. A must-read for anyone looking for an educational take on the nature of loving.

Books about Love for Kids

• Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (2015) is an adorable children’s book that takes a beloved, classic character and turns the narrative into a story about love, complete with colorful illustrations (and cover art inspired by Robert Indiana).
• Bagel in Love by Natasha Wing (2018) is a sweet take on inanimate objects falling in love (a bagel and a cupcake). The delightful illustrations by Helen Dardik are instantly amusing and humorous.

For more information on literacy for children and what you should be reading, visit Full Cycle Publications at the website.