Valentine Surprise [Hardcover]

Corinne Demas (Author), R.W. Alley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

It’s only a week until Valentine’s Day, and Lily wants to make the perfect heart-shaped valentine for Mommy. But every time she cuts out a heart, it’s either too pointy, too round, or too skinny. As the days go by, Lily tries again and again, and when Valentine’s Day finally arrives, she has a heart for each day of the week! Which one will be the perfect valentine surprise for Mommy? 

 

Young readers will enjoy this sweet, simple story that introduces the days of the week, as well as the special tradition of creating handmade valentines. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

From Booklist

“The simple text, which teaches shapes and days of the week, is just right for young children, who will recognize their own craft-project frustrations in Lily’s experience. The story is sweet without being sappy, and Alley’s soft, pencil-and-watercolor illustrations add to the warm tone. This cozy story is an excellent choice for a family-oriented Valentine’s Day reading.” —Booklist

 

From Kirkus Reviews

“With its subtle teaching of days and shapes, this is one that teachers will reach for each February. Alley’s Lily has a face for all her feelings and actions—hopeful, disappointed, concentrating and working hard. Readers can only hope that the closing illustration hints to a future St. Patrick’s Day outing with Lily. Lily’s solution is a salute to creativity, ingenuity and thinking outside the box; it will have all parents cheering her efforts and hoping that their own child takes a page from her book.” —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

CORINNE DEMAS is the author of many popular books for adults and children, including Saying Goodbye to Lulu, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and won the ASPCA Henry Berg award.  She is a professor of English at Mount Holyoke College and lives in western Massachusetts. Visit her Web site at www.corinnedemas.com.

 

R.W. ALLEY has illustrated nearly a hundred books for children, including Tiger Can’t Sleep by S.J. Ford, Cat Skiddo by Bethany Roberts and the beloved Paddington series.  He lives in Rhode Island with his wife and two sons.  Visit his Web site at www.rwalley.com

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens; First Edition edition (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802796648
• ISBN-13: 978-0802796646
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Corinne Demas is the author of two collections of short stories, three novels, a memoir, a collection of poetry, a play, and numerous books for children. She is Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College and a fiction editor of the Massachusetts Review. Before the year 2000, she published her books under the name Corinne Demas Bliss.

Corinne grew up in New York City, in Stuyvesant Town, the subject of her memoir, "Eleven Stories High: Growing Up in Stuyvesant Town 1948-1968". She attended Hunter College High School, graduated from Tufts University, and completed a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. She lived in Pittsburgh for a number of years, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh and at Chatham College.

She lives with her family in Western Massachusetts and spends the summer on Cape Cod. You will find more information at her website: www.corinnedemas.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars adorable!, January 1, 2009

By 

J. Pianin (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valentine Surprise (Hardcover)

My 3 year old loves this story of a little girl "Lily" who wants so badly to make her mommy a perfect heart-shaped valentine. She tries and tries for a week but each one she cuts out has a problem (too curvy, too pointy, lopsided, etc.). The point of it all is that in her mommy's eyes they are all perfect because they were made with love. And isn't that what a valentine really should be?