We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

This Is Not a Valentine
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

Book Cover
Average Rating
5 star
 
(0)
4 star
 
(1)
3 star
 
(2)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Published:
Chronicle Books LLC 2017
Accelerated Reader:
IL: LG - BL: 3.1 - AR Pts: 0.5
Lexile measure:
580L
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description

In this picture book, a girl’s gift of a Valentine to a boy prompts a tale with an enduring message of friendship.

This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about? Maybe this book is sort of a valentine after all. A testament to handmade, wacky, bashful, honest love—sure to win over the hearts of all readers—this offering from debut picture book author Carter Higgins and children’s book veteran Lucy Ruth Cummins is the perfect gift to celebrate every relationship, from parent to child, sibling to sibling, partner to partner, crush to crush.

Praise for This Is Not a Valentine 

“A perfect book for kids who find the whole Valentine's Day holiday icky and overrated.” —Book Riot

“A beautiful celebration of love and how different that may look to others celebrating Valentine's Day.” —ReaderTotz

“[Cummins’s] cartoon cast is a diverse one, and refreshingly, this is more about deep friendship than romantic love; her kids are definitely just that: kids. . . . A sort of anti-valentine for those who want to show the ones they love they care without being all mushy (or spending any money).” —Kirkus Reviews
Also in This Series
Formats
Adobe EPUB eBook
Works on all eReaders (except Kindles), desktop computers and mobile devices with reading apps installed.
Kindle Book
Works on Kindles and devices with a Kindle app installed.
OverDrive Read
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
12/26/2017
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781452153957
ASIN:
B072BRL63V
Accelerated Reader:
LG
Level 3.1, 0.5 Points
Lexile measure:
580
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Carter Higgins. (2017). This Is Not a Valentine. Chronicle Books LLC.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Carter Higgins. 2017. This Is Not a Valentine. Chronicle Books LLC.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Carter Higgins, This Is Not a Valentine. Chronicle Books LLC, 2017.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Carter Higgins. This Is Not a Valentine. Chronicle Books LLC, 2017.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection11
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
bd7b077a-5492-06df-3433-72364b331c65
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 15:49:24
Date Updated:
Aug 29, 2023 19:32:34
Last Metadata Check:
Apr 14, 2024 07:09:54
Last Metadata Change:
Jan 06, 2024 11:25:00
Last Availability Check:
Apr 14, 2024 07:09:57
Last Availability Change:
Feb 19, 2024 22:12:45
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Apr 19, 2024 02:10:42

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG100.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG200.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG150.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG400.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781452153957
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B072BRL63V
      • name: Kindle Book
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781452153957
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • id: ebook-overdrive
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9781452153742
mediaType
eBook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Carter Higgins
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
This Is Not a Valentine
dateAdded
2018-01-12T02:51:00Z
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com?websiteID=141&titleID=3281253
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
This Is Not a Valentine
crossRefId
3281253
id
60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7
starRating
4.3

OverDrive MetaData

interestLevel
LG
isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • fileName: ThisIsNotaValentine_9781452153957_3281253
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 5904540
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781452153957
      • rights:
            • type: Copying
            • value: 0
            • type: Printing
            • value: 0
            • type: Lending
            • value: 0
            • type: ReadAloud
            • value: 1
            • type: ExpirationRights
            • value: 0
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • onSaleDate: 12/26/2017
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=60927069-7076-4f62-a7f6-c4a66c357eb7&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: ThisIsNotaValentine_3281253
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 0
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B072BRL63V
      • name: Kindle Book
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • onSaleDate: 12/26/2017
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=60927069-7076-4f62-a7f6-c4a66c357eb7&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: ThisIsNotaValentine_9781452153957_3281253
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 5904428
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781452153957
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 12/26/2017
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=60927069-7076-4f62-a7f6-c4a66c357eb7&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Higgins, Carter
      • name: Carter Higgins
      • role: Illustrator
      • fileAs: Cummins, Lucy Ruth
      • name: Lucy Ruth Cummins
publishDate
2017-12-26T00:00:00-05:00
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
This Is Not a Valentine
fullDescription

In this picture book, a girl’s gift of a Valentine to a boy prompts a tale with an enduring message of friendship.

This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about? Maybe this book is sort of a valentine after all. A testament to handmade, wacky, bashful, honest love—sure to win over the hearts of all readers—this offering from debut picture book author Carter Higgins and children’s book veteran Lucy Ruth Cummins is the perfect gift to celebrate every relationship, from parent to child, sibling to sibling, partner to partner, crush to crush.

Praise for This Is Not a Valentine 

“A perfect book for kids who find the whole Valentine's Day holiday icky and overrated.” —Book Riot

“A beautiful celebration of love and how different that may look to others celebrating Valentine's Day.” —ReaderTotz

“[Cummins’s] cartoon cast is a diverse one, and refreshingly, this is more about deep friendship than romantic love; her kids are definitely just that: kids. . . . A sort of anti-valentine for those who want to show the ones they love they care without being all mushy (or spending any money).” —Kirkus Reviews
gradeLevels
      • value: Grade 50
      • value: Grade 1
      • value: Grade 2
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        October 1, 2017
        After a small girl gives a boy a valentine, he finds all kinds of ways to show her he cares, but not with a valentine.The white boy, who sports a red superhero cape and square glasses, knows all about real valentines--they have cursive and lace, cooties fall out when you open them, and they're glittery and pink and come with roses or jewels or cavity-causing sugary treats. So he is not giving his friend, a taller, black girl with pigtail puffs over her ears, any of those things. Instead, among other things, she gets a handful of dandelions (some of which he's already used for wishes), a vending-machine ring, his superhero cape, the jelly part of a half of a PB&J he found at the bottom of his lunchbox, a lucky hopscotch rock, and the secret of the second-best hiding spot. Throughout, he proves he is observant about the things she likes. Cummins' white backgrounds keep the focus on the kids' interactions and their droll facial expressions. Her cartoon cast is a diverse one, and refreshingly, this is more about deep friendship than romantic love; her kids are definitely just that: kids. A sort of anti-valentine for those who want to show the ones they love they care without being all mushy (or spending any money). (Picture book. 5-8)

        COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        October 16, 2017
        Higgins (A Rambler Steals Home) follows a boy’s unconventional courtship of one of his classmates, presenting her with a few humble gifts that are a far cry from mass-produced, glitter-laden cards. First up is a bunch of dandelions, “and I already blew the wishes/ off most of them,” he admits, “for a rocket ship/ or the last cinnamon bun/ or moon boots and a mega-blaster.” Throughout the school day, the blush on the girl’s cheeks suggests that she appreciates the thought and care behind the gifts. Cummins’s scruffy cartoons are interspersed with still-life portraits that make a plastic ring, paper airplane, and lucky rock feel like treasures. What’s clear, and what makes the book so poignant, is that the boy pays real attention to his crush and is doing his best to deliver gifts that will be truly meaningful to her. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

      • premium: True
      • source: School Library Journal
      • content:

        February 1, 2018

        Gr 1-3-A little boy in a yellow shirt and glasses likes a girl in his grade school class. He brings her things like gumball machine jewelry that matches her shoelaces and his lucky rock. None of these gestures, among others, are valentines, he insists. After all, he likes this girl not just one day, but all the days. Almost every other page has the text and title of the book, "this is not a valentine," with not underlined. This proclamation is followed by a signal of everyday affection from the boy to the girl. Multimedia illustrations that mimic childlike drawings made with crayons and makers reinforce the grade school setting. As a children's picture book, the tender message of everyday acts of affection, as opposed to grand and less frequent gestures, is quite intellectual. Therefore, this book would make a good book for discussion with older children after it has been shared. VERDICT This enduring message of friendship should give this title a longer and broader shelf life than just another Valentine's Day book.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

        Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        July 1, 2018
        Each time a boy gives his female classmate a gift (dandelions, a rock, etc.), he explains why it isn't to be construed as a valentine (e.g., valentines "come with buckets of roses"). Readers, like the girl, will see right through him and appreciate him all the more for his vulnerability, reinforced in mixed-media illustrations that have the conspicuous non-polish of children's art.

        (Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

popularity
5
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/60927069-7076-4f62-a7f6-c4a66c357eb7/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
60927069-7076-4f62-a7f6-c4a66c357eb7
starRating
4.2
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG100.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG200.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG150.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/2363-1/{60927069-7076-4F62-A7F6-C4A66C357EB7}IMG400.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Juvenile Fiction
      • value: Juvenile Literature
      • value: Humor (Fiction)
publishDateText
12/26/2017
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9781452153742
mediaType
eBook
shortDescription

In this picture book, a girl’s gift of a Valentine to a boy prompts a tale with an enduring message of friendship.

This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about? Maybe this book is sort of a valentine after all. A testament to handmade, wacky, bashful, honest love—sure to win over the hearts of all readers—this offering from debut picture book author Carter Higgins and children’s book veteran Lucy Ruth Cummins is the perfect gift to celebrate every relationship, from parent to child, sibling to sibling, partner to partner, crush to crush.

Praise for This Is Not a...

sortTitle
This Is Not a Valentine
lexileScore
580
crossRefId
3281253
publisher
Chronicle Books LLC
atos
3.1
bisacCodes
      • code: JUV017070
      • description: Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Celebrations / Valentine's Day
      • code: JUV019000
      • description: Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories
      • code: JUV039060
      • description: Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship