Saint Valentine the Kindhearted by Ned Bustard is a beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written retelling of the life of Saint Valentine, offering young readers a glimpse into the history and legend behind the beloved figure associated with love and kindness. Bustard’s storytelling brings the figure of Saint Valentine to life in a way that is both accessible and engaging, making this book a perfect addition to any family or classroom library, especially for those seeking to understand the deeper meaning behind the holiday of Valentine’s Day.

The story focuses on Valentine’s compassionate nature and his courage to stand up for what he believed in. Set in the early days of Christianity, it recounts Valentine’s work as a priest who secretly married couples in defiance of a Roman emperor’s decree, and his unwavering commitment to love and care for others, even at great personal cost. The narrative emphasizes themes of kindness, sacrifice, and the power of love, offering a meaningful story that goes beyond the commercialized celebrations associated with Valentine’s Day today.

One of the standout features of Saint Valentine the Kindhearted is Ned Bustard’s delightful illustrations. The artwork is vibrant and whimsical, capturing the warmth and gentleness of Valentine’s character and the historical setting. The illustrations complement the text perfectly, offering young readers visual cues that enhance their understanding of the story. The mix of detailed scenes and more simple, expressive illustrations makes the book appealing to children of various ages, from early readers to older children who can appreciate the subtleties of the artwork.

Bustard’s writing is clear, accessible, and full of heart. He strikes a wonderful balance between historical narrative and moral instruction, making the life of Saint Valentine both informative and inspiring. The language is age-appropriate for younger readers, and the story is framed in a way that emphasizes Valentine’s kindness and courage, which makes it a great tool for teaching children about the importance of standing up for others and showing love in practical ways. The pacing is well-suited for a read-aloud experience, and the story’s message is simple yet powerful.

In addition to telling Valentine’s story, Bustard includes a short section at the end that offers additional historical context about the origins of Saint Valentine’s Day, further enriching the reader’s understanding of how the celebration evolved from the life of a Christian martyr to the modern day observance of love and affection.

While Saint Valentine the Kindhearted is primarily aimed at children, its message will resonate with adults as well. The book gently calls readers to reflect on the true nature of love and sacrifice, providing an opportunity to discuss these timeless virtues with young readers. The combination of a well-known figure, accessible writing, and charming illustrations makes this a valuable resource for parents, educators, and churches looking to impart both historical knowledge and moral lessons.

Some readers may find the book’s approach to history a bit idealized, as it focuses more on the legend of Saint Valentine rather than providing a detailed historical account. However, this is not a criticism of the book’s intent but rather a reflection of its goal to inspire children through the life of a beloved saint. For those seeking a more scholarly account of Saint Valentine, this book may not be the definitive resource, but for those looking to introduce the virtues of love and kindness, it is highly effective.

In conclusion, Saint Valentine the Kindhearted by Ned Bustard is a beautifully crafted, heartwarming book that captures the spirit of Saint Valentine’s life and the deeper meaning of love and kindness. With its charming illustrations and inspiring message, this book is a perfect way to teach children about the virtues that Saint Valentine embodied, making it a lovely addition to any family or classroom library, especially around Valentine’s Day.

Great book written in rhyme for lower elementary school aged children. The illustrations and story are both engaging.

Saint Valentine the Kindhearted by Ned Bustard is a nice book about Saint Valentine and why we celebrate Valentine's Day. I did not know much about St. Valentine and it was nice to learn about him. The illustrations, to me, gave the book a Tomie de Paola feel--which I loved. Saint Valentine the Kindhearted by Ned Bustard is a nice book to read during the Valentine's Season. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

I like that this book explores different forms of love, what it means to feel love for other people in general beyond the card company expression. The illustrations are highly stylized, almost like block prints, in a way that suits the story well.

Fun book to teach kids more about Saint Valentine! It deepened their understanding of who he was and where Valentine's day came from. It helped them to nuance how we think about valentine's day and what that can look like. Culture's appropriation of Saint Valentine is much different from his heart of sharing Jesus' love with the world around him. My kids loved it. I learned more about Saint Valentine. The illustrations were fun, whimsical, and engaging! Thank you for an advance copy!

I was disappointed when I opened the book to preview before sharing with my first grade class. What I thought was going to be a lighthearted read for Valentines Day ended up being an in your face religious takeover of the holiday. Couldn’t read to the class and frankly didn’t even want to read it myself. The illustrations were unique and fun though! Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Extremely educational while easy to understand and filled with interesting illustrations that are bound to make older and younger audiences memorize the basic facts around St. Valentine. An excellent book that should be added to (school) libraries and would prove to be an excellent tool for parents trying to help their kiddo get to know better religion.

This story was the perfect way to set the mood for Valentine's Day in our home. In a world obsessed with romantic passion and chocolate hearts, the story of St. Valentine brought us back to the beautiful origins of this holiday. My five-year-old enjoyed reading this story with me and looking at the beautiful illustrations. We also had a great discussion about the various types of love and how we can show love to people around us by showing kindness and reminding people of Christ's love. This is exactly the kind of story that I want-- it fosters the kind of family culture I am trying to create in my home.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book. I was not required to leave a review.

This introduction for young readers about Saint Valentine is a nice edition to the library. It is written in a poetry/ rhyme format that allows for individual reading as well as reading it to your child or group of children. Its central theme is about loving others and helping them out. Great starting point for young readers. The illustrations are nice and add to the story. This is a book that I would gift my nieces and nephews.

I loved the font choice and illustrations. The rhymes were great, both in quality and in length. I learned a lot that I didn't know before!
However, I would better advertise the religious tone of this book. It seems like it was very religious and not just slightly. I understand that there would at least be some religious themes, but it seemed like a strong element.

I love the idea and concept a lot, but found the poems/choice to write in rhyme to be all wrong. A lot of lines felt forced or didn't add to the story, anf it would have been better to write in lyrical prose or free verse with only an occasional rhyming refrain.

But even so, I can see Christian families coming to this.

This is a really cute lyrical story about St. Valentine and some potential history of Valentine's Day. I love how it uses some of the common Valentine's sayings connected with Biblical truths about love to tell the story of St. Valentine. I would read this one again!

I accessed a copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Saint Valentine the Kindhearted was a well done collection of stories known about Saint Valentine packaged with beautiful illustrations and used to share God’s love. This book would be a great addition to a school classroom library for holiday centric books.

Most picture books for Valentine’s Day are cute, silly and secular. Very few address the religious origin of the holiday. In this book, poetry and pictures tell the story of Saint Valentine in an age-appropriate manner. The rhyming text is cute and catchy. The poems are written in perfect meter and some of the phrases used to make the rhymes are irreverent and silly, perfect for young readers. The author has created illustrations that are a combination of woodcut and other media. This picture book is a great addition to any Christian household with young children.

For religious audiences only comes this rhymed narrative, which is superlative technically but not really what I thought to find. It's a galloping piece with perfect verse, meter and rhyme, though, as it speeds us through the semi-imagined life of Valentine, preaching, tending to people who fall down ill, restoring sight to a blind girl apparently, and spreading lurve of all kinds (well, not that kind as witnessed by the ancient Greeks – this is very child-friendly, which of course is what some of the ancient Greeks thought they were being…). Modern artworks showing some cross-over between woodcuts and cartoons, with their thick outlining, are on every second page, and the eight lines of AABBCCDD verse each text page are easily taken on. It's a very pleasurable lesson, to such an extent that even an atheist such as I can see many merits here, and know four stars will seem stingy to many who pick this up by choice.

I may be a long-standing member of the Bitter Women's Club, but I enjoyed this delightful children's book about Saint Valentine. The rhyming was on point, and the illustrations full of joy and color.

Thank you to NetGalley and InterVarsity Press, IVP Kids for the complimentary ARC..

Great book bringing the history of Saint Valentine into the forefront as the holiday approaches.
Well written, cute poems and illustrations bring this story to life and remind the readers of the love Valentine had for everyone.

This book tells the story of Saint Valentine in rhyming verse with woodcut-style illustrations.
I read the book to my two children (ages 8 & 5).

My 8-year-old gave it 5 stars. She liked it when St Valentine helped the Judge's daughter and didn't like the part where they tried to make Valentine worship the many Roman gods. She also liked the repeated use of "Roses are red" on many pages. She was curious why we celebrate Valentine's Day, and this story (especially the note from the author at the end) helped answer that question. This also raised questions about the different types of love, which can be a great conversation starter.

My 5-year-old gave it 44 stars He didn't like when the Judge got mad at St Valentine, but he did like the part when Valentine told the Judge to smash the statues of the false gods.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book in hopes of a review through NetGalley.

This book was definitely age appropriate. It is a very sweet and informative story that shares the history of Valentine’s Day. It rhymes throughout which is super entertaining and fun for children. The illustrations are beautiful and very high quality. I think this is a great book for children!

Although I am a religious person, I admit that I don't know a great deal about St. Valentine, and therefore the origins of Valentine's Day. This was a well-illustrated, poetic way of learning a bit more of this history. A cute, quick read for younger ages, and enjoyable by my older kids, too!
Thank you for my review copy, to the publisher and NetGalley.