Love comes in all forms. Whether it's love of a family member, a friend, a pet, a significant other, or self-love, these youth books are sure to warm your heart. Looking for more titles? Ask a librarian!
Board Books
Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton*
Snuggle Puppy's parent expresses love for his fuzzy little one through a song that includes kisses.
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
During a bedtime game, every time Little Nutbrown Hare demonstrates how much he loves his father, Big Nutbrown Hare gently shows him that the love is returned even more.
My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Depicts in rhyming text how love can be many different things, such as eager as a beaver, steady as a yak, or silly as a seal.
Love the World by Todd Parr*
Whether looking at one's own nose and toes, helping others, or exploring the world, there is always something to love.
I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak
Celebrate the unconditional love a parent has for their child with this story in which a toddler and his teddy bear illustrate a young child's many moods.
Picture Books
Love Is by Diane Adams
A girl finds a baby duckling, and discovers that love is taking care of something that needs you, and also knowing when to let it go.
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
A little girl's daddy steps in to help her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.
You Can Never Run Out of Love by Helen Docherty*
A heart-warming and funny tale about the different kinds of love, and how no matter how much love you give you can never run out.
Did I Tell You I Love You Today? by Deloris Jordan with Roslyn M. Jordan
A mother describes the many ways that she shows her love for her child throughout the day.
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
A story about the enduring nature of parents' love and how it crosses generations.
"More, More, More!" Said the Baby: 3 Love Stories by Vera Williams
From beneath the tickles, kisses, and unfettered affection showered on them by grownups, the children in this Caldecott Honor Book cry out for more, more, more!
Middle Grade Books
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake*
When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed and her family of six is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm--and what's worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing... only for the drawings to begin to appear in her school locker.
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin
Seventh-grader Ben, always an outsider, is led into a deep friendship with Halley by the special stray dog he and his adoptive mother take in.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. How can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom and those she loves--and she'll have to obey?
Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson
Ali's sweet life turns sour when a sleek coffee shop opens across the street, giving her bakery a run for its money. Worst of all, the owner's annoying(ly cute) son, Dane, likes to bake, too. When Dane and Ali engage in a bake-off to prove who is the cake-pop master, it's Ali's chance to save the bakery... but it may already be too late for her heart.
Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead
As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best friends, curvacious Em, crusader Tab, and a curious new friend--or more than friend--Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: "What is my purpose?"
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk*
Set adrift on the ocean in a small skiff as a newborn, twelve-year-old Crow embarks on a quest to find the missing pieces of her history in this book about identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family.
Young Adult Books
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
“Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.”
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
Three teenagers, biological siblings separated by adoption, explore the meaning of family in all its forms--how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she has loved and then hides them in a hatbox until one day those letters are accidentally sent.
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo*
Amanda Hardy only wants to fit in at her new school, but she's keeping a big secret. So when she falls for Grant, guarded Amanda finds herself yearning to share everything about herself with him... even her former identity.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz*
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship--the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Natasha is a girl who believes in science and facts. Daniel has always been a good son and good student. But when he sees Natasha he forgets all that and believes there is something extraordinary in store for both of them.
* = not owned by Minerva Public Library, but available through holds and/or in eBook format
Most book descriptions taken from publishers and shortened.