Hearts, Cupids, and Red Roses: The Story of the Valentine Symbols

by Edna Barth, Ursula Arndt (Illustrator)

Describes the celebration of St. Valentine's Day from pagan festivals to present-day activities.

Each of our holidays has its own familiar Trick-or-treating on Halloween, eating turkey on Thanksgiving, waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas, exchanging cards on Valentine’s Day. But where do these customs come from, when did they begin, and why do we continue to observe them?

In the engaging blend of careful research and lively prose that has earned her books a lasting place on the holiday bookshelf, Edna Barth explores the multicultural origins and evolution of the familiar and not-so-familiar symbols and legends associated with our favorite holidays. Full of fascinating historical details and little-known stories, these books are both informative and engaging. Festively illustrated by Ursula Arndt, they are now available again in hardcover as well as paperback editions, featuring new, eye-catching jacket designs, and fun holiday activities inside the paperback covers. Each book includes an annotated list of holiday stories and poems and an index.

Genres: Nonfiction, Holiday, Childrens, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked this up, I’d assumed it was a picture book. It’s not. It’s illustrated but it’s so heavy on text, I don’t consider it to be a picture book. It’s a very short (64 pages) illustrated chapter book.

I’m not that interested in Valentine’s Day so I am not the best audience for this book, but I did find parts interesting. I liked the instructions/presentation for some of the crafts that can be made. I enjoyed some of the history; I learned a few things.

In fact, the information presented is sufficiently sophisticated (and disturbing) that I think I’d recommend this book for ages (at least) 9-13, and through adulthood for readers interested in this subject matter.

But, I didn’t find the presentation that fascinating; it was interesting though.

The illustrations are all in black and white, but they’re very charming.

Contents:

How St. Valentine’s Day Came to Be
Valentines Cross the Atlantic
True-Love Tokens
Enter Cupid
Valentine Love Birds
Hearts and Sweethearts
Roses are Red
Valentine Lace
Red, Pink, and White
Valentine Goodies
Stories and Poems for Valentine’s Day
Sources
Index

The back cover of this book makes it clear that this author-illustrator team have a series of holiday books. The other books listed on the back are about St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. And a book about the Fourth of July by this illustrator but another author is also listed.

[Sharon Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the age range, indicated by the publisher, is 8-12 (grade level 4-6), I found this lively book to be both engaging and informative to me as an adult. The illustrations, all done in black and white, are clear and interesting with some of the line drawn illustrations being quite pretty.

I appreciated that no excess verbage was found in the book, the author getting right to the point with each subject. I especially liked the history of Valentines and Valentine's Day. A lot of information is succinctly packed into just a few pages for this topic.

Another thing I liked was the variety of information provided. The author included such varied topics as Valentine customs in other countries, arts and crafts projects, goodies you can cook for Valentine's Day, discussion of various Valentine symbols (hearts, cupid, flowers, candy, tokens and games, etc.), and a reference list of stories and poems for Valentine's Day. Moreover, the price was right for this paperback book at $7.95; I, however, picked mine up used on Amazon for $4.00 with free shipping and handling because I'm an Amazon Prime member. I would rate this great little book at 4.5 stars out of 5. For goodreads, I round up to 5.0 stars.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough look at the history and customs of Valentine's Day. A well-written and interesting read for the little scholar wishing to know. Scattered illustrations.

Ages: 7 - 12

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Nichole · Rating 1 out of 5]

It would be nice if this had any kind of documentation or detail. A lot of times it's like "Many people..." or "It was the custom" but doesn't really say where or among whom. Or uses very old terms for people/ places that we no longer use. Now, I will say, the one pictured here is not the one I have, so perhaps it's been updated.

[RG]

I stumbled across this book while reshelving in the children's area. I LOVE Valentines Day. Learned a lot about the various ways Valentines Day has been celebrated. I especially enjoyed studying the illustrations in this book.

[sidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love valentine's day <3

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting for a quick read

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Georgiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Example of flower cage, cobweb, or beehive cards.