Some sweet reads for Valentine's Day

AMERICAN FORK — Valentine's Day is traditionally the day when lovers express their fondness of each other. Some send valentine cards, some send flowers, some send candy or other gifts. Some go cupid's-arrow crazy and do everything they can think of to express their love.

According to legend, the first Valentine's Day was in A.D. 270. The emperor of Rome, Claudius II, had issued a ban on marriage. He needed soldiers to fight his wars, and if the men were married — well, you guessed it, if they were married, they wouldn't want to go to war and leave their wives.

Because of the edict, St. Valentine, a bishop, felt for young lovers and met them in secret places and joined them in matrimony. When Claudius learned of St. Valentine's activities, he had St. Valentine arrested. While St. Valentine was in prison awaiting his execution, his jailor came to him. The jailor had a blind daughter, and he begged that St. Valentine preform a miracle and restore her eyesight. Through his faith, St. Valentine miraculously restored the sight to the daughter. Just before his execution, St. Valentine asked for a pen and some paper. He wrote a farewell message to the daughter and signed it "From your Valentine," a phrase that lovers use even today.

Being a children's librarian, children's Valentine's Day books are my favorite, so most of those listed below are for children (and maybe children of all ages).

ATTACK OF THE 50-FT. CUPID (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist); Jim Benton; 112 pages

A very large cupid has been brought to life, thanks to Franny's new lab assistant — a dog of many breeds. Before Franny can discover what love means, an all-out war erupts in this science-gone-wrong love story.

DAY IT RAINED HEARTS (valentine stickers included); Felicia Bond; 36 pages

One day it started to rain hearts, and when Cornelia Augusta caught them, she realized that each was special, with these special hearts she begins to make valentines for each of her friends.

FOUR STUPID CUPIDS; Gregory Maguire, illustrated by Elaine Clayton; 192 pages

A lonely-hearts tale in which the boys and girls in Hamlet, Vt., try to find a love match for their teacher. When four cupids arrive from ancient Greece — four very stupid cupids who don't know how to aim their bows and arrows, the boys and girls have to rescue their teacher from one crazy love match after another.

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU; Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram