6 Picture Books for Kids With February Birthdays

Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox, by Susan Blackaby and Carmen Segovia
The spirit animal of a decent percentage of kids with February birthdays has to be the groundhog. This book, loosely based on Aesop’s fable of the fox and the cat, shows the groundhog in an august light—Brownie Groundhog not only manages to out-fox a fox, she does so with intelligence, compassion, and style. The adventure starts when Brownie wakes up on February second and decides to go out. A fox immediately sees her and declares, “I’m trying to eat you for breakfast.” Brownie convinces him it’s too late for breakfast, and dissuades him from eating her in other ways until she’s got him tied up with her red scarf to a tree. He cries in hunger as she leaves, and instead of saying, “Well, that’s what you deserve you nasty carnivore!” she shares her lunch with him. From a safe distance. While the fox is still tied up.

Groundhog’s Day Off, by Robb Pearlman and Brett Helquist
Maybe your February birthday kid isn’t as crafty and together as Brownie. Maybe she’s more like the groundhog in this story, who feels unappreciated. Groundhog has an important role to fulfill every Groundhog’s Day, but grows weary of people only asking about the weather. Tired of the subject—and who wouldn’t be?—Groundhog decides to take a beach vacation. While he’s gone, the town tries to find another animal to replace him in the winter-ending ritual, but none will do. In his absence, Groundhog finally discovers that he is truly appreciated, and not just as a weather predictor, but as a person—er, animal. This story is kind of like an It’s A Wonderful Life, February edition.

The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting and Jan Brett
It seems like I barely get the Groundhog’s Day decorations down each year before Valentine’s Day rolls around. In this classic Valentine’s Day book, Mrs. Bear realizes she and Mr. Bear always hibernate through Valentine’s Day, and they’ve never celebrated it together. She determines that this year, she will make Valentine’s Day special for Mr. Bear, and makes valentines and puts aside honey for him. But when she tries to wake him up, none of her methods work, and he begs for another five weeks of sleep. She resorts to pulling his ears and fetching a can of frigid water to dump on him before Mr. Bear wakes up with a “Gift of the Magi”—worthy surprise for her too. It involves chocolate-covered ants.

The Gashlycrumb Tinies, by Edward Gorey
Distinctive illustrator Edward Gorey was born on Feburary 22, 1925. He’s known for his irresistible goth-Victorian pen-and-ink drawings. If your February birthday kid loves dark humor, check out Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies, an alphabet book that features 26 children who’ve met untimely demises, from “A is for Amy who fell down the stairs,” and “B is Basil, assaulted by bears,” to “Z is for Zillah, who drank too much gin.” Like I said, dark. But also witty, intricate, atmospheric and one-of-a-kind. If you or your kid can emphasize with Neville, “who died of ennui,” then you’ve already spent far too many days without this book in your life.

That is My Dream, by Langston Hughes & Daniel Miyares
One of our country’s finest poets, Langston Hughes, was born on Feburary 1, 1902. This gorgeous book, featuring luminous watercolor illustrations, introduces kids to Hughes’ poem “Dream Variations.” In this poem, the speaker dreams of relaxation, rest, and joy. “To fling my arms wide/ In some place of the sun,/ To whirl and to dance/ Till the white day is done.” In Daniel Miyares’ illustrations, set during the Jim Crow era, a young black boy notices a white boy and the distance that society keeps between them, and imagines the two of them into a friendship.

Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, by David Roessel, Arnold Rampersad, and Benny Andrews
If your February birthday kid’s interest is piqued about Langston Hughes by That is My Dream, try this one for a deep dive into the many wonderful poems he wrote that are accessible to children, as well as a biographical sketch. If your child is inspired to write poetry after reading all these examples, a terrific poetry exercise for kids is to read Hughes’ “Theme for English B,” follow its model, and replace the details the young Langston gives about his life to his English teacher—from what he likes to do to what he likes “for a Christmas present”—with the child’s own preferences. You might even ask them these questions once a year, on their birthday, and watch how their tastes evolve as the years spin by.