Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink

This Valentine's Day favorite read-aloud will prompt lots of giggles, as well as discussions on kindness and forgiveness.

Gilbert is all set to write fifteen friendly valentine cards to his classmates. But how can he write a nice poem for the boy who tweaked his nose, or the girl who made fun of his glasses? Instead, Gilbert writes two not-so-nice valentines...and signs the wrong name on both!

When his classmates read his poems, their feelings are hurt, and Gilbert's prank quickly turns into pandemonium. But with the help of a friend and an honest apology, there's always time for a change of heart on Valentine's Day.

"Human foibles, humorously yet accurately revealed, are given practical, realistic, nondidactic solutions." - School Library Journal

"The hostility is finally turned around with good humor and with lots of nonsense and forgiveness. Kids will enjoy all the rhymes, and they'll want to make up their own playful parodies both mushy and mean." - Booklist

"de Groat's characteristically buoyant watercolor art features an amiable crew of assorted animals, many festively clad in Valentine's Day-appropriate reds and pinks." - Publishers Weekly

"The annual classroom exchange of valentines is the backdrop for this engaging story about retaliation. These hazardous waters of handing out valentines are negotiated by a cast of animals whose emotional toils will closely mirror readers' own. DeGroat pens a sympathetic look at the small hurts in life and the importance of second chances." - Kirkus Reviews