Guess what?

It’s not even April 🤣 and the finalists are being posted for. . .

The 10th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest

~ for children’s writers ~

Life has been crazy – what else is new? 😊 – so in the interest of getting the finalist up for you to vote on, I am dispensing with ALL the extras!

The only thing I’m going to say is that the entries were fantastic and you all made choosing 12 finalists agonizing and virtually impossible! We did our best to choose the ones that felt like they really showed worry, and also had strong kid appeal, and were strong stories. But there were MANY great entries that, while they fell just shy of the contest parameters, were still great stories!

So without further ado, I am thrilled to present your finalists!

Please read through them and ENJOY! and then vote for your favorite in the poll below by 5 PM Eastern Tuesday March 4th! And as always, if you are a finalist, please do not troll for votes. It is counter to the spirit of the competition!

#1 – THE STRAWBERRY COWBOY

Every year, Slim the strawberry cowboy brought his wild strawberries to town for Valentine’s Day.

Today, Slim fretted. He fussed. He frowned.

“It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and I haven’t roped nearly enough strawberries!”

Slim rode out on his horse, Shortcake, but though they looked under leaf and flower, there was scarcely a wild strawberry to rustle up in a hundred square miles.

“How will the townsfolk wish each other a sweet Valentine’s Day without my strawberries?”

He was so worried he ate his hat.

On Valentine’s Day morning, he rode into town with a single small basket of strawberries.

Slim stood in the market square, jiggling his feet and jangling his spurs. What would the townsfolk think when they arrived and saw only a few strawberries? Even Shortcake flicked her ears nervously.

Lucky the lemon rancher waved to him from behind his wheelbarrow.

“Howdy, Slim! Your strawberries look mighty delicious!”

“Maybe so, but there aren’t enough!” Slim said. “I’m afeared the day will be ruined!”

He was so worried he ate his lasso.

“Slim, I have a notion,” Lucky said. “Don’t eat your boots.”

That year, the townsfolk enjoyed a new Valentine’s treat: wild strawberry lemonade.

#2 – CARDS OF CONCERN

There’s no need to worry, I’m sure I’ll get cards.

A couple, “I love yous”? At least, “Kind regards”?

My class won’t forget me on Valentine’s Day.

They’ll pile the cards high. I’ll grab them and say:

“I thank you dear classmates! These cards are so cool!

I feel like the luckiest kid in the school!”

But what if there aren’t cards? No chocolates, or treats?

No need for my speech that lifts butts out of seats?

No standing ovation or raucous applause?

And what if the cards I made them get guffaws?

They might think I used too much glitter this year.

I could run back home, but it’s too late. I’m here.

I enter the classroom…No cards in my spot…

“NOOOO!” I wail. “I was right, they forgot!”

I fall to the ground. “What a Valentine’s Day!

What’s that, Mrs. Hart? It’s tomorrow you say?”

My class helps me up. They love me! How cool!

I feel like the luckiest kid in the school.

#3 – VALENTRUCK                                              

Val the Valentruck heads down the road with her happy horn honking.

Lovey-dovey BEEP-BEEP!

Shiny red fenders? Check! 

Pink-tinted windows? Check! 

Sparkling heart-shaped hubcaps? Check!

Tank full of LOVE?  Check-check-check!

Squeeeeak! First stop.

On Cupid Corner, Val delivers valentine cards.

She rumbles around the bend . . . as the first snowflake falls.

Lovey-dovey BEEP-BEEP! 

Squeeeeak! Second stop.

 On Lovebird Lane, Val delivers candy hearts.

She hurries up the hill as snow fills the air . . . and the streets!

Lovey-dovey BEEP-BEEP! 

Squeeeeak! Third stop.

On Sweetheart Way, Val delivers beautiful bouquets.

She drives down the road, but . . .

Yikes!

The snow!

The ice!

Val slips and slides and swerves!

Squeeeeak! 

THUD!

Val shivers and quivers in the ditch.

Her headlights blink.

Val tries to go—

but she doesn’t budge.

Her wipers swish.

She tries again. 

Tires spin, but—

Still stuck. 

What if Val can’t finish her deliveries?

What if she ruins Valentine’s Day?

What if she’s stuck here . . . forever?

Val revs her engine and reminds herself . . .

Shiny red fenders? Check! 

Pink-tinted windows? Check! 

Sparkling heart-shaped hubcaps? Check!

Tank full of LOVE? Check-check-check!

Val vrooms out of the ditch!

She drives sl-o-o-o-o-wly down the road in the snow. 

It takes a long time, 

but

Val delivers 

every

single 

valentine.

VALEN-YAY!

Val heads home with her happy horn honking.

Lovey-dovey BEEP-BEEP! 

#4 – CREEPY & SWEET

High in a redwood tree, foggy and cool,
on Valentine’s Day at Sylvania School,
Benji Banana Slug authored a rhyme,
cleverly penned, in his tidiest slime:

“Marvelous Millicent, creepy and sweet,
when you are near me my heart skips a beat.
How I admire your four hundred feet!
They dance in my dreams. I sigh when they run.
Could you look twice at a guy who has…none?”

Millicent passed Benji’s desk in a hurry.
All of his tentacles twitching with worry…
he crept to her chair at a slow, steady rate,
dropped off the card, and awaited his fate.

Millie returned. She opened the note.
Benji looked on with a lump in his throat.
She dabbed at a teardrop with one limber limb
and aimed an antenna directly at—him!

“Benji Banana Slug!” Millicent cried.
(Had he offended her millipede pride?)

A millisec later, she stood by his side.

“You…,” she announced, with a leggy embrace,
“go gliding through life with an effortless grace.
I’ll be your Valentine! Love’s not a race.
I’m a big fan of your slow, mellow pace.
Let’s make a date. We’ll plan a soiree
down on the ground at the end of the day.”

“It’ll be great!” the two friends agree.
Whenever
poor
Benji
creeps
down
from
the
tree.

#5 – PLEASE MAKE IT HOME

Mabel stares at the door, twisting the hem of her dress around and around and around her finger.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Mama says. “It’s time for bed.”

“But I haven’t wished him Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“Maybe he’ll make it home before you fall asleep.”

When Mabel’s in the bath, she asks Mama three times to go check the door. Mama says she has to stay in the bathroom. Mabel doesn’t believe her. She keeps washing and washing and washing until Mama says bathtime is done.

When Mabel brushes her teeth, she watches the stairs through the mirror. She keeps brushing and brushing and brushing until Mama makes her stop.

When Mabel gets to her bedroom, she picks the longest bedtime book she can find. She asks for another and another and another until Mama says no more.

Mama tucks Mabel into bed. “You can wish him Happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow.”

“It’s not the same,” Mabel says, wiping tears from her eyes.

“I know. Sorry, lovebug.”

But then Mabel hears the door open…

…hears footsteps up the stairs, and…

“Meow!”

Mabel pulls Pickles into a big hug.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too.”

#6 – RAMONA’S COOKIES

It’s Valentine’s Day and Ramona wants to do something special for her sad, grumpy neighbor, Mr. Pérez.
At his front door she grips the plate of cookies in her hands.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Ramona tries to quiet her heart.
She starts leaving …
What if Mr. Pérez gets mad?
What if he tells her to go away?
What if he slams the door in her face?
What if he does not like her cookies?
Mr. Pérez waves to no one on the street.
He never pets puppies. Who doesn’t like to pet puppies?
He shoos away the kids in the neighborhood if their balls roll into his yard.
Ramona slowly climbs the front steps again.
Deep breath…
Ring, ring, ring!
The door opens a little.
Ramona inches her plate forward.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mr. Pérez!”
“What a surprise!” he says.
A tear rolls down his face.
“Oh! Chocolate chip, just like my grandma used to make them,” he says.
“And they look like hearts. Thank you!”
The corners of his mouth turn up for the first time in a long, long time.
Ramona breathes a sigh of relief.
And her smile matches Mr. Pérez’s.

#7 – LOVE COMES IN WAVES

I can’t find my Valentine!               
I wander to the waterline…

crane my neck, then stretch some more.
Search the waves along the shore.

Early daybreak, she was here.
She likes me too! She made it clear –

swoooshing…smiling – like a dart –
piercing deep into my heart.

She balanced on her flukes and waved.
My heart went thump, my love engraved.

Time for lunch – cause love is draining.
But she’s a catch, I’m not complaining!

A nap – sweet dreams. Then off I go
to find my sunshine, let her know –

she’s the only one for me.
She isn’t where I thought she’d be!

This was the place. The tracks I made
are all that’s left of where we played.

She’s sleek and swift, I’m short and slow.
Where’d she go? I just don’t know.

She’s got the cutest bottlenose!
But like the tides…love comes and goes.

Should I forget her? I cannot.
I worry in my sandy spot.

Hours pass. Still, hope burns bright.
I plod through foam, in fading light.

Ooo – the sunset, rosy pink.
A sign for Valentine’s, I think!

There she is! CHIRP-CHIRP — EEE-EEE!
We harmonize – a symphony!

Our love blossoms, twice a day.
I sway – she sprays – that’s how we play!

When tides are right, we hold a pose.
Dolphin, tortoise, nose-to-nose.

#8 -MADE WITH LOVE

Andy sat in the school cafeteria eating his favorite food in the world — macaroni.

His good buddy Thomas plopped down beside him, “Hey, Andy. What’d you get Kate for Valentine’s Day?”

Andy opened a small box, “It’s a bracelet… I made it from the tabs of orange soda cans.”

Thomas frowned, “You made a bracelet out of trash? You can’t give her that.”

“But she loves orange soda,” explained Andy.

“Well, I like candy bars, but I don’t want someone to give me the wrapper. Why didn’t you get her something normal – like a flower or a card that plays music?”

“Because she really likes orange soda.”

Thomas just laughed, and Andy started to panic –

“What have I done?

What if she hates it?

What if she laughs?

What if she cries?

What should I do?”

Thomas shrugged, “Maybe she didn’t come to school today.”

Suddenly, Andy heard a familiar voice, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

He turned around. It was Kate.

Andy hid his present as Kate handed him a small package, “This is for you.”

Andy slowly opened it to find… a bracelet… made from dried macaroni noodles.

“It’s perfect,” he said.

 Andy smiled wide as he offered Kate his own, one-of-a-kind gift –

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

#9 – BEATRICE AND THE WORST VALENTINE’S DAY

“Our art project today is Valentine’s Day Cards!” Miss Carpenter told us. “Use
bee-utiful words to show classmates that you care.”

The other beelings in Kinder-garden Class B buzzed happily. But not me – Beatrice.

“Blech!” I said. “Valentine’s Day sounds super sappy!”
“Be sweet,” Miss Carpenter said. “You’ll find the right words to say to everyone.”
“Harrumph!” I didn’t think so.

I worried…
What words could be sweet, but NOT sappy or silly?

You’re the Bee’s Knees… Gah! So silly. What does that even mean?
Bee Mine… Punny, but also sappy. And, Buzby might think I love him. Yuk!
You’re as sweet as can be, Valentine! Nope. Buzby wasn’t sweet. He was always bugging me.

Ack! I’d never finish!

Bianca buzzed by and dropped a card on my desk.

Just then, a bee-utiful idea bloomed.
I pasted hearts onto twenty class cards. On each one I wrote:
Buzzing by to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. From Beatrice.
Not too silly, or too sappy!
And on the back of Bianca’s I wrote, “Thanks for Beeing my Best Friend” in bee-utiful, flowery letters.

I was no longer worried. Until…
Buzby handed me a frilly card. It said, “We were meant to Bee!”
I turned red as a rose.
It was the worst Valentine’s Day ever!

#10 – THE ALMOST-PERFECT VALENTINE                             

Store-bought greetings
can be nice,
homemade cards are
half the price.

I’m creative,
It’s not hard,
to make a cheerful
friendship card.

Perfect timing –
Valentine’s Day!
I’ll begin
without delay.

Paper, cardstock,
which folds best?
Crumpled edges
make me stressed.

Markers, crayons,
staple, glue?
I’m unsure of
what to do.

Snipping, trimming,
cut and paste
starting over-
what a waste!

Stencil, pencil,
paint or ink-
Someone, tell me
what to think!

Paper’s wrinkled,
tape won’t stay,
one more card
to throw away!

I’ll try ribbon,
twine and beads.
Feathers might be
what it needs.

Sprayed some glitter,
now it’s wet.
Weeks of drying, 
I’m upset!

When it’s ready,
I’ll take time
to write a verse
in perfect rhyme.

Searching, looking,
in distress-
I’ve forgotten
your address!

Found it! Sealed it!
Did my best.
Sent it off
with one request.

When you read it,
will you try,              
to disregard
it’s now July?

#11 – BE MINE, TWINE! 

The classroom crafts closet was quiet until . . . 

“It’s Valentine’s Day!” Stapler announced. “Know what that means?”

Glue grinned. “I get to stick-stick-stick!” 

“Us too!” the Glue Sticks crooned.

“I’ll cut-cut-cut out valentines!” Scissors shimmied.

“I’ll sparkle-sparkle-sparkle EVERYWHERE– on the cards, the table, the floor, the KIDS!” Glitter galloped happily. 

Everyone danced in anticipation . . .

Except Twine. 

She sat alone on the shelf, tangled in knots with worry . . . 

What will I do? 

I can’t stick stuff like Glue. 

I can’t cut like Scissors.

I definitely don’t sparkle like Glitter.

I’m just Twine.

What if nobody needs me?

What if I stay in the crafts closet all day?

By myself!

Twine cried. 

Everyone swooped in.

“Cheer up, Twine!” said Stapler.

“You’ll be fine,” Scissors cut in.

“We stick together,” said Glue.

“Yep!” the Glue Sticks agreed.

“Really?” Twine sniffled. “Even if I can’t stick or cut or sparkle?”

“Totally!” Glitter tittered. “We love you for YOU!”

Hmmm thought Twine.

“Shh!” said Stapler. “Hear that?” 

Kids!

“Places, everyone!” Stapler whispered.

Twine decided to unwind a bit . . .   

Creeeeeeak. 

The door swung open.

“Look!” said a kid. “The twine says LOVE!”

“Hey, let’s use it!” said another kid. “We’ll hang hearts around the classroom!”

“Yeah!”

The craft supplies smiled.

Twine sighed in delight. 

“I’m not just Twine. Today . . . I’m VALEN-TWINE!”

#12 – NUTS!

Freddy hugs his valentine,
a box of chocolates from the store,
with tons of flavors—great for Mom!
She likes a mix, except . . . for . . .

NUTS! Oh no! He didn’t ask!
He’d only thought of being sweet.
What if—gasp—inside the shells,
are fillings Mom would never eat?

A frenzied, frazzled Freddy needs
a plan that leaves no room for doubt.
So, one by one, he takes a bite
to sleuth the nutty horrors out.

CRUNCH—disaster! Hazelnut.
He throws the truffle in the can.
A plain vanilla should be safe—
unless . . . it’s really marzipan!

Mocha? Mmm. Jelly? Joy!
Cashew? Curses! Walnut? Woe!
Fudge? Fantastic! Cherry? Cheer!
Pistachio? Pistachi—NO!

He chews the final piece and frowns.
Is coconut a nut or fruit?
He chucks it, wipes his tongue, and turns,
in time to see his mom en route.

Heartbeat pounding. Love abounding.
Fred presents his gift. “From me!”
She peeks inside, then tilts her head,
as Freddy adds, “They’re all nut free!”

His mother hugs the box and grins.
“A thoughtful valentine, sweet kid!”
As Freddy sighs, relieved, he spies . . .
the flavors written on the lid.

NUTS!

PHEW! What a display of talent! Good luck making your choice! Please vote for it in the poll below by 5PM Eastern Tuesday March 4th!

Winners and Honorable Mentions will be posted on Wednesday, March 5th!!!

And thank you to everyone for taking the time to write these amazing entries, read them, and VOTE! ⭐️😊⭐️