©DON TATE ILLUSTRATION

The Legend of the Valentine Author: Katherine Grace Bond Published: January 2002 Publisher: Zondervan Publishing House Imprint: Zonderkidz Notes from the publisher: Synopsis Marcus, a nine-year-old African-American boy living in Alabama at the height of the Civil Rights movement, learns a meaningful lesson about forgiveness through the story of St. Valentine. Description Marcus, a nine-year-old African-American boy living in Alabama in the sixties, learns the true meaning of valentines as he is faced with whether or not to forgive his classmates and others who have hurt him and his family. His wise grandmother tells him the true story of St. Valentine, who lived out his faith by loving others with the love of Christ and who was persecuted and put to death by the Roman government. An especially tender moment occurs when Marcus and his mother receive a handmade valentine from his father, who has been jailed because of his nonviolent protests in support of civil rights. REVIEWS     "Author Katherine Grace Bond collaborated with illustrator Don Tate, a Des Moines native who now lives in Austin, Texas. Tate's full-page, color illustrations use a variety of close-up perspectives to make viewers feel like they are in the room with the book's characters." -Ellen Heath Des Moines Register books editor     "The Legend Of The Valentine is at its core a deeply powerful story about loving one's enemies." -Midwest Book Review     "An excellent book for teaching the historical significance of Valentine's Day along with the meaning of sacrificial love." -CBA Marketplace     "Good choice for Christian schools, civil rights collections, and everybody else. Not just for Valentine's Day." -Cynthia Leitich Smith, author, Rain is Not My Indian Name and Jingle Dancer