This is a light poetry collection from Nebraskan and former U.S. Poet Laureate (2004-2006) Ted Kooser. Starting in 1986, Kooser composed a Valentine's Day poem and mailed it (first to 50 women friends, but in more recent years to more than 2,500 women friends) around the country, to arrive on the holiday. This book collects the first 22 years of Kooser's tradition, and accompanies the poems with attractive, homey pen-and-ink illustrations by Robert Hanna. The poems range from serious to whimsical and touch on all aspects of the Valentine's Day holiday, from the stereotypical hearts, flowers and chocolates trappings, to explorations of love and friendship. These poems will make you think, will force you to explore your own feelings, and will make you appreciate the loved ones in your own life. If you've never read Kooser's poetry before -- and his work regularly appears in the local newspaper, so why haven't you? -- this is a marvelous collection to get started with. Make it an annual tradition to read Valentines by Ted Kooser on Valentine's Day!

Originally reviewed for the staff recommendations page of my local libraries' website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec11-02.htm ( )

Sweet and unassuming. I especially liked the poem about the 2 men, apparently homeless, playing checkers in the park with chocoloate candy as the game pieces. And the image of the "little red valentine barns" dotting the landscape "with an X of white boards on the door/as if making a spot for the heart." ( )

This is Kooser's collection of the annual Valentine poems Kooser would send to any woman who requested one. Oh, and these are Valentines any woman would want to get. The Valentines are accessible and have a sense of humor, and several of them feature some very interesting treatments of time and presence. Brilliant. ( )

For years Kooser carried on a Valentine’s day tradition. He mailed a short poem on a postcard to women that he knew, an annual event that grew over the years. This book is a compilation of those valentine cards.

Far from maudlin or sentimental, the topics are varied and always interesting. Highly recommended. ( )