Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink

By Diane deGroat

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9780062009197

Diane deGroat

Diane deGroat is the illustrator of more than 120 children's books and the author-illustrator of bestselling books about Gilbert, including Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants! (Gilbert Goes Green); April Fool! Watch Out at School!; Mother, You're the Best! (But Sister, You're a Pest!); Last One in Is a Rotten Egg!; and the New York Times bestseller Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink. Diane lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Book preview

Reviews for Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink

[aya8herron · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's that time of year when everyone in class is expected to create sweet Valentine's cards for their classmates. As Gilbert finds out, it sure is easy when you like someone, but what are you supposed to do when you don't? When Gilbert decides to use his Valentine's to get back at two students who wronged him in the past, things don't go quite as he planned. Check out this heartfelt picture book of friendship and forgiveness to read with your little one before the holiday.The Bottom Line: This sweet tale is perfect for kids in grades K - 2. Students tempted to use their Valentine's to get back at someone might think twice after reading this picture book. Children and adults alike will appreciate the engaging illustrations in watercolor. Highly recommended for school and library story times.

[lynette.williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I used this book in my high school English as a Second Language classroom. Students enjoyed the humor of the story. It gave us the opportunity to learn/use romantic, friendly and mean phrases all at once. This story's approach to Valentine's Day appealed to the students who like the "love" of the holiday and to those who despise it.

[kbarge1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book for many reasons. One thing that I liked about this story was the illustrations. The author used very bright colors and filled the entire page with the illustration. I thought that this really enhanced the story because I was able to picture jumping into the story and knowing what my surroundings would look like. I also like that the illustrations portray the characters emotions. For example, when Gilbert is pondering what he should do about writing nice poems to students who were mean to him, his facial expressions, particularly through his eyes and mouth, show that he is very upset and unsure of what to do. Another reason I liked this book was because of the plot. Although the characters are animals, the plot is extremely relatable. Many kids face the issue of bullying and I think that this story did a wonderful job of portraying how Gilbert dealt with the situation and what he learned. The plot was suspenseful when Gilbert wrote mean poems and signed another students name. This event kept the reader engaged and wanting to find out if he would get caught. The plot included sad events, such as the bullying, but ended happy with Gilbert resolving the issue. I like that the plot engages the reader by taking them through various emotions. I believe that the main message of this story is that people make mistakes, there are reasons for there actions, and that it is important to give second chances.

[carebeargirlie5187 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a book about an opposum named Gilbert who wrote two mean Valentines cards for two classmates who had bullied him and signed their names. None of Gilbert's classmates want to be near him when they find out what he did so Gilbert wrote new Valentine's poems and is forgiven in time for the Valentine party.I love the full page illustrations and the story has a good lesson to treat others nicely.This would be a good book to read around Valentines day. after reading this I would encourage students to write something nice to their classmates.