A Charlie Brown Valentine
Oh, Charlie Brown! Do you know anyone who’s more unlucky—more filled with the “Charlie Browniest luck in the world”—than the poor balding block head created by Charles M. Schulz? Having been a little red-haired girl, I used to giggle over ol’ Chuck’s attempts at telling his little red-haired girl his feelings for her at Valentine’s Day. Of course, we all know that, like with most other things in the poor boy’s world, the confession was doomed from the start!
(You have to wonder why we love Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. Sure, they’re funny—but don’t you pity the title character more than you enjoy him falling on his back every time Lucy tries to make him kick a football? Just sayin’.)
I have enjoyed that particular film over and over again every year during Valentine’s season, and added it to our Netflix queue so our daughter could enjoy it this year, too. Then she surprised me by selecting the very same book, A Charlie Brown Valentine, from the library during story time!
As we read the book together, we both giggled over Charlie Brown’s love-struck antics. Marcie and Peppermint Patty both wanted to give him valentines, so you can’t pity him all that much; he’s always had at least one admirer, welcomed or not!
My daughter’s favorite part was when Charlie Brown asks Snoopy to pretend to be the little red-haired girl while he gives her a valentine and Snoopy comes out wearing a red wig! (You have to marvel at the sheer cuteness of this—practicing not to ask her out, to actually talk with her, but to simply hand her a valentine.) She also really enjoyed the part where he hides behind a tree, thinking he can give her the card that way; while my favorite part was when Lucy demands why, if Charlie Brown has such troubles talking with pretty girls, he has no trouble at all talking with her!
Of course, there are other memorable antics, including an attempt to buy “cheap candy,” provoking Linus into asking the little red-haired girl if she likes Charlie Brown (and, sadly, she doesn’t even know he exists—and how many of us have asked a friend to do the same thing?), and even sharing his plans with his dubious sister Sally.
We really enjoyed peeking into one of Charlie Brown’s adventures, and if you haven’t done so yet with your own children—or simply haven’t in a while—I highly recommend it. And what better time than now, during Valentine’s month?
