Provo Library Children's Book Blog

 As children are learning to act on their big feelings it is good to teach worthwhile skills of kindness. Just like any other talent or skill, being kind to others is something that can be learned, practiced, and improved --and picture books are a fun way to teach such important lessons! Here are five of my favorite picture books that beautifully teach the importance of being kind. A Little More Beautiful Written by Sarah Mackenzie Illustrated by Breezy Brookshire Spokane, WA: Waxwing Books, 2023. Picture Book. Lou Alice is an elderly lady who decides that every day she wants to make the world a more beautiful place than the day before. She decides to plant flowers in secret around the town to brighten peoples' days. One day Lou Alice has to move to a retirement home and her days are not filled with as much joy as it seems that everyone has forgotten her. But a little girl had noticed that she was gone and decided to take up her duties of upkeeping the gardens. She brings some of t...

Read in Monday Book Babies Dance, Dance, Dance! By Ethan Long Holiday House, 2018.  Easy Reader Book. Introducing Horse and Buggy, the hilarious new characters from Theodor Seuss Geisel Medalist Ethan Long! Horse and Buggy are best friends, but they don’t always see eye to eye. When Buggy sees Horse dancing, he asks, "What are you doing?" "I am dancing," Horse replies. "I am the best dancer. I have the best dances!" "You are not dancing. You are just moving around." Can Horse convince the reluctant Buggy to lighten up and join in? YES! In this side-splitting story about friendship, Horse and Buggy learn that doing something together makes it twice as fun.  --Publisher Read in Monday Cuentos Mi día de suerte By Keiko Kasza Grupo Editorial Norma, 2006.  Spanish Picture Book. Cuando un cerdito toca a la puerta del zorro por equivocación, este no pude dar crédito a su buena suerte. No todos los días aparece la comi...

Be Kind By Pat Zietlow Miller Illustrated by Jen Hill Roaring Book Press, 2018. Picture Book. When his classmate spills her grape juice on herself and everyone laughs, a young boy thinks about how he could respond to the situation, besides just not laughing. He thinks of all the ways on what being kind means--giving, helping and paying attention. He comes to the conclusion that one small act can make a difference and even if you can’t change the situation, you can help brighten someone’s day by being kind. A great book, told in a genuine child’s perspective, about what being kind, even when it's hard, means. A must have for all collections.

There is a concept that I love called paying it forward where you do something nice for someone and in return they pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else. Many people feel like this concept is what life is all about and I would have to agree. Here is a list of some picture books that talk about being kind and paying it forward. The More You Give Written by Marcy Campbell Illustrated by Francesca Sanna Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. Picture Book. A story about a family that loves each other and teaches the importance of being patient with each other, giving lots of hugs, and caring for one another. A grandmother teaches her grandson how to show kindness and love by example. They plant a seed together and tend it, watching it grow into an oak tree. The knowledge and love the grandmother taught her grandson is passed down to other generations by the boy. This is a beautiful story that shows that love should be nurtured and passed on along with wisdom and traditions. The people in...

Being a kid can be hard sometimes. You're learning and growing and trying to figure out who you are. You inevitably compare yourself with others and sometimes find yourself lacking. These books are a great way to remind your child that they are unique and the things that make you different also make you special. Most Perfect You Written by Jazmyn Simon Illustrated by Tamisha Anthony Random House, 2022. Picture Book. This story starts when Irie runs down the stairs in a pink wool hat and asks her mom if she can wear the hat today. When Momma asks Irie why she wants to wear a wool hat in July, Irie explains that she hates her big, poofy hair and she wants to be like everyone else. Momma explains "I didn't make you to be like everyone else. I made you to be you." She explains that all of Irie's traits; her eyes, skin color, hair, and more, were picked out by Momma before Irie was born because they were all of favorite things. This is a great book to remind children t...

Kindness is a quality I admire in people. I always had the desire to try and instill this in my children, knowing it would help me pay more attention to my own attempts to be more aware of treating others with kindness. I am convinced if the world showed more kindness to everyone, we could improve the health of entire communities. When I find books that encourage kindness, I always make a note of them, because I think they are a very important resource for people to have. The following five books are some of my favorites I have read recently that focus on some element of kindness. I hope you enjoy them! Elevator on 74th Street Written by Laura Gehl Illustrated by Yas Imamura New York : Beach Lane Books, 2025. Picture Book. I enjoy books that inspires the use of our imaginations, and a book about elevator that loves the residents of a building will do just that! It is so fun to see the journey of Ellie the Elevator as she takes care of all the people who live in her building. Ellie has ...

  The Good Guys Agency: Kind Like Fred Rogers Written by Nick Esposito Illustrated by Ricardo Tokumoto Bushel & Peck Books, 2022. Intermediate. 85 pages. Lucky, Rudy and Red are three boys who have started The Good Guys Agency. Their services come in handy when they come across Charlie and Teddy, two brothers, who are arguing over building a fort. Together, they enter a world of imagination where they meet Fred Rogers. They first meet Fred when he is a young boy getting bullied. Then they see how Fred decided to be kind and promote kindness on his tv show. They observe Fred being kind while sticking up for public television in a congress meeting and sharing a pool with Officer Clemmons. Charlie and Teddy return to reality ready to be nice to each other and build their fort together. This book is so engaging with full color illustrations and some comic-like pages. This is a great beginning chapter book for those who also love reading graphic novels. This is a fun take on a biogr...

REVOLUTION IS NOT A DINNER PARTY ; Ying Chang Compestine; New York: Henry Holt, 2007, 248 pages. Fiction The title for Ms. Compestine's first novel for children is taken from a quote by Chairman Mao: "A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another." And, in fact, all the niceties of civilized life are done away in China under Mao, as we learn in this new book based on Ms. Compestine's own experiences as a young girl in China. For middle-grade school children, this may be a mystifying story--why would Ling's father, a skilled surgeon, be taken from the operating theater and forced to work as a night janitor? Why should Ling's neighbors and friends be jailed because they have read books from England or America? Wh...

Making songs into books is one of my favorite things. I love the added illustrations, the ability to see a familiar song in a new light, or learn a new song! These 5 picture books are all based on a song, some of which are familiar, and some of which are brand new. The messages vary book-to-book, but each shows the power of music, love, and community. 12 Days of Kindness By Irene Latham Illustrated by Junghwa Park. New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. Picture Book. In this story, the holiday classic "12 Days of Christmas" gets a new twist, focusing instead on ways to show kindness. Children and adults will be able to model the "days of kindness," and this book follows the cumulative formatting, meaning it repeats each day after a new one is introduced. This book is a great reminder, especially with its familiar and catchy tune, of how we can be kind everyday.  Sweet Child O' Mine By Guns N' Roses Illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin New York : Jimmy Patterson ...

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about five new Christmas picture books that came out this year. Today I want to tell you about five Christmas picture books that I tend to read year after year. And just so you know, this was a hard list to come up with! However, I did ultimately narrow it down and here is the result: Stick Man by Julia Donaldson Stick Man ends up far away from his family for the holidays (he gets picked up by humans and animals who think he is a stick and then ends up on an incredible journey). Eventually Santa Claus helps to make sure that Stick Man and his family can have a happy holiday. I know, this seems like an odd book for me to like to read at Christmastime; however, I love the idea of talking about not always having families be able to be together—because that is a reality for so many in this world. So the fact that the happiest Christmas gift that can be given is to just be together, that makes me feel warm and fuzzy! The Third Gift by L...

Tales from Old Ireland By Malachy Doyle This enchanting collection of favorite Irish folk tales deserves to be read aloud at every hearth. Described by Malachy Doyle in captivating language, the larger-than-life characters, dramatic landscapes, and magical happenings of all the tales, including the famous legend of the bewitched Children of Lir, are also brought vividly to life by the luminous art of Niamh Sharkey, making this a book that will transport readers to another world for many happy hours. Fiona's Luck By Teresa Bateman The greedy Leprechaun King has locked away all the luck in Ireland and the whole country has fallen in to despair. Through clever charades, Fiona outwits the Leprechaun King and restores luck to the land. Luminous illustrations add to the magic and wonder of this original folktale. This is Ireland By Miroslav Sasek Like the other Sasek classics, This is Ireland is a facsimile edition of his original book from the 1960s and is still timely a...

You May Already Be a Winner By Ann Dee Ellis Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017. Fiction. Olivia is twelve-years-old and she is obsessed with entering contests. She makes sure that she enters a few every day - for things like free boxes of kool-aid, family trips to Orlando, lotteries for millions of dollars - anything she can find. Olivia loves the thing that these contests say before you enter - "you may already be a winner." Because Olivia doesn't feel like a winner. She is supposed to be in sixth grade, but she hasn't been to school in months because her mom needs her to stay home with her sister. Her dad left for a while because he needed a break, but he still hasn't come back. Her mom used to be a good mom, but now she's tired from going to work. When Bart, a strange and secretive boy, comes wandering past her trailer park she thinks he may be the luck she's looking for. There are a lot of things that I love about this book. Olivia is kind an...

  Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us Written and Illustrated by: Lauren Castillo Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. Fiction. Hedgehog was living on a small island with his best friend Mutty when a huge storm came and blew Mutty away. After the storm has passed Hedgehog gathers up his courage and begins a journey to find his best friend. While looking for Mutty, Hedgehog meets some new friends. Beaver, who is kind of cranky, Owl, who is wise and a good leader and Annika, the young girl who just moved into the neighborhood and who needs some friends too. Together they search for Mutty and along the way they learn to be kind and brave as they comfort and support each other. I loved this sweet story! It's a classic story of friendship, finding new friends, and sticking together through the hard times and being there for those we care about. This delightful story has a fresh but familiar feel to it. It reminded me of similar stories like Winnie the Pooh or The Wind in the Willows. Along with the ...

Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters Orca, 2012.  245 pgs. Fiction.      First in Orca's new SEVEN series, this book tells DJ's story, oldest grandson of David McLean. Grandpa David, recently deceased, has left a bequest and requests for each of his grandsons to perform a task. DJ's is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and scatter granddad's ashes from the summit. DJ, a take-charge kind of guy, has always felt responsible for watching over and looking out for his twin brother and his cousins. He is honored to be carrying his grandfather's ashes, but since he is a linebacker in excellent shape, that climbing the mountain will be easy-peasy and that he will be back home in less than a week.  However, right off the bat his camping gear is stolen, and in return for getting it back,  he helps a young girl who wants to be a porter go up the mountain with him; he has a demanding tour guide who insists that he do exactly as he is told and travel polepole , ...

One of the most common questions asked is, "What's your name?" Your name is a gift you are given when you are born, and whether you like your name or not, your name is how the world will identify you. Your name can also reveal details about your culture, ethnicity, or background and ultimately your name helps you develop your sense of self. Here are some name books that celebrate names, cultures and you. My Name  Written by Supriya Kelkar Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2023. Picture Book. A young Indian American boy is excited for his first day of school, but when kids at school mispronounce his name and then giggle, his excitement dims. He goes home from school discouraged and sad. His parents remind him of how special he is and that his name is a reflection of his family and culture. The young boy returns to school the next day proud of who he is and determined to teach others how to say his name respectfully and correctly.  A perfect boo...