Provo Library Children's Book Blog

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De la hora del cuento: La letra "O"

Cuentos El ratoncito, la fresa roja y madura, y el gran oso hambriento Por Don y Audrey Wood Ilustrado por Don Wood Auburn, ME : Child's Play (International), 2005, c1984. Libro ilustrado. "El pequeño ratón se preocupa que el oso grande, hambriento tomará su fresa recientemente escogida, madura, y roja." --Editor Cuentitos ¡Hola, manos! Por Aya Khalil London ; Concord, MA : Barefoot Books, 2024. Pequeño libro ilustrado. "De saludos y aplausos a agarrar juguetes y levantar cucharas: ¡descubre lo que las manos pueden hacer!" --Editor Otros libros sobre la letra "O" ¡Odio todo! Al mar de cabeeeza Una ofrenda para perro ¡Los osos no comparten! La oveja 19

From Story Time: The Letter "O"

I Am Not an Octopus Written by Eoin McLaughlin Illustrated by Marc Boutavant Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Terry is definitely not an octopus. He's just a regular guy who happens to have a few extra limbs and a love of tuna. But again, he is NOT an octopus. Look, if he were an octopus, he'd be living in the ocean, right? Not to mention going to Super Octopus Fantasea Adventure World. He definitely wouldn't be on land, unless he was afraid of the water. Which he absolutely isn't! OK, perhaps just a LITTLE. Maybe, just maybe, it's time he learned how to swim. Terry shows what it means to be brave in this very silly story about facing your fears and accepting who you really are. --Editor An Orange in January Written by Dianna Hutts Aston Illustrated by Julie Maren New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2007. Picture Book. An orange begins its life as a blossom where bees feast on the nectar, and reaches the end of its journey, bursting with the...

Review: The Library of Unruly Treasures

The Library of Unruly Treasures Written by Jeanne Birdsall New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2025. J Fiction, 345 pages. Gwen MacKinnon has no reason to believe she is special. Her own parents are terribly negligent and preoccupied. But when she is sent to the Boston area to stay with a relative she's never met before, everything starts to change. First, Gwen finds love and warmth in her great uncle's Matthew's home. Then Gwen makes an astonishing discovery. The local children have a "shared imagination" of tiny, winged creatures who live in the town's beautiful old library. These Lahdukan emigrated from Scotland and have been cared for by generations of MacKinnon girls. Only children under six years old can see them. Except Gwen realizes she can see them too. This reveals her destiny as a Qalba, a caretaker of the Lahdukan. This previously ignored, neglected girl grows in bravery, confidence, and self-assuredness as she leads her clan of fantastic creatures to a ne...

Five Faves: A Walk Through the Woods

For some reason the cold weather seems like a cozy time to read books about woods (I blame Robert Frost). So if you, like me, find yourself wanting to read a book about trees as the weather gets colder, give one of these books a try! Forests Written by Nell Cross Beckerman Illustrated by Kalen Chock New York : Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2025. Informational. This beautifully illustrated is informational title explores how forests around the world function as living ecosystems. Through paintings, informational text, and poetry, it explains the relationships between plants, animals, fungi, and humans, showing how forests grow, change, and support life over time. It also highlights why forests are important to the planet and why protecting them matters. Kids will want to pour over these standout illustrations for hours. Seven Ways Through the Woods Written by Jenn Reese Illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz New York : Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPub...

Review: Alice with a Why

Alice with a Why By Anna James New York: Penguin, 2026. Fiction. 240 pgs. In 1919, in the aftermath of the first World War, Alyce is living with her grandmother in the English countryside. Her grandmother, also named Alice, tells Alyce (with a y) stories from her childhood adventures in a wonderful land filled with white rabbits and mad hatters. Alyce doesn't really believe the silly stories, she just misses her father who was killed in the war. One day, Alyce receives a mysterious invitation to tea, and subsequently falls into a pond where she is transported to Wonderland. Her grandmother, of course, is that Alice. Alyce is prompted by the Mad Hatter, Dormouse, and March Hare to seek out the Time Being and put an end to the war between the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon. Thus begins Alyce's adventure through Wonderland. I have a certain soft spot for the original story of Alice in Wonderland. It is one of my particular favorites and I often have a hard time reading new int...

Review: The Tufted Puffins of Triangle Island

The Tufted Puffins of Triangle Island Written by Deborah Hodge Illustrated by Karen Reczuch Toronto; Berkeley : Groundwood Books : House of Anansi Press, 2025. Triangle Island is a wild, treeless island, with fierce storms and wild waves. This wildness helps keep the island secluded from people and land predators, which is one of the reasons it's an ideal location for many seabirds to nest, including Tufted Puffins. The protected nature of the island-- it's an ecological reserve and a designated marine wildlife area-- also helps keep this a safe place for the thousands of nesting birds that come yearly to lay their eggs. This is not a book about climate change, but it's not not a book about climate change, either. The puffins that come to Triangle Island rely on teeming groups of small fish near the shores to feed their young, and the warming waters from climate change have affected the supply of fish. Scientists have tracked lower fledgling rates amongst many of the s...