Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Stories in the Park Dinosaur Day Written by Diana Murray Illustrated by Luke Flowers Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2025. Picture Book. On Dinosaur Day, dinosaurs love to stomp and chomp. But they like silly singing, rowdy swimming, and yummy desserts too. All this fun makes the baby dinos want to join, but something unexpected pops up. Will the dinos accept this new addition to keep Dino Day going? --Publisher Stories in the Park Red, White, and Boom! Written by Lee Wardlaw Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee New York: Henry Holt, 2012. Picture Book. Parades, beach picnics, and fireworks in the park are some of the ways Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. --Editor  Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time That's What Dinosaurs Do Written by Jory John Illustrations by Pete Oswald New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019. Picture Book. This is William. William is a dinosaur who loves to roar. Because, well, he's a dinosaur. But when William gets a sore thro...

  Houdini's Library: How Books Created the World's Greatest Magician Written by Barb Rosenstock Illustrated by Mar Delmar New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. Biography.  In this illustrated biography, rather than focusing on Houdini's life, the story is told through his love of books. Houdini's love of books began as a child reading from his father's collection—which was eventually sold to pay for rent after the family immigrated to America. His love of magic was also tied to his love of reading—he learned magic from a book that he later considered burning to keep the secrets of his magic tricks safe. Throughout his life, Houdini grew his collection and even travelled with a special folding bookcase the magically housed hundreds of volumes. By the time of his death, his brownstone in New York held 15,000 volumes that were later donated. In addition to the interesting narrative focus on his life, readers will be intrigued by the beautiful gauche and cut paper illustrat...

Junie B. Jones is a modern classic, with a spunky and relatable main character that kids love! If your elementary school reader is looking for books that will strike a similar chord in their reading line up, this list will introduce you to a whole new cast of loveable characters.  Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple Written by Liz Garton Scanlon Illustrated by Dung Ho New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Intermediate. 117 pages.  Bibsy Cross loves her family, her cat, her best friend, and she really loves school! But as the eight-year-old starts a new school year with a new teacher, Mrs. Stumper, things don't go as smoothly as Bibsy is used to. Her teacher thinks she is just a bit too much, especially when it comes to all her talk about the science fair. On a day that things go just a "stone too far," Mrs. Stumper punches a hole in Bibsy's paper apple hung in the classroom, which makes Bibsy worry how she can make the perfect science fair project when feeling so low. This book...

RAAAWR!!! We're in the middle of Summer Reading, and you may have noticed that we're exploring a lot of paleontology with our theme "Unearth a Story." If seeing dinosaur decor and activities around the library is getting your child excited about prehistoric creatures, check out these books about some adorable carnivores! Baby Spinosaurus By Julie Abery and Gavin Scott Mankato, MN: Amicus Ink, 2025. Board Book. Newly hatched Baby Spinosaurus is exploring her new world. Splashing in the river, she finds a fish to catch when she gets stuck among the roots! Luckily, Mama comes by to save the day so Baby Spinosaurus can splash once more. Party Rex By Molly Idle New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Picture Book. Rex is turning 10! What starts as a story about a dino-birthday bash turns into an instruction manual on party etiquette. Watch as the dinosaurs mind their manners to have an excellent party (and try to find the stegosaurus who has *not* o...

Caged Written by Kao Kalia Yang Illustrated by Khou Vue New York: Kokila, 2024. Picture book. A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here. When her family's papers are finally approved, she's uncertain if she's ready to leave everything—and everyone—she's ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite aunt, Golden Flower, sees her off with the words, "Your wings have arrived." — Publisher The Rock in My Throat Written by Kao Kalia Yang Illustrated by Jiemei Lin Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 2024. Biography. In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a Hmong refugee child navigating life at home and school in America while carrying the weight of her selective mutism. — Publisher The Blue House I Loved Written by Kao Kalia Yang Il...

Cuentos Bea en el mar Por Jo Byatt Auburn, Maine : Child's Play Inc, 2021. Libro ilustrado. A Bea le encantan los leones y sabe todo lo que hay que saber acerca de ellos. Ella vive en la playa, ipero no le gusta la arena ni un poquito! Un día, su madre la convence de ir a la playa, donde se encuentra con la escultura de arena de un león que le tiene miedo al agua. La amistad que desarrollan, los ayuda a ambos a superar sus ansiedades, ¡pero al día siguente el león desaparece! ¿Cómo se las arreglará Bea? Un libro gracioso y tierno sobre el apoyo mutuo de la amistad, la aceptación de la perdida y la capacidad de adaptación necesaria para aceptar el cambio. --Tapa Cuentitos Sol   Por Carol Thompson Swindon, UK : Childs Play (International) Ltd, 2023. Pequeño libro ilustrado. ¡A jugar bajo el sol! ¡Hay una gran variedad de vistas, sonidos, olores, sabores y texturas para descubrir y disfrutar! En esta serie de libros de cartón magníficamente ilustrada, Carol Thompson celebra la respue...