Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Once I Was a Tree Written by Eoin McLaughlin Illustrated by Guilherme Karsten Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow Inc., 2026. Picture Book. The paper in your books all came from somewhere! Once I Was a Tree  tells the story of a seed who grew into a tree, was chopped down, and processed into the book you're reading (or so it claims). Told from the perspective of the book, follow our protagonist as he (as a seed) falls to the ground, gets eaten by Derek the squirrel, grows into a great tall pine tree and becomes a book. Filled with plenty of tree facts and a fun detour in Barbara's (the dung beetle) ball of dung, this book is full of tongue-in-cheek humor sure to be enjoyed by many kids. I wasn't expecting a book that was so funny to have as much heart as this does. It ends as a love letter to books and a plea for stories to live on through us. I really enjoyed how much McLaughlin committed to the bit of this being written by "a book." Even the title page is full of witty comme...

For good and bad, there's nothing quite like finishing a picture book to a chorus of "again!" Anyone who has read books with preschoolers knows just what I mean–when you find a favorite there's no limit to how many times you can read and re-read it. If you're looking for a new family favorite, here are five books for preschoolers that they will want you to read again and again. The Chase By Jenny Bloomfield London: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2026. Picture book. Ready.... set.... FETCH! A little girl is playing on the beach with a dog and a ball, and with a dramatic turn of the page she sends that ball flying into the air. The excited dog goes running after the ball, and is joined by an ever growing number of dogs! The pack of dogs goes chasing after the ball all through the town, inside the museum, to the top of a waterfall! For dog lovers in particular, this is a fun frenetic read aloud with lots of dramatic book and pages turns. There is Not Usually a...

Victor and the Giant Written by Rafael Yockteng Illustrated by Elisa Amado Vancouver ; Berkeley ; London : Aldana Libros/Greystone Kids, 2025. Picture book. When Victor's mother and surrounding city are eaten up by a massive, hungry giant, it's up to Victor to save them all. But Victor is just a boy and the giant is, well, giant. Can one small boy save the day? Victor and the Giant begins with a normal morning that rapidly swaps from normal to everyone being eaten. Victor is no hero, just a normal boy that wants his mom and city back. Luckily the giant is just hungry, not evil, and they're able to work together to get everyone back via a rather grotesque barf ride out of the giant's mouth. The illustrations are a real highlight, and kids will love imagining their own potential giant encounter.  

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 ...

Last Day Pool Party By Emma Steinkellner New York: Labyrinth Road, 2026. Comic. 176 pages. It's the last day of eighth grade and things already feel like they're changing. Dustin, who has never been popular, is hosting a pool party and has invited the whole class. Popular Maya, who used to be Dustin's friend, is attending only because her mom is making her–after she made a prank video that hurt Dustin's feelings. Paul is Maya's cousin who would rather be at home playing video games, but was given the choice of going to the party or his brother's ball game. Liv and Juhi are lifelong best friends who are about to be torn apart, as Juhi is moving to London and Liv feels frantic to find a new bestie. And then there's Rose. Tired of feeling invisible, she is determined to accomplish everything on her eighth grade bucket list in one night. Taking place over the span of just a few hours, this book captures all the angst and excitement of finishing middle school and...

Lionel Messi's World Cup Triumph Written by Chris Barish Illustrated by Nate Sweitzer New York: Abrams Fanfare, 2026. Comic. 131 pgs. Lionel Messi will almost definitely be remembered as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Currently on track to score 1000 career goals, Messi has won nearly every soccer championship. But for most of his career, one victory remained elusive–the World Cup. This high-interest graphic novel tells the true story of the 2022 World Cup and Messi's first World Cup Championship. For soccer and sport fans alike, this is an incredibly engaging nonfiction comic and the start to a new series 'History's Greatest Games'. Using a fun, conversational tone and plenty of interruptions to teach readers more about important moments in soccer history–including an ongoing debate about who really is 'The GOAT'–this book is sure to be a hit. My favorite way to read history is to barely notice I'm learning facts, and this book strikes ...