Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Preschool Time Vera the Valiente is Scared Written by Ana Siqueira Illustrated by Teresa Martinez Minneapolis, MN: Beaming Books, 2025. Picture Book. A hilarious story about what it really means to be brave. Meet Vera the Brave--La Valiente! She dives like a dolphin, climbs like a mountain goat, and defends her amigos like un le̤n. But she trembles when she hears her teacher say, "We're going to Rocking Roller Coasters!" Oh no! Vera tries to convince the teacher her plan is not the best, but Ms. Rodr̕guez does not change her mind about the field trip. Now if Vera can't face her fears, everyone will discover she's not that brave after all! But what if being brave is much more than she expected? Vera La Valiente Is Scared redefines what it means to be brave. It's okay to show your feelings and fears! And maybe, with some help, you can even face some of them. --Publisher Preschool Time You Can Do It, Noisy Nora! By Rosemary Wells New York: Viking, an imprint of P...

  Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter Written by Joseph Coelho Illustrated by Hyun Song We Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2026. Fiction. 279 pages. Relic Hamilton is used to seeing odd, old items. He does work in his family's antique store, after all. What he doesn't know is that the old lamps he sees hidden under the floor in the basement contain magical beings, some of whom are intent on destroying the world. After he accidentally releases Ravenna, an evil genie who wants to trap all humans in lamps like he has been trapped, Relic must team up with the Hermitic Sodality of Genie Hunters to track down the girl who ended up with the lamp and get it back before it's too late. Luckily the rest of the lamps contain magical sprites that can help him on his journey. This is a great fantasy for kids who have ever been obsessed with Aladdin and wondered what they would do with three wishes of their own. Relic's adventures will keep kids engaged while reading and waiting...

St. Patrick's Day is next week, and there are so many books to help you get in the holiday mood! Whether you want a book about leprechauns, a book about Ireland, or a book of festive poetry, this list has got you covered. Here are five great picture books to help readers celebrate:  The Unluckiest Leprechaun Written by Alastair Heim Illustrated by Pablo Pino New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026. Picture Book.  Leprechauns are usually known for their good luck, but Clover is decidedly unlucky . He decides to go on a quest to find his luck at the end of a rainbow, but he keeps getting into scrapes! Will he ever be able to find his luck?  The St. Patrick's Day Alphabet Written by Liz Saunders  Illustrated by Lindsay Dale-Scott Naperville, IL: Duopress, 2025. Picture Book.  Young children can learn all about the history of St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in this engaging ABC story! The book talks about the more well-known St. Patrick's day feat...

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends Written by Joyce Sidman Illustrated by Melissa Sweet New York, NY : Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2025. Poetry. 40 pages. These whimsical and charming pairs of poems are letters between friends. They may not be the friends you would typically think of, such as a bubble and the sky or a child and their toes, but the creative personification of these ordinary things takes the mundane and turns it magical. The poems are written in different formats, suiting the voice and message of each writer. Joyce Sidman creates a perfect guide, through examples and instruction at the back of the book, on writing poetry. Melissa Sweet creates stunning illustrations using mixed mediums. This small book of poems is perfect for your child with their head in the clouds. In fact, the letters between a cloud and droplets is one of my favorite pairs. Any reader will have a great exercise in imagination while reading them.

Whether it be dragons, disease, or climate change, there are several ways that authors have imagined the world coming to a disastrous end. But in many of the stories of how the world can fall apart, there are people who fight to put it back together again. Many of these stories deal with how young people stand up to oppressive regimes to confront misinformation and discover conspiracies to create a better world. If you enjoy adventuresome stories of hope amidst catastrophe, you'll enjoy these five books set in a post-apocalyptic world. Alebrijes By Donna Barba Higuera Montclair, NJ: Levine Querido, 2023. Fiction. 404 pages. When Leandro's sister, Gabi, is caught stealing, his first instinct is to take her place to prevent her from suffering the harsh consequences of the oppressive Pocatel regime. Because Leandro is still a minor, he isn't banished from the city to await certain death, instead, his consciousness is transferred to a small hummingbird drone, called an alebrije...

  Wiggling Words   By Kate Rolfe  Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2026. Picture Book. Every now and again a book comes along that really captures something that is important to me. As a person who often has letters or numbers shift around when I’m trying to read or write, this book really spoke to me. It is about a girl who gets really frustrated when trying to read due to words moving, jumping, and wiggling around on the page. In the story, the protagonist gets overwhelmed when all the letters fall out of the book and she can’t make sense of anything. Eventually with when just a few letters are pulled out and looked at on their own, things start to slowly make sense.  This is a great book to help readers who have dyslexia realize that their experience with reading is valid and hard. I love how the illustrations—with the vibrant (yet limited) colors, the beautifully hand-printed letters, the striking layout—all bring to light the feeling of what is happening to re...