Provo Library Children's Book Blog

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Review: Run Home

Run Home By Alyssa Bermudez New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2026. Comic. 303 pages. Alyssa is starting her freshmen year at a new all-girls school, and she doesn't quite know where she will fit in. Her parents want her to join the cross country team, and while she agrees to it, she doesn't love the idea. With time, Alyssa starts to realize the empowerment that comes with running, and with all of the other things going on in her life–a difficult school load, new friendships, a crush from summer camp, and most of all, her father's declining health–running becomes a welcome sanctuary to tune out the noise of the world and focus on what is truly important. This graphic memoir was heartfelt and real. The feelings that are so common in the early teenage years are depicted in such vivid color, and any older child who has experienced grief will find solace in Alyssa's journey. The illustrations were brightly colored and dynamic. The journal format added so much heart and emot...

Review: Josephine

Josephine By Chloé Alméras Minneapolis, MN: Gecko Press, 2026. Gecko Press. Orginally published in France, Josephine tells the story of a giraffe and the various sights and seasons she experiences. With simple illustrations, we see Josephine encountering several different animals, her looking for a snack, playing in the clouds and water, and being filled with wonder at everything around her. With only a line per page and not much plot, this book still conveys how it is amazing to appreciate the world we live in. I think this board book is genius. The illustrations follow a pattern where elements of the left picture are inverted to create the right picture. For example, one page show Josephine surrounded by yellow flowers—represented by yellow dots—and the next page shows the yellow dots being used for stars in the sky. As well, snow becomes bubbles, leaves become flowers, and a mountain becomes small bumps in the grass. In addition to my appreciation, my four-month-old will not stop st...

Review: Styx and Stones

Styx and Stones By Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge New York: Clarion Books, 2026. Fiction. 240 pgs. After dying while trying to defend his village from the Spartans, Simon of Lacadaemon has spent the last 2,451 years in the underworld. The underworld isn't all bad–Simon is a servant to Queen Persephone and he gets to spend his days chatting with Socrates, Shakespeare, Sartre, and Maya Angelou (among others). But that doesn't mean he wants to stay there. In fact, after thousands of attempts to escape, Simon succeeds and finds himself in present-day Minnesota. Specifically, he emerges from a bathroom stall of a middle school where he is discovered by social outcast Zeke Tripp. To call Simon a fish out of water might be putting things lightly, he masquerades as Zeke's cousin from Las Vegas and does his best to adjust to life in the modern day. Still, it doesn't take long for Simon to become popular and to become a true friend to Zeke. If only things were that easy–Hades do...

If You Like....MOMS!

Moms! You know 'em, you love 'em, you definitely have one, and you might even BE one yourself! Moms make the world go round. Check out a picture book to celebrate the mothers in your life (or to make your kids celebrate you for once, dagnabbit!) Shaped by Love: An Ode to Mom Bods Written by Nikki Powers Illustrated by Amanda Calatzis Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2025. Picture book. This thoughtful picture book depicts diverse families experiencing the joyful, transformative journey of motherhood. Mothers' bodies, lives, minds and hearts change when they bring children into the world and those changes continue forever. Using paint, collage, and embroidery on canvas the illustrations reflect careful, maternal effort that links and edifies generations. My Mom Written by Susan Quinn Illustrated by Sarah Mathew Beverly, MA : words & pictures, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2025. Picture book. A mom with a limb difference empowers her child to overcome ob...

Review: Once I Was a Tree

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...

Five Faves: Books Preschoolers Will Want to Read Over and Over

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...