Provo Library Children's Book Blog

 This week is National Library Week. What a great time to celebrate all things library-related! Libraries have been a favorite place of mine for as long as I can remember. To help you celebrate National Library Week, I have five books to share with you. Each of them made me think of the happiness I feel related to libraries or books, and how glad I am that books and libraries exist. I'm So Happy You're Here Written by Mychal Threets Illustrated by Lorraine Nam New York : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026. Picture Book. I love the title of this book! Librarians really are so happy to see all of our patrons come through the doors. We love helping them find books and games, get access to the computers, as well as searching for information or taking care of printing needs. This book does a great job expressing the joy that patrons and librarians feel. Everyone has a place at the library, and this book truly reflects that concept. The illustrator used gorgeous vibrant colo...

  The Queen of Chess Written by Laurie Wallmark  Illustrated by Stevie Lewis New York: Little Bee Books, 2023. Biography.  " The queen of chess, Judit Polgar, dazzled the world as a prodigy, winning tournaments, gold medals, and defeating eleven world champions, including Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. At her peak, Judit was rated the eighth best chess player in the world." --Publisher May the Best Player Win By Kyla Zhao New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024. Fiction. 225 pages.  " When twelve-year-old chess player May Li wins an award for being the top female player at the state championship, the boys on her team question her skills, so May makes a bet with a teammate that she can earn the board-one spot at nationals and become team captain." --Publisher Chess Club: The Winning Move  By Rebecca Donnelly New York:  Farrar Straus Giroux for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 204 pages.    "Twists, turns, and surprises await four friends as they form t...

  Cuentos El día que los crayones renunciaron Escrito por Drew Daywalt Ilustrado por Oliver Jeffers México, D. F. : Fondo De Cultura Económica, 2014. Libro ilustrado. "Un día, en la escuela, Duncan encontró un montón de cartas para él. Eran sus crayones que, molestos por el trato que recibían, decidieron escribir cartas como ultimátum para Duncan. Crayón Beige está cansado de ser el segundón de Crayón Café; Crayón Negro quiere ser usado para algo más que los contornos; y el Naranja y el Amarillo ya no se hablan porque cada uno cree que es el verdadero color del sol. El pobre Duncan solo quiere que sus crayones sean felices. ¿Qué podrá hacer para tenerlos de vuelta?" --Editor Cuentitos Muu. Bee. ¡Así Fue! Por Sandra Boynton Nueva York : Simon & Schuster Libros para Niños, 2003. Pequeño libro ilustrado. "Con este entrañable libro, los niños pequeños aprenden todos los sonidos que hacen los animals." --Editor Otros libros sobre colores Tren de carga El camaleón azu...

Preschool Time Fiona Flamingo Written by Rachael Urrutia Chu Illustrated by Kate Jeffery United States: Puppy Dogs & Ice Cream Inc., 2019. Picture Book. We all have times where we feel uncomfortable about who we are...Follow Fiona through her color-changing, feather-filled day as she learns to accept not only being a different color from the rest of her flamingo flock, but also that it's okay to be scared, angry, and sad at times. Our first book recommended by teachers and doctors to help children understand and manage their feelings. --Editor Preschool Time César's Cerulean Surprise Written by Jenny Lacika Illustrated by Laura Sandoval Herrera Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2025. Picture Book. César asks to borrow Gabi's cerulean crayon, but Gabi does not know what cerulean is and decides to identify the color by asking yes-no questions. --Editor Toddler Time Doris By Lo Cole United States: Boxer Books, 2024. Picture Book. Being a bright red elephant, Doris is very easy...

A Compendium of Curious Contraptions Written by Anna Goldfield Illustrated by Paula Zamudio London: Neon Squid, 2025. Informational, 64 pgs. This engaging collection introduces the field of archeology before inviting readers to inspect several artifacts and identify their purposes themselves. Each unidentified object is given a full spread introducing the origin of the item and including some clues as to what the object was used for or how it was made. Readers can guess at what the artifact is before lifting the flap to reveal the answer.  The large illustrations of each highlighted artifact give readers an up-close examination of the artifacts, while explanation tabs show the use of the invention. Objects are sourced from around the globe and across history, and include a variety of tools and purposes. Themed pages with multiple innovations in one area, such as clothing or weapons, also split up the mystery items. Ranging from the breathtaking to the bizarre, there is so...

Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game By Kadir Nelson New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2026. Informational. 102 pgs. In December of 1891, at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith taught his students how to play a new game. He mounted fruit baskets on either end of a large room and players scored points by throwing a ball into the basket on either end. Then, play would stop while they pulled out a ladder to retrieve the ball and start again. It didn't stay that way for very long. This fascinating, informative book shows how basketball innovated and evolved from a slow moving game for mostly white players, into the fast-paced, high drama, fully integrated sport we enjoy today.  Even as a big basketball fan, I still assumed that I would mostly flip through this book to see Kadir Nelson's beautiful paintings and then call it a day. Instead, I read this book cover-to-cover in a single sitting enjoying every page. Fans of other books illustrated by Kadir Nels...