Display: Books ARRRR Treasures

 

Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah From Slave Ship to Pirate Ship

By: Barry Clifford

The story of the slave ship, Whydah, captured by pirates and later sunk in a fierce storm off the coast of Massachusetts. 

Pirate Queen: A Story of Zheng Yi Sao

By: Helaine Becker 

Illustrated by: Liz Wong

The most powerful pirate in history was a woman who was born into poverty in Guangzhou, China, in the late 1700's. When pirates attacked her town and the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. Zheng Yi Sao agreed to marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. When her husband died six years later, she took command of the fleet. Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men. On land and sea, Zheng Yi Sao's power rivaled the emperor himself. 

Are Pirates Polite?

By: Corinne Demas

Illustrated by: David Catrow

In rhyming text, this story demonstrates that even pirates can be polite, and say "please" and "thank you."

Pirate Secrets Revealed

By: Anna Claybourne

Describes the life of pirates. Come aboard and explore the terrors of the sea from capturing ships full of treasure to escaping from sharks, wearing wooden legs, and sleeping with rats and fleas. Find out what pirates ate and how they smelled, too.

How to be a Pirate

By: Isaac Fitzgerald

Illustrated by: Brigette Barrager

Told by the neighborhood boys that she cannot be a pirate, Cece seeks reassurance from her grandfather who knows about boats and has tattoos.

The Word Pirates

By: Susan Cooper

Illustrated by: Steven Kellogg

When word-eating Captain Rottingbones and his crew steal from the Word Wizard while she is telling a story, her pen proves mightier than the pirates' swords.

Pea, Bee, & Jay: Stuck Together

Pea, Bee, & Jay: Stuck Together
By Brian Smith
New York: Harper Alley, 2020. Graphic novel.

Pea considers himself to be the best roller of all the produce on the farm. So when the other fruits and vegetables goad him into rolling further than anyone has gone before -- beyond the fence at the end of the farm -- he accepts their challenge. Before long, a rainstorm rolls Pea off course and strands him in the middle of nowhere far away from his home. Luckily, Pea finds a lost bumblebee named Bee and an orphaned bluejay named Jay -- two new, unlikely friends who will help him find his way home.

Pea, Bee, and Jay are three hilarious new friends for readers who like humorous graphic novels. Kid-friendly humor abounds in this colorful and cartoonish graphic novel, especially all the cheesy-peasy puns. This book and its sequel, Pea, Bee, & Jay: Wannabees, is a good graphic novel for intermediate readers ready for a next step after Noodleheads or Baloney and Friends.

The Farm that Mac Built

 

The Farm That Mac Built

Written by: Tammi Sauer

Illustrated by: Jackie Urbanovic

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. Picture Book.

The barnyard residents have decided to put on a play, a farm version of "The House That Jack Built" but the play keeps getting interrupted. First the monkeys start playing on the stage and then some break-dancing kangaroos come in and last of all some singing elephants enter the stage. What can the farm animals do? Sometimes you just have to learn to roll with the unexpected and have some fun.

This is a great interactive read aloud with lots of word repetition that children will enjoy as they shout out the sounds the farm animals make. The illustrations are cheery and bright and really add to the humor of the story. This story time book will be one that's requested over and over again. So settle back and get ready to enjoy the show as the animals present, The Farm That Mac built.

Fussy Flamingo

Fussy Flamingo
Words by Shelly Vaughan James
Pictures by Matthew Rivera
Sourcebooks, Jabberwocky, 2020. Picture Book.

Lola is a young flamingo that doesn’t actually want to eat what every other flamingo tends to eat—shrimp. Lola thinks that shrimp are yucky. So when everyone else is busy eating, Lola sneaks off and eats other things. Only when her feathers turn different colors based on what she is eating Mami and Papi realize that she hasn’t eaten what she should be eating.

This is a story about a couple of classic toddler topics: colors and not wanting to try new foods. The bright, bold illustrations are vibrant and full of movement while showcasing Lola and her big personality. Young readers will enjoy guessing what color(s) Lola’s feathers will change to based on what she eats. Children with diversity in their families will enjoy the phrases such as “¡Ay de mí!” that are included in the text. All-in-all this is a great edition to the story time circuit for toddlers.

October Girls Read/ Guys Read

Did you know that we have two parent/child book clubs every month at the Provo City Library? They are for children ages 9-12 and a caregiver. This month, they will meet virtually on Zoom on October 22 (guys) and October 27 (girls). Preregister under the Kids Corner/Program Registration tab on the library website. We have two great books to discuss this month:

Guys

Small Spaces

By Katherine Arden

New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons, 2018. Horror.

Ollie has a feeling that something weird is happening in her small Vermont town when she encounters a woman weeping at the edge of the river, preparing to throw an old book away. This is even before Ollie's school bus breaks down in a field filled with frightening scarecrows -- stranding Ollie and all her classmates. As things get more and more paranormal, Ollie follows the advice of the mysterious book she stole from the woman at the water's edge -- stick to small spaces. This fast-paced adventure propels readers from start to finish with a cast of likable characters. The chills will be the biggest draw to this book, but the emotional depth will make it hard to forget.

Girls

Coraline

By Neil Gaiman

New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Horror.

After moving to a new apartment in an old house with her parents, Coraline is desperate to find adventure and excitement to break her boredom. While exploring one day, Coraline discovers a passageway to a creepy world that mirrors her own, complete with an "other" mother and father who have nothing but time and attention to dote on Coraline (unlike her real parents). Things in the mirror world quickly turn from spooky to nightmarish, leaving Coraline desperate to escape from the Other Mother and save her real parents from their clutches. This scary story is unnerving and totally haunting - a perfect read for October.

DIY Story Time: The Letter "D"

 D week is coming!  Here are three fun books to check out as we learn about the letter D.

Roy Digs Dirt

By David Shannon

The Blue Sky Press, 2020.  Picture Book.

Although it's a smelly task for those who have to constantly bathe him, Roy's happiness centers on his very favorite thing--dirt--and from sunrise to sunset, he burrows in it, rolls in it, and digs up buried treasures. There's terror in every terrier, and when Roy runs into the house after being sprayed by a skunk, he faces the dreaded bathtub. Readers will see themselves in Roy's childlike delight each time he makes the biggest mess ever.  --Publisher

Ducks!

Written by Deborah Underwood

Illustrated by T.L. McBeth

Godwin Books, 2020.  Picture Book.

Ducks. Ducks? NO DUCKS! Duck wanders away from the pond for a moment and returns to find the other ducks gone! Searching high and low, Duck discovers many clues around the city―footprints, feathers, eggs―but no ducks. Will Duck’s feathered friends finally be found? With spare storytelling and lots of visual jokes, this is a funny and sweet celebration of family.  

--Publisher

Dude!

Written by Aaron Reynolds

Illustrated by Dan Santat

Roaring Brook Press, 2018.  Picture Book.

Dude! You have to read this book. It's totally about this platypus and this beaver who are friends. They want to go surfing but dude, there's this shark who's in the ocean, too. But don't worry. This shark approaches and you'll never guess what happens.  --Publisher

Display: Add a Drop of Color

 

The Magical Land of Birthdays 

by Amirah Kassem

After receiving a magical cookbook and baking her special birthday cake, a young Mexican girl is transported to the Magical Land of Birthdays, where she meets three children from different corners of the world who are also about to turn eleven.

The Hidden Rainbow

by Christie Matheson

All the colors of the rainbow are hidden in the garden, but can the little bee find them--with help from the reader? Christie Matheson brings a garden to life in this bright, interactive picture book about the natural world--and our place within it.

Every Color 
by Erin Eitter Kono

Bear longs to see color, but everything around his home at the North Pole is white, white, white. When a seagull brings a gift from a little girl, Bear falls in love with the colors in her painting, but it's not enough. So the girl sets off in her boat to take the Bear on an adventure and help him see the colors up close. And by the time they return to Bear's polar home, Bear has learned to see color reflected all around him-especially the colors of the Northern Lights, which were there all along.

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
by Supriya Kelkar

Harpreet Singh has a different color for every mood and occasion, from pink for dancing to bhangra beats to red courage. He especially takes care with his patka--his turban--smoothing it out and making sure it always matches his outfit. But when Harpreet's mom finds a new job in a snowy city and they have to move, all he wants is to be invisible. Will he ever feel a happy sunny yellow again?

Jack at Bat

Jack at Bat
Written by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Viking, 2020. Easy Reader.

Jack is back, and as mischievous as ever. In a tense ball game between the Lady Town Ladies and the Big City Brats, Jack is causing a lot of trouble, as usual. Home plate goes missing, a nap is taken, snacks are chased, and Jack is behind it all. But who will win? Will Jack steer the Ladies to victory, or will his antics cause too many problems?

Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli combine their talents to create the wonderfully offbeat Jack. Barnett's humor shines through in this funny story about Jack, who just can't behave. And Pizzoli's depictions of the characters are expressive and simple. This unconventional main character will keep kids laughing, and as a bonus, won't bore the parents!

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

                                                    

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!
By Jessica Kim
New York: Kokila, 2020. J Fiction, 306 pages.

At school Yumi Chung is a shy loner. At home she's constantly compared to her genius older sister Yuri. And between her after-school study class and working in her parents' Korean barbecue restaurant, she feels a lot of pressure to succeed. But alone in her room, Yumi writes down her problems and turns them into jokes. She dreams of becoming a standup comedian, a goal that feels impractical while her family struggles to keep their business afloat. When Yumi stumbles into the Haha Club one day and meets her idol, YouTube comedian Jasmine Jasper, Yumi Chung sort of kind of accidentally becomes...Kay Nakamura, who is a lot more confident than Yumi ever felt when she was being herself. 

Yumi's double life helps her gain her own confidence and start overcoming her fear of failure but the secrets and lies start to complicate things, forcing her to ask the question: “What does it mean to follow my heart, anyway? What if pleasing my parents and wanting to do comedy are both pieces of my heart?” Stand Up, Yumi Chung! is the perfect mix of funny, honest, and hopeful, great for any reader who liked Front Desk by Kelly Yang. 

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost

Gustavo, The Shy Ghost
By Flavia Z. Drago
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2020. Picture book.

Gustavo is a ghost who longs to make friends, but he's too shy to befriend the monsters in his neighborhood. He tries to join in with the kids as they play games, appearing as a soccer ball, lampshade, or canvas, but everyone just sees right through him. In a last-ditch effort and a burst of heroic courage, Gustavo invites all the monsters to come to the cemetery on the Day of the Dead to hear him perform his violin. Though at first no one is there, Gustavo's confidence grows and attracts all the friendly ghouls who were longing to be his friend all along

Flavia Z. Drago's Mexican-inspired illustrations make this a perfect Day of the Dead read-aloud, and Gustavo's struggle to gain his confidence and make friends makes this story just right for any time of the year. This is a sweet and gentle story about making friends, highlighted by illustrations featuring ghosts and ghouls alongside papel picado, marigolds, and decorated skulls galore.