Provo Library Children's Book Blog

RAAAWR!!! We're in the middle of Summer Reading, and you may have noticed that we're exploring a lot of paleontology with our theme "Unearth a Story." If seeing dinosaur decor and activities around the library is getting your child excited about prehistoric creatures, check out these books about some adorable carnivores! Baby Spinosaurus By Julie Abery and Gavin Scott Mankato, MN: Amicus Ink, 2025. Board Book. Newly hatched Baby Spinosaurus is exploring her new world. Splashing in the river, she finds a fish to catch when she gets stuck among the roots! Luckily, Mama comes by to save the day so Baby Spinosaurus can splash once more. Party Rex By Molly Idle New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Picture Book. Rex is turning 10! What starts as a story about a dino-birthday bash turns into an instruction manual on party etiquette. Watch as the dinosaurs mind their manners to have an excellent party (and try to find the stegosaurus who has *not* o...

Caged Written by Kao Kalia Yang Illustrated by Khou Vue New York: Kokila, 2024. Picture book. A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here. When her family's papers are finally approved, she's uncertain if she's ready to leave everything—and everyone—she's ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite aunt, Golden Flower, sees her off with the words, "Your wings have arrived." — Publisher The Rock in My Throat Written by Kao Kalia Yang Illustrated by Jiemei Lin Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 2024. Biography. In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a Hmong refugee child navigating life at home and school in America while carrying the weight of her selective mutism. — Publisher The Blue House I Loved Written by Kao Kalia Yang Il...

Cuentos Bea en el mar Por Jo Byatt Auburn, Maine : Child's Play Inc, 2021. Libro ilustrado. A Bea le encantan los leones y sabe todo lo que hay que saber acerca de ellos. Ella vive en la playa, ipero no le gusta la arena ni un poquito! Un día, su madre la convence de ir a la playa, donde se encuentra con la escultura de arena de un león que le tiene miedo al agua. La amistad que desarrollan, los ayuda a ambos a superar sus ansiedades, ¡pero al día siguente el león desaparece! ¿Cómo se las arreglará Bea? Un libro gracioso y tierno sobre el apoyo mutuo de la amistad, la aceptación de la perdida y la capacidad de adaptación necesaria para aceptar el cambio. --Tapa Cuentitos Sol   Por Carol Thompson Swindon, UK : Childs Play (International) Ltd, 2023. Pequeño libro ilustrado. ¡A jugar bajo el sol! ¡Hay una gran variedad de vistas, sonidos, olores, sabores y texturas para descubrir y disfrutar! En esta serie de libros de cartón magníficamente ilustrada, Carol Thompson celebra la respue...

Stories in the Park Flower Girls: A Story of Sisters By Jaqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2025. Picture Book. Lily's garden is perfect and precise, while her sister Poppy's garden is eccentric and wild. Now that their youngest sister, Daisy, is old enough to have a garden of her own, the question is what will this flower girl choose to plant, and will her sisters stand back and let her bloom, or will they get in the way in the name of being helpful? --Publisher Stories in the Park Leonardo Grows a Haunted Garden By Mike Ciccotello New York: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2026. Picture Book. A cheerful ghost grows a boo-tiful (and totally not haunted) springtime garden in this laugh-out-loud picture book--the perfect gift for Easter, Halloween, or year-round fun. --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Treasure By Mireille Messier Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Book Publishers, 2019. ...

  Every Space Between Written by Naseem Hrab Illustrated by John Martz Toronto ; Berkeley : Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press, 2026. Picture book. If you are looking for a thoughtful picture book that invites children to slow down and notice the small moments in everyday life, Every Space Between  is a wonderful choice. This reflective yet light-hearted story explores the “in-between” moments that make up so much of childhood — waiting for cake to be served, pausing before a big event, or sitting quietly on an ordinary afternoon. Rather than focusing only on milestones and celebrations, the story encourages readers to appreciate the pauses, transitions, and little stretches of time that are often overlooked. The artwork definitely helps the abstract concepts feel concrete and relatable for children. Young readers will enjoy lingering over the details in each scene, noticing how facial expressions, page turns, and visual pauses contribute to the book’s overall messa...

A Day at the Beach Written by Gary Schmidt and Ron Koertge New York: Clarion Books, 2025. Fiction. 213 pages A single day at the beach brings together a diverse cast of children as they each spend the day at a beach in New Jersey. Told through multiple points of view, each chapter highlights a different young person as they spend time at the beach with their families or by themselves, intersecting with other children’s stories in at times hilarious ways. One boy loses his brand-new phone in the sand, a large family decorate the beach with bright pink umbrellas and put on a circus performance, a girl helps a dog find his person using the magic of imagination, another dog finds a new home, a boy talks to a maybe run-away-bride, and each story is told in a vibrant and hilarious way to showcase what could happen on the beach in a single day. While we are far from the ocean and don’t have beaches with crashing waves, this book isn’t any less relatable as summer has officially hit. With the ...