Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Stories in the Park Tiny T. Rex and the First-Day Oppsies Written by Jonathan Stutzman Illustrated by Jay Fleck San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2025. Picture Book. Tiny the T. Rex prepares for his first day of school but soon learns that it is okay to make mistakes and learn when trying new things. --Editor Stories in the Park It's Not a School Bus, It's a Pirate Ship Written by Mickey Rapkin Illustrated by Teresa Martinez New York: Inprint, a part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, 2020. Picture Book. The first day of school means the first ride on the school bus. But who will I sit with? What if no one talks to me? Luckily this isn't a school bus, it's a pirate ship! --Editor Canopy Capers & Summer Story Time Lizard from the Park By Mark Pett New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. When a lizard hatches from the egg Leonard finds in the park, he names it Buster and takes it all around the city, but Buster grows bigger and b...

  Diamond Fever! By Steve Sheinkin New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2026. Informational. 243 pages. You've probably heard of the gold rush, but have you heard of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872? During the gold rush, prospectors and buisnessmen alike were in search of the next big score. While some found ways to make normal land seem like a literal gold mine, no one believed the same could be done with diamonds. That's until Phil Arnold and John Slack walked into the office of a business acquaintance and asked him to hold some precious stones for them overnight and the con snowballed until it involved major investors on both coasts buying into a salted "diamond mine" on the border of Colorado and Wyoming. Steve Sheinkin is known for writing very interesting children's nonfiction and this book is no exceptions. Young readers will want to stay up past their bedtimes to find out whether or not the cousins were caught. Hand this to fans of true crime or the wild west. T...

 Graphic novels are well suited to explain scientific topics to readers, as the text and illustrations can work together to get the information across. These graphic novels teach readers interesting scientific principles, whether in the format of a story or in a more informational presentation. If you like science and graphic novels, these will be sure to please!  Ant Story By Jay Hosler New York: Harper Alley, 2024. Comic. 156 pages.  Rubi is a cartoon ant living in the real world, helping her ant sisters with the daily tasks of the ant colony. It isn't until she meets Miranda, who is (seemingly) another ant in her colony, that she has another friend to talk to. Rubi and Miranda get into all sorts of misadventures, imparting interesting insect facts all the way. Bridges: Engineering Masterpieces By Dan Zettwoch New Tork: First Second, 2022. Comic. 121 pages.  The BATS (Bea, Archie, Trudy, and Spencer) are a group of excited learners racing around the globe to learn ...

The How-To Cookbook for Young Foodies By Joanna Saltz & Editors of Delish New York, NY : Hearst Home Kids, 2025. Informational. 192 pages. The first time I made homemade brownies as a "young foodie", I read the recipe wrong and when I added the salt, I measured it in cups, rather than teaspoons. Needless to say I would have benefited from a book of instruction like this. This how-to book starts at the simplest skills such as peeling vegetables, creaming butter and sugar, and boiling pasta. It then elevates these tasks to create beautiful dishes. Any aspiring chef could find doable recipes in this cookbook and learn new skills. The pictures present stunning meals and very clear instructions. A good example of this is the skill page on kneading. If you have never kneaded dough before, it could be tricky to know how to move your hands. The images and arrows clearly demonstrate how to press the dough. I haven't tried any of the recipes but the Delish name can be trusted t...

Stories in the Park Pippa's Night Parade Written by Lisa Robinson Illustrated by Lucy Fleming New York: Two Lions, 2019. Picture Book. Using her wild imagination to dream up adorable creations, young Pippa finds the limits of her creativity tested on a night when monsters sneak out of her storybooks to scare her. --Editor Stories in the Park Let's Build a Dam! Written by Daniel Fehr Illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio New York: NorthSouth Books Inc., 2023. Picture Book. Hilarity ensues when siblings set out to build a simple dam in this charming picture book for young children. Siblings May, Lily, and Noah build a dam. Stone by stone, their dam grows higher and higher, until their creation attracts the attention of fishermen, pirates, and even the King and his fleet. The sky's the limit, until Noah wants his stone back . . . Each page builds upon the previous scene as the children's imaginations also grow. Children will delight in pointing out the changing details on ...

Life (as we know it) Written by Ziggy Hanaor  Illustrated by Cristobal Schmal London : Cicada Books, 2025. Informational. Life (as we know it)  takes readers on a fascinating journey through the history of life on Earth. It begins with the earliest moments of the universe and continues through the evolution of plants, animals, and humans. Hanaor presents complex scientific ideas in a succinct and accessible way that inspires curiosity and wonder about the origins of our planet. Schmal’s artwork shifts and evolves alongside the text, helping readers visualize the vast changes that have taken place over time. This thoughtful nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy science, nature, and big questions about the world around them. Personal libraries will find it a valuable addition to collections that support STEM learning while also encouraging reflection and discussion. The author is very clear that the scientific community does not have all the answer...