Provo Library Children's Book Blog

  Sweet, Tart  By Kara Thorn  Somerville: MA: Candlewick Press, 2026. 336 p.  Eleven-year-old Halle and her family watched a racehorse get fatally injured on a racetrack. Halle who has a soft-spot for animals has especially had a hard time with the chance event. Additionally, Halle is struggling due to Halle’s older sister being in high school and her changing priorities (aka not Halle) and the new school year starts with Halle being put in a school class without her best friends. Needless to say, Halle is struggling. But when Halle realizes that the deceased racehorse lived just a few miles away, Halle decides to visit the stables and to start volunteering with the other horses. As Halle gains new friends, skills, and confidence she is able to overcome her lingering distress as well as come into her own. This is a great book for those who love horse stories with a lot of heart. Halle is such a kindhearted character who wants to belong and make the world a better pla...

Confessions from the Group Chat By Jodi Meadows New York: Holiday House, 2025. Fiction. 264 pages. Written by the author of  Bye Forever, I Guess , Meadows tells the story of Virginia: a relatable girl who has a good heart, but maybe not the best friends. Virginia loves that's she's a part of a popular friend group. However, their popularity means that Virginia hides parts of herself: how much she loves the library and her crush on the super unpopular Grayson. Worse than that, she actively participates in their group chat which tends to center around making fun of people at their school, including Grayson. When Virginia gets in a public fight with the Queen Bee of the group, Virginia finds herself ostracized from the group and the terrible things she's said published on the internet...complete with her name attached to the insults. Virginia becomes a social pariah at school, only talking to fellow social-outcast, Grayson, and an online friend "Knight Errant." I lo...

Inbetweens By Faith Erin Hicks New York: First Second, 2026. Comic. 240 pgs. Twin sisters Sloane and Ash have dreamed about becoming animators since they rode the studio backlot tour on a family trip to Disney World. The first step is spending their summer at a prestigious eight week animation course at a nearby university. The tweens are ecstatic to discover that their animation hero Douglas Frye will even be teaching one of their courses. Unfortunately, Sloane and Ash lose their rose colored glasses pretty quickly. Ash loves animation, but her enthusiasm doesn't immediately translate to skill. Sloane realizes she loves art but that animation isn't the right fit for her. Even Douglas Frye isn't what they expected - he openly prefers the work of white male students and is dismissive of their talented friend Nisha once he realizes she's a girl. It takes courage, friendship, a Studio Ghibli movie night, and advice from a different animation teacher for Sloane and Ash to r...

  Cuentos El pequeño pez blanco cuenta hasta 11 Por Guido Van Genechten Ciudad de México : CapiCua, un sello de VR Editoras, 2021. Libro ilustrado. "El pequeño pez blanco y sus amigos están jugando al escondite. Él encuentra a sus amigos, 1, 2, 3, pero ¿cuántos son en total?" --Editor Cuentitos Verano Por Ailie Busby Swindon, UK : Child's Play International Ltd, 2018. Pequeño libro ilustrado. "En cualquier parte del mundo en que vivamos, cada estación del año nos brinda algo especial. Acompaña a los niños en este entretenido libro mientras descubren y exploran las características del verano a través de juegos al aire libre y dentro de casa. Por medio de los sentidos, y de manera detallada y cautivadora, estas historias son ideales para que los pequeños aprendan el ciclo de las estaciones." --Editor Otros libros sobre numeros ¡Boogie en el Bronx! Los tres chivitos gruff Te haré tu propio librero La oveja 19 Contando bananas

Preschool Time How to Count to 1 Written by Caspar Salmon Illustrated by Matt Hunt Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow Inc., 2023. Picture Book. Get ready to show off your skills in this fun new counting book! But not everything is as it seems . . . is this book really only about counting to "ONE?" Because there are SO MANY fun things that you could count. But wait --maybe there's a way to outsmart the book . . . and count all the way up to 100! --Publisher Preschool Time I Can Only Draw Worms By Will Mabbitt New York: Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2019. Picture Book. First published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Penguin Random House UK. --Publisher Toddler Time Five Hiding Ostriches Written by Barbara Barbieri McGrath Illustrated by Riley Samels Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2022. Picture Book. Told in rhyming text, five little ostriches enjoy running through the bush, but when a lion comes near they hide. --Editor Book Babies I See You, Baby! By Flowerpot ...

Octopus Moon By Bobbie Pyron New York : Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025. 310 pgs. Octopus Moon follows ten-year-old Pearl, a perceptive and sensitive girl navigating the challenges of fifth grade. Pearl loves running, skateboarding, and visiting the aquarium where her mother works, especially to watch the octopuses and loggerhead turtles. She feels a special connection to the octopus, whose arms are highly sensitive and experience the world intensely—much like she does. When everyday life begins to feel overwhelming, Pearl’s parents take her to therapy, where she is diagnosed with depression and begins learning strategies to manage her emotions. One particularly meaningful element of the story is Pearl’s practice of setting small mental health goals and marking each attempt with a bead on a string. Each bead represents effort and gradual progress, reminding readers that trying is just as important as succeeding. This book offers an authentic and compassionate portrayal of childhood depress...