Provo Library Children's Book Blog

AFRICAN CRITTERS ; Robert B. Haas; Washington, D. C.: National Geographic, 2008. Non-fiction. National Geographic photographer Robert Haas takes children and their lucky parents on safari to "shoot" African animals in the wild. Hippos and rhinos (the "big grays"), leopard cubs, lion cubs at risk from angry water buffalo, are all shown here along with pictures of the photographers in their jeep, stories of their adventures, and explanations of how the pictures were taken. One of the National Science Teachers' Association's Best Trade Books of 2008, African Critters is accessible to children young and old, and is an exciting ride.

WINTER TREES ; Carole Gerber, illustrated by Leslie Evans; Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2008; Non-fiction. Leslie Evans' crisp, colorful illustrations perfectly complement Carole Gerber's poems about a boy and his dog's walk through a winter wood. Sugar maple, bur oak, American beech, and paper birch are all pictured in prose and painting, showing how to identify trees by their structure when they are without leaves. Evergreens are also discussed. Explanatory pages at the end of the book discuss winter tree identification and provide pictures of various trees in wintertime. Suitable for young children.

The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman is the perfect story for anyone who loves the Three Little Pigs. This, however, is the story of the three little gators that live in an east Texas swamp and the villain is a Big-bottomed boar. I laughed out loud when the boar breaks into the gators house because instead of blowing air he uses his big rump. Sadly though, the text seems forced and the chants seem awkward at times. The best thing about the book by far was the illustrations. They are made up of bright, vibrant colors that blend extremely well and are sure to make children laugh. In fact, they are the real reason to read this book and make up for the poor text rhythm. Even more exciting; the illustrator Will Terry lives here in Utah and works at Utah Valley University! Excellent job Will!

Here's a delightful story with several different positive messages within it. Some of the messages are meant for kids, but at least one of them is definitely for parents. What parents can learn from Mama Hen is . . . love your kids for who they are and don't let anyone talk you out of recognizing the strengths you see in them! Mama Hen has her wings full with three tough, smart, active, strong little chick daughters; Penny, Polly, and Molly. The rest of the farm animals keep telling Mama Hen to "Make them be good!" But, she answers, they ARE being good. The problem is that Penny, Polly, and Molly are not acting like your typical chicks. They are not quietly scratching and pecking. They do not timidly hide under their mother's wing. They do not sweetly nest. Oh, no, these three tough chicks swing on the cow's tail, roll in the mud, and tinker with the farmer's tractor! They don't quite meet the expectations of everyone else, UNTIL their toughness and s...

The cover alone of Princess Bess Gets Dressed is enough to attract a whole herd of little girls: a princess, lots of pink, and sparkling with glitter. Here is a delightful story in rhyme about a princess' busy day. Cuyler takes us through Bess' many activities and responsibilities, describing all the different wardrobe changes a princess must endure. We learn at the beginning that Bess' favorite thing to wear is a "secret I can't share." That little bit of foreshadowing adds some intrigue that is finally answered in the end. I like the fact that the author does not focus soley on the clothing. Each change of fancy lacey dresses is in conjunctin with an activity, such as dancing, painting, or lunching, and Bess is always engaged with other people in a positive manner. We are exposed to some wonderful clothing vocabulary words; pantaloons, frock, muslin, shawl. Bess is a dutiful princess, never complaining about her royal duties. At the end of the day, we fina...

TSUNAMI! Kajikawa, Komiko; illustrated by Ed Young; New York: Philomel, 2009. unpaged. Adapted from Lafcadio Hearn's story, "A Living God," Tsunami! is the story not only of anfrightening natural disaster, but of the man who sacrificed all he had to save his friends. Ojiisan is the grandfather of his village--kind, wise, and wealthy, he lives in a modest house on the hillside. One day while the villagers are celebrating the rice festival on the beach, Ojiisan feels the tremor of an earthquake and sees the ocean drawing back from the shore. Knowing a tidal wave is coming, he sets his fields on fire so the villagers will run to his aid and escape the coming death. The story is simply but beautifully told and Ed Young's cut-paper illustrations are eerily reminiscent of the 2004 tsunami. The black wall of water capped with foam and rising above the village will take your breath away. Tsunami! is a powerful, beautiful book, an enduring story of terror, sacrifice and salv...

"An adventure begins, when the one who was grimacing suddenly grins. An adventure begins, when the one who was losing suddenly wins." This is the first two stanzas of the poem "An Adventure Begins" in Black Stars in a White Night Sky by JonArno Lawson. I think it is my favorite, I'm still deciding. Black Stars is a thoroughly delightful collection of poems that both children and adults can enjoy. Lawson gives us a nice mix and variety with poetry ranging from the deep, thought provoking "Are You Worried?" to the silly, tongue twisting "The Maple Leaves That Mabel Leaves". This book is full of fun read-alouds, all with wonderful rhymes that play with the English language. And as we all know, that's just the thing for phonemic awareness development. (What's that? you ask. Call the children's dept. and ask about the Emergent Literacy class!)

Do you like really scary ghost stories? Then the young adult book Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman is the book for you. What made it so scary? The videos. As the story progresses the main character's best friend sends him emails with videos she has taken. Videos of a ghost. And this ghost is frightening to look at, believe me. The girl sends her friend passwords that you as the reader can use to view the videos online as the story progresses. It gives the story an almost real feeling you rarely get while reading a story. The videos are so important to the storyline that the book by itself is useless without them. In fact, you have to watch the last video if you want to find out how the story ends. (If you can call it an ending.) Unfortunately this is only the first book in a series so the story leaves us in a horrible cliffhanger, I'll be having nightmares about for months to come. There is no gore or violence in the context of the story, but this story is much too spooky for ...

Do You Love Me? By Joost Ellfers New York, Bowen Press, 2009. Unpaged. Picture book. From the author of the wonderful fruit and vegetable books, such as "How Are You Peeling?" comes this strangely sterile book with digitally created characters who are somewhat reminiscent of the produce people but nowhere near as charming. The storyline is nothing remarkable, although the message is good, being a reassurance and affirmation of love of a parent for their child. The pictures are completely uninteresting and not engaging in the slightest. Anyone who loves the previous books by this author/designer that featured produce as the main characters will be disappointed with the strange characters that populate the pages of this forgettable picture book.

I, Vivaldi is a gorgeous picture book biography by a husband and wife team. The story is told from the first person and is based on the few facts known of Vivaldi's life. The author expanded and filled in a few places to make the story flow, but it is essentially true. The story is interesting and fun to read. However, the ink and watercolor illustrations are wonderful! They do a beautiful job portraying the locale and the time period.

I'm reviewing this book for the illustrations. They are beautiful! The story is so-so, poorly written in some parts. That's all I'm going to say about the text. The artwork, on the other hand, by Jane Chapman, deserves praise. These large, full spread, colorful pictures bring out character and action. I immediately noticed the contrast between the warm browns of the rabbits' burrow and the icy blues, purples, and turquoise of the northern artic. Wherever the albatross flies, delicate snowflakes, in white, pink, and light blue, follow her. My favorite pictures are the ones in the middle, a series of four, where Noah, the smallest rabbit, is in an ice palace and sees his reflection everywhere. The visuals are what carry this book. Worth a look - find it in Picture Books.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Panoramic scenes depict rivers and their connection to the human soul throughout history and throughout the world. The layout of this artistic work is to be applauded. The use of gutters makes the double page spreads appear to be seamless. The beauty of Langston Hughes poem is elongated and enhanced with each illustrated phrase. The image for "my soul has grown deep like the rivers" is exquisite and stirring. The reader will not be able to read this poem again without remembering these soft yet powerful renderings. Definitely an early contender for Caldecott 2010.

The genius of Mo Willems strikes again. Known for his ability to write about subject matter appropriate and fascinating for the litte guys, Willems text is humorous and entertaining for older readers as well. Wilbur is the naked mole rat who, unlike all the other naked mole rates, loves to get dressed. Wilbur finds fun in dressing up as fancy, cool, funny, and even an astronaut. The problem of a dressed naked mole rat gets reported to the Grand-pah who makes a proclamation. The proclamation is "why not?" "Why not wear clothes?" The results of this proclamation? Other naked mole rats begin to get dressed. Some naked rats prefer to be stay naked... but all mole rats (naked and clothed) have fun.

If you have not been introduced to the Practical Guide series of books yet, this title is a great place to start. Supposedly compiled by a faerie guide by the name of Pip Puddlejump, this book is full of inside secrets of the fey. A few of the many topics of interest covered in this volume include: how to attract a faerie, safety tips in dealing with faeries, how to speak faerie language, faerie wardrobes, faerie games, and even how to perform a faerie dance! My particular favorite was the faerie identification chart. If you do manage to capture a faerie it’s always good to know if it is dangerous or not. The pictures that accompany this fascinating information are stunning. Any child (or adult) will find themselves drawn completely into the faerie world. For those lucky readers chosen by the faeries to be able to “see” the small green writing in the margins, Pip includes many more interesting tidbits that only a true fairy would know. Other volumes in the series include: A Practical ...

An historical mystery series for girls! Lady Violet Winters is 13-years-old and full of life. This causes her perfect society mother a great deal of frustration. Her father is much more tolerant of her desire for an education and her rather wild ways. An opportunity for adventure arises when the family travels to Egypt for the Christmas holidays. Violet, along with Garth her father's American ward, get themselves deeply involved in a smuggling ring. Grab this book and see if you can figure out The Secret of the Crocodiles before Violet and Garth do.

Let me start by saying that I learned a lot from reading this autobiography. I had no idea that Japan also had concentration camps for the Dutch residing in the Dutch East Indies during World War II. Lost Childhood is the autobiography of Annelex Hofstra who at the age of 4 was placed in one of these camps with her mother and grandmother. She spent more than 4 years under the strict Japanese guards. Her family had no idea where her brother had been taken. Annelex's father had been a pilot for the Dutch military and been missing for some time. Annelex shares her memories of those years in the camps. She tells of the lack of food and entertainment as well as the constant fear she lived with. Annelex's life improves when the war is over, though it is not without tragedy. She seems an amazing person despite what she suffered early in life. I think that is due to the strength of her mother and grandmother through the difficulties of life in the camps and the instability that follow...

Sam is getting ready for Halloween. He loves everything Dracula: movies, costumes, an action figure with sixty -two points of articulation! When Grandma won't buy him the action figure she suggests he write to Santa and ask for it for Christmas. Sam gets a better idea. Why not write a fan letter to Dracula? His letter is soon on its way to Transylvania. Little does Sam know the consequences of his letter that began with " Dear Dracula " instead of "Dear Santa". This is an entertaining story to be enjoyed by all ages. The illustrations are big, colorful and fabulous!

Amanda and Leo were born on the same day. Their parents met in the hospital but didn't really become friends until after they were accidentally double-booked for their respective first birthday parties. After that the kids were inseparable. For the next 9 years they had a fantastic combined birthday party. Something happened at their 10th birthday that caused them to not speak to one another for the following year. Now as their 11th birthday approaches, they are planning separate parties for the first time. Amanda is sad about this, but not willing to forgive Leo for what he did. She makes it through the day and goes to bed looking forward to the day after, a Saturday, so she can stay home and not think about her former best friend Leo. So you can imagine how she felt when her alarm clock woke her the next morning and her parents rushed her out the door to catch the school bus, on a SATURDAY! Amanda somehow has to figure out why she is the only one having to relive her miserable 11...

Tennyson and her younger sister, Hattie, face a traumatic change in their idyllic world. Their mother, Sadie, has abandoned them and their father. While he goes to look for her, the girls are left in the care of their Aunt Henrietta. Set in swampy, humid Louisiana during the Great Depression, Tennyson , is a sweet story about an 11-year old girl trying to make sense of the place and people that surround her. Tennyson and Hattie move from their little shack called "Innisfree", to their aunt's run down, dilapidated southern mansion to wait for their father while he desperately searches for their run away mother. Aunt Henrietta stills sees "Aigredoux", the mansion, in it's old grandeur of the past and refers to the falling plaster, large holes in the floor, and overgrown vines as "under construction". Neither she, nor her black servant, Zulma, have any warmth to share with the girls. In fact, there are no likable female characters, except for Tennyso...

After the Great Flood there were many changes. Earth Mother and her Corporation took control and started Retrieving the survivors to Relocate them to the Central Islands. Enclosure of the Polar North began in order to stop Unpredictable Weather. Mankind could not survive another Great Flood! Ten-year-old Honor is Relocated with her parents to Island 365 of the Colonies. At first it is difficult for Honor to fit in at Old Colony School. Gradually she realizes that she wants to be like the other children, it is her parents who are different and break the rules. This worries Honor as it is dangerous to be Unpredictable. Eventually her friend Helix helps her realize where the true danger lies. Is it too late to save her family and her friends? The Other Side of the Island is a fantastic read for fans of the Post-Apocalyptic genre as well as kids who love adventure and action. This is Allegra Goodman's first YA novel. Let's hope she gives us some more!

The sun is coming up so it is time for all good little bats to go to sleep. However, Fink is finding it rather difficult to fall asleep. He has tried counting mosquitoes and that didn't work. Big brother Fang knows just the thing, a nice scary story. When that backfires, bigger brother Batrick decides an exciting adventure story will do the trick. Now Fink is so wound up there is just no way he is going to bed. Sister Batsy says they are all wrong and only a romantic love story will put a little bat to sleep. Nothing works until Mama bat gets home and tells a sweet little bedtime story that quickly has all the siblings sound asleep. A simple little beginning chapter book filled with adorable illustrations, Bed, Bats, & Beyond will be fun to read aloud or to yourself.

Sisters of Scituate Light by Stephen Krensky chronicles the true story of brave sisters during the War of 1812. Left alone to guard the lighthouse and adjoining home, Rebecca and Abbie Bates used a simple song to advert a raid by British soilders. Late one night Abbie discovered a warship approaching Scitutate Harbor. The British had recently visited the harbor, where they burned boats and plundered the docks. Her heart was in her throat, but Abbie knew she must act quickly. The sisters crept outside and hid from the view of the enemy. They began playing a drum and fife version of the popular Colonial song "Yankee Doodle Dandy." This song meant soilders were in the area. Hearing the music, the British reversed their boats so fast one of their soilders was actually thrown overboard. The dialoge comes from the girls' magazine interviews which they gave many years later. Soft watercolor illustrations by Stacey Schuett compliment this little slice of War of 1812 history...