Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Butterflies in my Stomach and Other School Hazards by Serge Bloch unpaged picture book New York : Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010 A boy's first day of school is anything but pleasant! He starts by getting up "on the wrong side of the bed". Then on the way to school he gets "butterflies in his stomach". He has a big worry that you eventually find out about towards the end of the story. The story is told purely through idioms that describe his situation. The illustrations were also cleverly rendered. Drawn in black outlines, with only the figure of speech portrayed in color makes for an eye-catching book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, yet a lot of children might not get all of the sayings used.

The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale juvenile historical fiction 271 pages New York : Henry Holt and Co., 2009 Mercy is the oldest child in a sharecropper's family. She is determined to be independent and nothing like her mother. She does not want to be poor, doing nothing but housework and having children. One year the crop totally fails forcing her father to leave home looking for work. Mercy seeks a position somewhere away from home as well so there is one less mouth to feed at home. She is lucky to find a job with a wealthy family in town caring for their young son. However it is 1918 and a deadly flu epidemic is tearing across the country. Mercy discovers that her employer has some deep, dark, mysterious secrets affecting her mentally. There is also a handsome young step-son in the home who nearly sweeps Mercy off her feet. Historical fiction at its best, death, mystery, love and a strong female character.

A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel Juvenile Graphic Novel 62 pages New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2009 Jeroen is a young boy not much interested in family history until he stumbles upon his grandmother's scrapbook from World War II. As his grandmother tells the story of her best friend, a Jewish girl, whose family was seeking shelter in the Netherlands, he is completely fascinated. He learns that the young Jewish girl eventually had to go into hiding as her parents were taken away to a concentration camp. Jeroen's grandmother never saw her best friend again, but what an impact that relationship had on her life and now her grandson's just from hearing the story. Originally written in Dutch, this engrossing historical graphic fiction is very accessible to upper elementary and above.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Classics Volume One: Mouse Tails Various authors and illustrators all-ages comic collection Los Angeles, Calilf : Boom! Studios, c2010 Mickey and friends arrive in a brand-new collection for all-ages. Included are stories with Goofy, Donald, and Minnie, just to name a few. Each story is self-contained within just a few pages. Whether you are a long-time fan of these characters or discovering them for the first time, there will be something here to make you laugh.

The Line By Teri Hall Dial Books, 2010. 219 pp. Juvenile science fiction. Rachel leads a lonely life as the daughter of the housekeeper on The Property. She spends her time studying "official" government texts, hiding in the orchid greenhouse and searching online for stories about The Others who live Away on the other side of The Line. In fact pretty much all of her spare time is spent obsessing about Away. One day she discovers a recorded plea for help from the other side of The Line. She bravely steps forth to give aid to the unknown. Things start to spiral out of her control and she is faced with facts about her parents that she never dreamed of. The futuristic Unified States is only vaguely described and I was a little confused about the back history that led to the creation of the Line. Initially the story seemed a little slow to take off, giving the reader a good understanding of the characters. Adversely, the end seemed a bit too rushed and concluded quite abruptly. Ob...

Muppet Robin Hood written by Tim Beedle art by Armand Villavert, Jr. Los Angeles, CA : Boom! Kids, 2009 The title pretty much tells it all. The Muppets characters in the Robin Hood story. Kermit of course is Robin of Loxley Swamp. The lovely Maid Marian is none other than the fabulous Miss Piggy. Fozzie plays Friar Tuck and so forth. As with all Muppet stories, they are great for all ages. The characters are very kid friendly yet there are jokes that will get adults to laugh out loud while going right over the kids head. Fun for the whole family!

The Clone Codes by The McKissacks juvenile science-fiction 172 pages New York : Scholastic Press, 2010 A future Earth where there are three classes of people. The Firsts are humans, plain and simple. Seconds are clones of Firsts and not considered human whatsoever. Clones are created as adults and only live for 12 years. Cyborgs were once human but due to accidents necessitating replacement parts (non-human) they are considered only 3/5 human. Cyborgs are not allowed the same rights and privileges as full-humans, but they are treated slightly better than Clones. 13-year-old Leanna has just discovered that her mother and her partner, Doc Doc, were arrested as part of an underground movement fighting for equal rights for all Clones and Cyborgs. Leanna is immediately thrown into a whirlwind of terror, fleeing from all she has known into the protective care of other members of The Liberty Bell organization. Her life has been full of secrets and she had no idea how drastically things were g...

Weasel, Arisa , and Prince Edoran are three kids living in the same medieval world, but each of them comes from a very different background. Fate will bring the three of them crashing together, and they will soon discover that the future of their world as they know it rests upon their shoulders. This series is perfect for any boy (or girl) who loves medieval adventures full of sword fighting, magic, political intrigue, and life and death battles that will leave them breathless. Each book is written from the different point of view of one of the three main characters and gives the reader a peek into what it is that makes them tick. Weasel, the mischievous and brave pickpocket who learns to look out for more than his own neck. Arisa , who has the power to tell the future with arcanara cards, is a believer in fate—and in the power of her own wits. And Prince Edoran , a miserably lonely and sad boy who wants only to find a way out of becoming king. Put these three together and you ge...

Animal Crackers Fly the Coop Written and illustrated by Kevin O'Malley Picture Book Walker & Company, 2010 Remember the Bremen Town Musicians? Well, here's a similar group with a similar story. Four animal companions who are hoping to make it BIG in the entertainment world. But this time, they are not musicians . . . they are comedians. Joke telling is their talent and they want to share it! Silly dog, chicken, cow, and cat jokes are told throughout along with lots of play on words (the farmer uses "fowl" language when scolding the "comedi-hen" for not laying eggs). It's a wonderful read-aloud, creative and playful with language, full of perfect kid humor.

The World is Your Oyster by Tamara James Illustrated by Emma SanCartier Simply Read Books, 2009, unpaged This is a picture book that should be read by adults. Especially adults who are having a bad day and need a little pick me up! The World is Your Oyster is a story that consists of many phrases that people use on a daily basis. Phrases included are it’s raining cats and dogs, take the bull by the horn, bury your head in the sand, and the early bird gets the worm. All these phrases and more combine to make a story that makes you want to go out and conquer the world! This creative book has nice watercolor illustrations as well that are kid friendly, beautiful and charming. While adults will understand it more a child will also enjoy the story. It will also gives the reader an opportunity to explain why sometimes we say one thing, that really has a different meaning. This is one I plan on buying!

I Can Be Anything by Jerry Spinelli Illustrated by Jimmy Liao Little, Brown and Company, 2010, unpaged What do you want to be when you grow up? I know, I know, I’m grown up, but I still ask myself this question!!! I Can Be Anything is a book that asks this question. The delightful responses found here are from a child’s perspective. But honestly which adult wouldn't like to be a puddle stomper, gift unwrapper, bubble gum popper, mixing-bowl licker or paper-plane folder? The book is short and sweet, but very entertaining. The illustrations are great! They are colorful, bold, imaginative, and fun! Check this book out for a little laugh or for a reminder of what the future is like in the eyes of a child.

Famous Fenton Has a Farm by Dawn Babb Prochovnic Ill. by Stephanie Bauer Magic Wagon, Minnesota, 2010 Move over Old Macdonald, Famous Fenton has taken over your place in the farming business! Famous Fenton Has a Farm is told is the same verse as Old Macdonald, but Fenton is a more hip farmer. He even dresses better! (Gotta love overalls with polka dots!) The animals are not your average animals either! The pigs are wearing wigs, ducks are driving trucks, crows are wearing bows, and cats are swinging baseball bats. Throughout the story there are also different signs for children to either begin learning American Sign Language or increase their vocabulary. All in all, the book was fun and made me laugh. The biggest problem in this easy reader is the illustrations. They are boring and not creative. Still, for a tougher easy reader, this book was pretty get down on the farm good.

Who Loves the Little Lamb By Lezlie Evans; Illustrated by David McPhail Disney Hyperion Books, 2010. Unpaged. Picture Book. All about unconditional love, this sweet tale describes how various creatures are reminded that moms make everything better. The lamb is fussy, the pup is messy, the calf is pouty , the bird is noisy. Smart book design provides a chance for the reader to guess if mom is ok with various behaviors before turning the page and discovering the universal "mom formula:" pitching in to help solve the problem and then wrapping up with a good dose of verbal validation. Rhyming text provides a rhythmic cadence that makes for a good read aloud. David McPhail's soft watercolor illustrations capture the animal's distinctive personalities and drama between mother and offspring. Nice message at the end, one that every parent will save up for the last read of the night. Sweet dreams are guaranteed.

The Great Death by John Smelcer Henry Holt and Company, 2009. 166 pp. Juvenile Fiction. "At the beginning of the twentieth century, fully two thirds of all Alaska Natives perished from a pandemic of measles, smallpox, and influenza. No community was spared." This is from the prologue of The Great Death by John Smelcer. The fictional story he tells in this book is about two young survivors of a small Inuit village in 1917 which is literally wiped out from disease. While not named in the book, I assumed the disease was measles from the description. Millie,thirteen, and her sister, Maura, ten, are fascinated when white skinned strangers come to their village. They arrive with a native from downriver who translates for them. He is also covered in red spots and appears very ill. Soon after the strangers and their interpreter leave, people in the village become sick, very sick with red spots covering their entire bodies. In a matter of days, everyone di...

Picture Book 2009 illustrated by Jack E. Davis Harcourt Children's Books Here's a fantastic, rhyming read-aloud! It's all about Stanza, a closet poet, who also happens to be a dog. By day, he's a rough and rude dude on the street. Along with his brothers, Stanza prowls around annoying and bullying everyone they encounter. But after his brothers are asleep, he heads back to his " shadowy space tucked away out of sight " and writes poetry. He lives in fear that his brothers might find out. But when a contest comes along, looking for someone to write a catchy four-line poem for Snappers Dog Snacks, he can't resist. Will his brothers find out what he's doing? Will he win the contest? Come check out Stanza and find out! (Pay close attention to the wonderful illustrations. Cute details and a couple of hidden clues about Stanza's brothers' closet lives.)

Blockhead: the Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese, illustrated by John O'Brien Henry Holt, 2010. 40 pgs. Biography. Many grown-ups will have first heard of the Fibonacci sequence in connection with Dan Brown's bestselling The Da Vinci Code , but kids and their math-challenged elders will find a much less complex and lovelier introduction in D'Agnese's new book about the Italian boy who was so driven to distraction by numbers that everyone called him a blockhead. But Leonardo "Blockhead" Fibonacci codified for the Western world (the Hindus already had it figured out) the sequential constructions of nature. O'Brien's splendid illustrations soften one's math anxiety and give youngsters clear visualizations of Fibonacci's findings. Blockhead . . . is an excellent book for mathematically inclined youngsters and those who might wish to be. (If you think, like I did, that the term "blockhead" is a modern insult applied to ancient time...

Bob the Alien Discovers the Dewey Decimal System by Sandy Donovan ill. by Martin Haake 24 pages juvenile nonfiction Minneapolis, Minn. : Picture Window Books, c2010 Allison Wonderland shows her friend Bob from the planet Plainold how to find a book in the library using the Dewey Decimal System. Bob is a bit of a smart-aleck but genuinely seems to learn from his friends teaching. A brief summary of all the Dewey categories is given as well as the meaning of the numbers and letters in the call number. This simple informative book also includes a glossary and website information to learn more. There aren't many books written on this subject so it is definitely worth reading despite the unattractive illustrations.

They Never Came Back By Caroline Cooney Delacorte, 2010. 208 pgs. Juvenile/Young Adult fiction When Cathy is accosted by a young man at her intensive language summer school, who claims she is his long-lost cousin Murielle, she doesn't know what to do. For a time the reader doesn't know what to do, either, though Cathy/Murielle's unwillingness or inability to make clear why she is Cathy and not Murielle is a big tipoff to what follows. In alternating chapters we learn how Murielle was left behind when her parents fled with millions of dollars in an investment scam and her aunt refused to deliver her to the airport. Cathy's life in foster care is the rest of the story, which is suspenseful and thought-provoking, even though it has quite a few "huh?" moments, like why the FBI was unable to cook up the same Internet scheme that one of Cathy's classmates uses to smoke out the couple. Caroline Cooney's books are reliably clean and exciting reading for older ...

Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Bloomsbury, 2010. Unpaged. Picture Book. It’s bedtime. But in this darling picture book, it is the little girl who has the difficult responsibility of getting her mother ready for bed. Mommy has all the regular excuses at her disposal—a drink of water, just one more bedtime story, even the bedroom door has to be left open just the right amount. But this is one little girl who knows just how to get Mom into bed on time. Kids will love seeing the roles reversed in this adorable picture book. LeUyen Pham’s delightfully playful watercolor paintings add even more to this already charming story. A must read.

Joe Rat by Mark Barratt Eerdmans, 2009. 307 pgs. Historical fiction. Young Joseph is the size of an eight-year old but his hard life has given him the look of someone much older. A "tosher," Joe hunts for anything of value in the sewers of Victorian London, although most of what he finds goes to pay off the interest on two guineas loaned him by "Mother," the crime boss of Proud Field, whose ample thumb is on everyone in the neighborhood. Street gangs beat him up and steal his stuff, and his home is shared floor space in a boarding house on a revolving schedule. But Joe has managed to squirrel away enough "tosh" to set himself up one day, in the only safe place he knows: the fenced garden/graveyard of The Madman, a local character of whom even Mother is afraid. When Joe meets Bess, fresh in from the country and in need of a friend, he rejects everything Mother has taught him in order to help her. Together they come face to face with the Madman and their liv...

Dragon Games The Books of Umber #2 by P.W. Catanese Juvenile fantasy adventure 373 pages New York : Aladdin, 2010 Once again Umber is searching the world for all things strange and bizarre, faithfully accompanied by his close friends. Umber's curiosity leads them into many perilous places including a monster's lair, the kingdom of a brutal ruler, a ring of fire in the middle of the ocean, and a strange floating ship high up in the air. Young Happenstance learns more about his past but nothing becomes any clearer and yet he is beginning to get an idea of how to control his powers. Lord Umber's past remains mysterious as does Happenstance's role in saving the future. Exciting new friends (and enemies) are introduced, some adding a bit of a romantic element to the story. The strange world of Umber and Happenstance continues to fascinate me with such a curious blend of fantasy and science fiction. I can't wait to see what narrow escapes and mysterious secrets are in sto...

Chalk by Bill Thomson unpaged wordless picture book New York : Marshall Cavendish, 2010 Three friends walking through the park during a rainstorm discover some magic chalk. Each child takes a turn with the chalk for some surprising results. This beautifully illustrated wordless picture book is amazing! The expressive faces of the children are incredibly realistic and captivating. The story is charming and clever. Wordless picture books are a great way for young children to create their own story and to follow sequential events. Chalk is a sure to be enjoyed by all ages as a gateway to the imagination. I know it's early, but I definitely hope to hear this book in the Caldecott buzz next year!

Jump! by Scott M. Fischer unpaged picture book New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2010 Jump! is an amazingly fun read-aloud book that had my three-year-old rolling on the ground with laughter! Starting with a bug, "a snug little bug...sleeping on a jug" who sees a frog and has to...Jump! to get away, the author/illustrator follows a possible food chain up the ladder until it can't go any higher. The text is fun and full of rhyming words sure to catch the attention of most children. The brightly colored illustrations are incredibly eye-catching against the stark whiteness of the page. An absolutely adorable book that is a new favorite on my list!

For You Are a Kenyan Child By Kelly Cunnane; illustrated by Ana Juan Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006. Unpaged. Picture book. Given the task of herding the cows to the pasture and minding them, a young Kenyan boy so begins his day. But his curiosity and natural inquisitiveness coax him--just for a moment--to slip away. He visits a tea shop, watches animals, spends time with friends, and other such delightful pastimes. But will he remember to follow his mama's instructions? This book is delightful on every level. The text is elegant and simple--"sun lemon bright over eucalyptus trees full of doves." Beautiful illustrations with just the right amount of stylization mixed with painterly detailing elevate the text even further. The book is approachable, winsome, and full of charm. Any child can relate to the plight of diverging from a dull chore! This is a wonderful read--check it out!

Grumpy Grandpa By Heather Henson, illustrated by Ross Macdonald Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009. Unpaged. Picture book. This grandpa is not your typically depicted jolly sort of man--he is grumpy . He yells, has awful removable teeth, is even a little scary to his small grandson. It doesn't seem like he has any redeeming qualities until one day Grandpa overhears his grandson complaining about his attitude. On a fishing trip together, they learn surprising things about each other that might even mean they are more alike than they realize! Having a grumpy relative can be hard, especially when you are expected to visit often with them. However, this book shows that even when someone seems outwardly prickly and unpleasant, they can have a warmer, friendlier side. With illustrations reminiscent of a fifties style, similar to those in the Dick and Jane series, there is a cozy, nostalgic feel to the story. This story would be a good fit for anyone who wants to appreciate their rel...

Navy Ships in Action by Kay Jackson PowerKIDS, 2009. Unpaged. Nonfiction. One in a series of books about "Amazing Military Vehicles," this book is attractively formatted with large-print text, important words and concepts in bold letters , with both silhouettes and actual photographs of the naval vessels being discussed. Although Navy Ships is in most ways a fine introduction for young children to the U. S. Navy's fleet, some of the explanations are odd: "steel" is defined, but "bridge" and "sonar" are not. Still, military-minded youngsters will find plenty of good information and cool pictures in this book and its companion volumes devoted to armored vehicles, military helicopter, planes, tanks, and submarines.

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Poems by Marilyn Singer Illustrated by Josee Masse Dutton Children's Books; 2010; unpaged There are always two different sides to a story and Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse is here to prove it. This is an amazingly fun poetry book! It has received great reviews and I am here to give it another glowing review. The concept is simple; you read the poem from top to bottom, and then bottom to top. The outcome is amazing. The illustrations are equally as fun! They too are reversed and are beautifully done. I loved the textures in them, the colors, and the creativity. Poems are based on fairytales such as The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast. Boys, don’t shy away from this book, there is nothing girly about the tales though. Make sure you read my favorite, the story of Little Red Riding Hood. I had to read it a couple of times, I liked it so much. I hope this is one of many more similar books from Marilyn Singer! Abs...

I Am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines Tricycle Press; 2010; unpaged Boys love backhoes and other construction vehicles. They love to make noises and get all excited when they see them. That is why I’m sure they will love I Am a Backhoe by Anna Hines. There isn’t really a story, just pages of a boy pretending he is things like a backhoe, dump truck and bulldozer. After a picture is shown of the little boy, the next page is a picture of the machine. I like that in this book the dad gets involved with the boy in the end and is acting out the machines with him as well. Little boys will eat this one up!