Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Tornado! : The Story Behind These Twisting, Turning, Spinning, and Spiraling Storms by Judith Bloom Fradin & Dennis Brindell Fradin National Geographic, 2011. 63 pages. Nonfiction. National Geographic is known for accurate, informative text and amazing photographs, and this book about tornadoes does not disappoint. The information is presented in a very interesting and eye-catching way accompanied by incredible photographs on every page. Readers of all ages, adults included, will be fascinated by first-hand accounts and crazy tornado facts. For example, during the Oklahoma City Tornado of 1999, winds of 318 mph were recorded—the highest wind speeds ever recorded on earth! The pictures, however, really steal the show. Just looking at the photos of a supercell (a weather phenomenon that precursors tornados) made me want to hide in a storm cellar. The Fradins clearly explain the science, research and new discoveries about tornadoes, and provide a glossary and bibliography.

Bone Dog By Eric Rohmann Roaring Book Press, 2011. Unpaged. Picture book. When Gus's old dog and dear friend, Ella, passes away, he misses her terribly. But she promised under a full moon that she'd always be with him. Sure enough, come Halloween night, when Gus is accosted by hostile skeletons, dear Ella comes to his rescue in a most unexpected and clever way! Bone Dog is unusual and surprisingly beautiful. Partly fun and partly solemn, this story may comfort  the young heart that has lost a special pet and might even bring a grin or two. Rohmann's drawings are lovely in this story with some striking double page spreads that show leaping dogs flowing across the pages as well as skeletons dashing brightly. Warm and touching without the least bit of sappiness, this book is sure to find a special place in any pet owner's heart. Highly recommended.

Troublemaker by Andrew Clements Atheneum, 2011. 160 pgs. Fiction. When Clay Hensley uses art class free expression time to draw a picture of Principal Kelling as a donkey, he gets in trouble. Clay is no stranger to the principal's office, but this time he gets in trouble on purpose to impress his older brother Mitchell who is coming home from jail after a contempt of court sentence. Clay is hurt and surprised when Mitchell is not only not impressed but tells Clay he needs to straighten out his life and quit being such a goof-off. Clay agrees to try, but is then surprised by how his old friends turn against the new and improved Clay. Clay is not a likeable kid as the book begins, but as he learns to control his temper, and begins to feel ashamed for his seeming need to humiliate others, he becomes an admirable young man. Troublemaker is a fine, readable story about the transformation of a class clown under the tutelage of a wised-up older brother. Kids should enjoy--and perhaps be ...

The Greedy Sparrow: an Armenian Tale retold by Lucine Kasbarian; illustrated by Maria Zaikina Marshall Cavendish, 2011. Unpaged. Picture book. The greedy sparrow. What a jerk. After he gets a thorn in his foot he sees a woman baking bread and asks her to pull it out. "With pleasure," she says, pulls out the thorn, throws it in the fire, and the sparrow goes on his way. Soon the sparrow is back, demanding his thorn. When the woman can't produce it, he demands bread. This is only the first outrage in the sparrow's crimes and misdemeanors. After a series of tricks and extortions, the sparrow has managed to trade up to a lute which he plucks as he sings a song of his exploits: "In place of a thorn, I got some bread. In place of some bread, I got a sheep . . . "and so on. But as he rocks out on a tree limb proclaiming his smarts, he slips, drops his lute, and gets a thorn in his foot. Too bad, so sad, we're glad. Great pictures and a fun, cautionary ta...

Banjo of Destiny by Cary Fagan Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2011. Chapter book. Young Jeremiah Birnbaum has a life that is seemingly enviable--a huge house, a private school education, two loving parents, and great family wealth. However, when he hears banjo music for the first time, he is filled with a longing to make such music himself, but his parents forbid him to purchase what they consider a non-classical instrument. Jeremiah can't stop wanting one, and when his friend encourages him to find a way around his parent's decree, he decides to make his own banjo and teach himself how to play. This is a short story with touches of humor and the message that if a person truly desires something they should pursue it with determination. I appreciated the message and I enjoyed the description of Jeremiah's banjo-building process, but overall, I didn't find this book to be particularly engaging. It might hold more appeal for younger children who are looking ...

The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies Simon & Schuster, 2011. 177 pgs. Fiction If you think that in the best of all possible worlds nothing bad ever happens to fluffy little animals, and if your own pets survived to a respectable age after which they died contentedly in their respective sleeps, don't read this book. But if, like me, you lost your turtle to the lawnmower and innumerable cats to cars and whatnot, you will find much to laugh your head off about in these pages. Anna and her brother Tom beg and beg and beg and beg their mother for a hamster but she refuses, they find out later from their grandmother, because she has a Very Dark History with hamsters. But when the grandmother passes away, her mother buys a pair of female hamsters (ha) for her children, one of whom has eight babies who do not survive the night. Also, Hamster One gets a leg bitten off, and Hamster Two takes it on the lam. Although the vet explains what these gentle rodents sometimes do t...

Junonia by Kevin Henkes Greenwillow, 2011. 176 pgs. Fiction Nine-year-old Alice is looking forward to her family's annual trip to the beach and looking forward to seeing her old friends, but things have changed. Helen Blair, her artist friend, is stuck in New York in a blizzard. Alice's "Aunt" Kate, her mother's best friend, was still coming but with a new boyfriend with a six-year-old daughter, Mallory. The Wishheimers were there, as was old Mr. Barden, but he had become crankier and more forgetful since she last saw him, and more likely to hurt her feelings. How Alice responds to and learns from these changes is the burden of this gentle tale which is characterized by Henkes' usual lovely prose and evocative pictures, but which is so nuanced and slow-moving only grown-ups or mature older children will probably enjoy it.

Apple Pie ABC written & illustrated by Alison Murray Disney Hyperion Books, 2011. Unpaged. Picture book. In this mouthwatering alphabet book, a journey through the ABCs begins with an apple pie and a little dog. The author cleverly creates a story with each phrase beginning with a letter of the alphabet (with the exception of "X" and "Z" which are uniquely incorporated). Gorgeous, crisp, retro styled illustrations accompany the story with the typography boldly featured. Although this is a delight to an adult or an older child, it may not be as clear to the younger audience learning their ABCs, but will still be enjoyed at some level by all. Definitely a must read!

Cookiebot! A Harry and Horsie Adventure By Katie Van Camp; illustrated by Lincoln Agnew Balzer + Bray, 2011. Unpaged. Picture book. When Harry and Horsie decide they want a snack--specifically, cookies--they realize the cookie jar is unreachable! So what other option do they have than to build a Cookiebot? The Cookiebot is wonderful and retrieves cookies for them in an amazing manner, but when Cookiebot gets out of control, Harry and Horsie have to be resourceful, once again, in order to save the city from the rampaging robot! A cute, silly story accompanied by incredible illustrations makes for a fun read to kids--especially those who love cookies and robots. Agnew's 3-toned, graphic, screen-print styled illustrations are what really makes this book shine. Check it out--but beware; your child may want to create a Cookiebot of their own!

Joe and Sparky, Superstars! by Jamie Michalak Candlewick Press, 2011. 37 pages. Easy Reader. Reminiscent of the great Frog and Toad series, this book is laugh out loud fun! Joe, a giraffe, and Sparky, a turtle, are unlikely friends. They happen to watch a TV show called "What a Pair", and Joe takes it very seriously when the host invites them to "...join us next time as we look for more talented pairs!" Sparky just likes to sit on his warm rock all day, but Joe is determined to find him a talent so that they can be on the show. Sparky tries to learn the Hokey Pokey, how to tell a joke, and a few other things he just doesn't seem to be cut out for. He finally decides that he will never be Sparky the Star. Just as he gives up, Joe figures out Sparky's talent and declares him not just a star, but a superstar! The illustrations are lively and comical; Joe and Sparky's personalities really shine through. This is actually the second book in the Joe ...

Race Around the World (Cars 2) By Susan Amerikaner Illustrated by the Disney Storybook Artists Random House, 2011. 30 pages. Easy Reader. Race Around the World is out just in time for Cars 2 ! Lightning McQueen and newcomer Francesco Bernoulli face off in the World Grand Prix, with races in Japan, Italy, and Radiator Springs. It's fun and has great interaction, as the reader tries to guess who will be the ultimate victor. This is a good choice for Disney fans who are just beginning to read. The artwork is lively and has fun visual jokes tucked away. My favorite is a Japanese ad for "Lightning McClean" - a vacuum cleaner.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Scholastic Press, 2011. 634 pgs. Fiction. Brian Selznick has done it again! His newest book, Wonderstruck, is done in the same novel-in-pictures style as The Invention of Hugo Cabret but with a unique story all of its own. The plot of Wonderstruck is actually made up of two separate mysteries—one taking place in the late 1920s and the other in 1977. The 1920s story is all told in pictures, the 1977 story in nothing but words. Eventually the two stories intersect and seamlessly become one. Riveting and compelling, Wonderstruck is the kind of book you can’t put down because you are dying to see what will happen next. Wonderstruck doesn’t come out until September but you can already put a hold on it in the library catalog!