Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Count the Monkeys Written by Mac Barnett Illustrated by Kevin Cornell Disney Hyperion, 2013. Unpaged picture book. Get ready for a page-turning, wild adventure in the jungle! This counting book goes from 1 King cobra (who has scared off all the monkeys) to 10 polka-dotted rhinoceroses with bagpipes and bad breath (who scared off 9 lumberjacks). We see 0 monkeys on our journey, aside from a glimpse of their scared little tails zipping out of sight from page to page. There are some cheeky monkeys to be found somewhere- hiding on the end page, which will delight little readers of this mischievous tale. Another silly book from the team that brought us Mustache!

Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great By Bob Shea Disney Hyperion, 2013. Unpaged picture book. Goat's life used to be pretty cool, until Unicorn came into town. It seems that anything Goat can do, Unicorn can one-up. For example, Goat has a neat magic trick, but before he can show it off at school, Unicorn flies in and starts turning stuff into gold! However, Unicorn is soon enamored with all that Goat has to offer, like delicious goat cheese pizza and awesome cloven hooves. A mutual admiration forms, and the two realize they'd make an unstoppable team. From its rainbow colors to visual gags, Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great is more than "pretty great." It might be Bob Shea's best book yet!

Treasure in the Graveyard by Roberto Pavanello North Mankato, Minn. : Stone Arch Books, 2012. 120 pages. Intermediate Chapter Book.   From the series Echo and the Batpack. the publisher says this series need not be read in a particular order, but this one does serve well as #1. Echo is a very educated bat who once lived in a library. He now resides in an old crypt at the cemetery. One night as he is trying to write a story he is disrupted by a commotion nearby. An intruder was in the graveyard digging up graves. And to make matters worse he as accompanied by a large scary raven. Echo, being a bit of a scaredy-bat, took flight. Luckily he stumbled and crashed his way into the Silver home where the three kids took care of him. They even helped him solve the mystery of why the stranger was digging in the cemetery. This is a very fun and entertaining little mystery for 1st-3rd graders, with just a light touch of spooky.

Dragon Dreams Royal Princess Academy #1 by Laura Joy Rennert New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c2012. 103 pages. Intermediate Chapter Book. Princess Emma hails from a long line of perfect princesses, Snow White was her great-great-grandmother, Beauty is her grandmother and of course her mother is The Queen. She is finally attending the Royal Princess Academy, following in their perfect footsteps. Princess Emma is not your typical frilly pink and proper princess. She likes to kick a soccer ball and dream of dragons rather than improve her royal skills. She especially dislikes Princess Posture class, she would "rather read a book than wear it"! Her unique princess style comes in handy when she has to save her classmates in the annual Princess Contest. And again when on a field trip she helps figure out why all the dragons are ill. Her best friend Rapunzel has always known what a great person she is, now everyone else knows too! Young princesses everywhere wil...

Fly Guy and the Frankenfly By Tedd Arnold Cartwheel Books, 2013. 30 pages. Easy reader. After having a fun night in on a stormy evening, Buzz and his pet Fly Guy go to bed. In the middle of the night, Buzz wakes up to a very mysterious light: the glow of Fly Guy creating a monster in his laboratory. Frankenfly! The giant, green Frankenfly monster comes to life, and picks up tiny little Buzz in his big fly hands! Terror! When Buzz awakens the next morning, Fly Guy is nowhere to be found. Was it all a bad dream...? Fly Guy and the Frankenfly is a stellar addition to the hilarious buddy-comedy series! Well done, Tedd Arnold.

Wedgieman to the Rescue Written by Charise Mericle Harper Illustrated by Bob Shea Random House, 2013. 48 pages. Easy reader. In Veggieman/Wedgieman's second adventure, he is faced with a new foe: Larry, aka Bad Dude. Bad Dude is the baddest of the baddies, and his Make-Things-Disappear Machine is truly evil news. When Wedgieman hears of it, he rushes to the save the children of the playground. Good and evil face off, and Bad Dude gets his comeuppance in the end. And, bonus, the children are all rewarded with a celery treat! Wedgieman to the Rescue is a fun, silly story, with fantastic illustrations by Bob Shea. Another delight for the early reader crowd!

Python By Christopher Cheng and Mark Jackson Candlewick Press, 2013. 29 pages. Nonfiction picture book. This nonfiction picture book takes a look at the life of a python. This snake's days include molting her old skin, keeping warm on a rock, and hatching eggs. There is a lot of interesting information within the pages, including how a snake hunts for prey by smelling with her tongue, and eating a mouse by unhinging her jaw to swallow! The soft illustrations help this to not be a too terribly-graphic read, though. The narrative is slow paced and poetic, and is contrasted nicely with factual information.

Bot Wars by J. V. Kade Dial, 2003.  356 pgs. Science Fiction.      The very cool cover of this book (as you can see), makes one think that the book is about a war between people and robots. Actually, the war between the Bots and the people of the United Districts (formerly, the United States) is already over. As people programmed robots to do much of their manufacturing and drudge jobs, they also programmed them to be more like human beings.  Eventually the robots wanted human rights and the people kicked them out.  Into this setting comes twelve-year-old Trout (Aidan) St. Croix. He lives with his older brother Po because his father went missing during the Bot Wars. When Trout sends out a vid feed asking for help to find his dad, the wild rumpus starts. Po is arrested and Trout makes a run for the border where, with a little help from a bot named LT, he finds his father and a thriving community of people and Bots--and some who are part one, part ...

The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos Starscape, 2013.  253 pgs. Science Fiction.      Thirteen year old Mason Stark is a junior Captain Kirk figure in this neckbreaker of a sci-fi adventure for tweens.  Stark, a space cadet (not that kind) from the Academy for Earth Space Command is on the country-class ship Egypt where his sister Susan is a senior officer when it is attacked and boarded by the Tremist, an alien race who have been duking it out with earthlings for over 60 years over an inhabitable planet that both races want. When the crew of the Egypt is mostly killed or captured, the cadets have to take over the ship with Mason in command. Then the fun begins.  Mason and company battle the Tremist to save his sister, the Egypt, and even earth.  Artificial wormholes, heavily-armored Tremist rumored to be blood-sucking space vampires, the mysterious purple-glove-wearing Radoghast, and a wide array of vaporizing weaponry make this a terrific sci-...

What is Part This, Part That? by Harriet Zeifert, illustrated by Tom Slaughter Blue Apple Books, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book.      A penguin is part black and part white while a roller coaster is "part fun and part fright!"  Dad's pajamas are "part bottom, part top" while "riding in traffic is part Go and part Stop."  Zeifert and Slaughter's delightful new book uses rhymed text, foldouts, lift-ups and big, bright colors to acquaint youngsters with how things fit together, work together, and can be one thing but also another. This book would work particularly well as an interactive read-aloud, with the reader providing the first part of the equation, and the child the second.  A particularly fine choice for preschoolers.     

  Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert Enchanted Lion Books, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book      This story begins on the back of the book, wraps around the front, and then enters the covers. In real life, the pictures in this book are one continuous, 415 inch illustration, telling the story of an afternoon of Midwestern thunderstorms and tornadoes on July 15. With the leading edge of the pictures in cutaway, the reader can see the holes in the ground and the hollows in the trees where raccoons, squirrels, and gophers shelter from the wind and rain.  The concept of "shelter," in fact, is a major theme in this book as the family who are bringing a trailer-load of straw along the road shelter in a garage when their truck breaks down, under an overpass when the rain gets too heavy, and in the leaky-roofed kitchen of their home. Wordless, except for notations of the time, Thunderstorm is detailed and atmospheric, the kind of book one would want to ...

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

100 Animals on Parade by Masayuki Sebe Picture Book , 24 pages Published March 1st 2013 by Kids Can Press  This book doesn't contain JUST 100 animals on parade! There are 100 bears, 100 pigs, 100 beetles, 100 rabbits, and 100 birds. Count along from 1 to 100 as each group parades across the pages until they all reach their final destination, the Animal Festival! Each set of critters brings their contribution to the party whether it is music, food or entertainment. The cartoonish illustrations are quirky and at first glance a little cluttered. Then as the text is read it becomes apparent this is on purpose as the book is meant to be a seek and find book, not your regular read-aloud storybook. Small text throughout guides the reader to look for various items within the picture. This is a cute interactive book to share with a child in a one-on-one setting. 

How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships Learn about the ingenious lifestyles of some of the world's most unusual animal partners. Time for a Bath By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page It's time for a bath! Find out which animals soak, lick, bake, or spray their dirt away.   Bird Songs: A Backwards Counting Book  By Betsy Franco and Steve Jenkins Throughout the day and into the night various birds sing their songs, beginning with the woodpecker who taps a pole ten times and counting down to the hummingbird who calls once.   Animals in Flight Wings carry tiny insects, fluttering butterflies, and backyard birds, and they even once propelled some dinosaurs up and through the skies. Find out how, when, and why birds and beasts have taken to the air, and discover how wings work in this informative and brilliantly illustrated book about flight.   Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals  Thousands of...

The 13-Story Treehouse written by Andy Griffiths illustrated by Terry Denton Published April 16th 2013 by Feiwel & Friends Juvenile illustrated fiction, 256 pages Andy and Terry are best friends who live together in a tree house all by themselves. The tree house is the most amazing place you could ever think of. It has, among other things, a pool, bowling alley, observation deck, secret laboratory, shark tank and even a lemonade fountain. Sounds like a sweet life for two active young boys. However, they have a big dilemma. They are really an author/illustrator team that is way behind on a deadline to the editor. They have all sorts of adventures while they struggle with writer's block until they decide to put all those crazy events into a book. Now you, the lucky reader, have that very book in your hands. Silly illustrations add to an even sillier story that is sure to appeal to fans of Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Bonyo Bonyo by Vanita Oelschlager illustrations by Kristin Blackwood and Mike Blanc Published April 1st 2010 by Vanita Books picture book biography, 42 pages. Despite the poor conditions of his village and family, a young boy still had a fun childhood playing soccer with a homemade soccer ball and listening to his granny's stories. Unfortunately his baby sister died when he was only 8 years old. She died because they didn't always have clean water to drink and there was no medical staff to care for her in the village. This one event made young Bonyo Bonyo vow that one day he would put a hospital in his village so other children wouldn't have to die like his sister. It was many years before he even made it to school for the first time. Once he did,  it was just the beginning of a long path through schools and universities that would eventually lead to the fulfillment of his lifelong dream. Bonyo Bonyo never wavered from his goal. He is a great e...

Luz Makes a Splash by Claudia Davila Published August 1st 2012 by Kids Can Press Graphic Novel, 95 pages. Luz once again comes to the environmental rescue of her neighborhood. Bothered by the unrelenting heat, water restrictions, and brownouts as a result of drought, she and her friends head to a nearby pond. Upon their arrival they discover the pond has been ruined by a factory. Not only can the kids not cool off, but the ducks, fish and other animals can't survive the current conditions. Meanwhile, the neighborhood garden is suffering without water. Luz gets her friends and family bouncing into action to solve both problems. This graphic novel does a great job of teaching kids how to help take care of the environment while at the same time they are reading a fun story. Friendship and communication play an important role in Luz's accomplishments. She is a good example that kids can do anything they want to. One might think they can't make a diff...

Wonderfully Made by Joyce Meyer illustrated by Mary Sullivan Published May 7th 2013 by Zonderkidz unpaged picture book The zoo was having a talent show and everyone already knew what they were going to do. Everyone except Hayley Hippo. She tried everything her friends did but they just weren't the right thing for her. She felt like she had no talents and could not contribute to the show in any way. Finally someone discovered something Hayley was good at, something she had been doing all along without even knowing it. This cute picture book is a simple way to show young kids that everyone is talented in different ways.

Willow Finds a Way by Lana Button illustrated by Tania Howells Published March 1st 2013 by Kids Can Press unpaged picture book Willow is just as excited as everyone else when she finds out she is invited to Kristabelle's birthday party. Then Kristabelle becomes a little too bossy, threatening to cross off the name of any kid that doesn't do what she says. Willow went along because she knew it was going to be a fabulous party. But part of her kept wanting to do her own thing despite the fear of being uninvited. The lovely Kristabelle stuck to her threat and crossed off names as kids rebelled against her. After seeing her friends and classmates get their feelings hurt, Willow finally found a way to speak up for herself and the others without actually having to say a word. This was a bit of a rude awakening for the birthday girl, but of course they all ended up friends in the end. Cute child-like drawings make the story accessible to all ages. Kids wi...

Boris Gets a Lizard Boris #2 by Andrew Joyner Published May 28th 2013 by Scholastic Inc. Intermediate chapter book/easy reader, 80 pages. Boris is absolutely determined that he is going to get a pet Komodo dragon. He knows they are the coolest pet because they are the biggest lizard in the world. Everyone knows Boris likes things BIG! He even writes to the local zoo offering his home as a vacation destination for their Komodo. When the zookeeper politely declines his offer and sends him some zoo passes instead, Boris realizes bigger isn't always better. This is a perfect book for 1st and 2nd graders!

Twinky the Dinky Dog Written by Kate Klimo Illustrated by Michael Fleming Random House, 2013. 47 pages. Easy reader. Twinky is a little dog, so little that his owner carries him in her purse and calls him "Twinky-Poo!" This mortifies Twinky, because in his mind he is a giant! One day, he breaks free and hangs out with the biggest of the big dogs: Bubba, Bertha, and Tank. The trio teaches him how to strut, growl, and snarl with all he's got. When Twinky returns home, he proudly shows off his new big dog skills. On a dark and stormy night, a robber attempts a break-in, only to be thwarted by Twinky, who totally scares him away with his ferocious snarls. Victory for the dinky dog! This easy reader is good fun, and I think all young readers will love this spunky, not-so-dinky dog.

The Mystery of Darwin's Frog by Marty Crump, illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez Boyds Mill, 2013.  39 pgs.  Nonfiction      Darwin's frog is so named because it was discovered by Charles Darwin in Chile in 1834.  This particular--and peculiar!--frog has a flap of skin poking out over its nose, but what is especially unusual is that after the mother lays her eggs, the father slurps the eggs up and keeps them in his vocal sacs until they metamorphose from polliwogs into frogs, and then they hop out of his mouth.  Weird but true.  Marty Crump is a behavioral ecologist who teaches at Utah State University.  She has a terrific prose style for children, and with the addition of Steve Jenkins' drawings and Edel Rodriguez's photographs, The Mystery of Darwin's Frog becomes a really attractive and fascinating account of a particular species that illustrates the wide range of animal types in the world. There is much in this fi...

A Home for Bird   By Philip Stead Vernon the toad takes the silent Bird on a journey in hopes of finding Bird's home. Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast By Philip Stead Wild Man Jack isn't easy to please. Especially when Mama Jane serves him the one dish that he detests. Each day his children ask what he'll do if it arrives at the table, and each day he comes up with an even more colorful response. Not until Friday do things get really out of hand. A Sick Day for Amos McGee Written by Philip Stead Illustrated by Erin Stead Zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time to visit his friends who live at the zoo until the day he stays home because he is sick. Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat By Philip Stead When Jonathan's parents decide that he has gotten too old to have a stuffed animal, they trade his favorite bear, Frederick, for a toaster, so he sets off aboard a boat, looking for Frederick. If You Want to See a Whale Writ...

Beholding Bee By Kimberly Newton Fusco Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. 329 pages. Fiction. Young orphan Beatrice ("Bee") lives in the back of a truck with her guardian, Pauline, and the two travel from town to town as carnival workers. Bee has a large birthmark on her face, which opens her up to a lot of teasing and prevents her from getting close to people. When Pauline is forced by the evil carnival owner to find work elsewhere, Bee decides to run away and try to start a life of her own, accompanied by a stray dog and a piglet. She is welcomed into the odd little home of two old women named Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Swift. Without revealing too much- Bee's new life is touched by a little bit of magic and imagination. I think girls will like this book, and find themselves relating to Bee's struggles with bullies and trying to find her place in life. It's set during WWII and has some interesting historical touches, but at heart this is a unique novel that doesn't fit ...

Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life Written and Illustrated by Jim Arnosky Sterling Children's Books, 2013. 41 pages. Nonfiction. The newest book from powerhouse nature author Jim Arnosky ( Slither and Crawl ) is another look at creatures in the wild. Arnosky's paintings are full of light, and accurately portray creatures found in shallow beaches or not far offshore.  This book is part observation journal, part ocean wildlife guide, with Arnosky's text engaging the reader from the start. Kids will find a lot of interesting information about the animals featured within. Look for illustrations of actual-size details including a hermit crab in a tulip snail shell and a glimpse of bottlenose dolphin teeth.

How To Written and Illustrated by Julie Morstad Simply Read Books, 2013. Picture book. In this beautifully-illustrated picture book, children demonstrate activities like how to feel the breeze by whizzing downhill on a bicycle, how to be a mermaid by twisting and turning in the tub, and how to wash your face in the middle of a rainstorm. The simple words lead the reader into a world of possibilities, and encourage living a positive, imaginative life. Julie Morstad's artwork is a marvel, and enhances the text with interesting patterns, colors, and movement.

Fly Guy Presents: Sharks By Tedd Arnold Scholastic Inc., c2013. Unpaged, non-fiction. In this new book, Fly Guy and Buzz take a field trip to the aquarium. Unfortunately, Fly Guy is scared of sharks. Buzz helps him get over his fear by teaching him all about sharks- where they live, what they eat, etc. Fly Guy finds himself becoming very interested in the fascinating world of sharks, and even imagines himself with many rows of teeth just like them. He even becomes googly-eyed over a small shark baby, or pup (he calls it "puppiezz"). I was skeptical about the idea of Fly Guy doing nonfiction, but this is a very funny and informative read!

P.S. Be Eleven By Rita Williams-Garcia Harper Collins, 2013. 274 pages. Historical fiction. This story picks up right where One Crazy Summer (2010) left off. It's the sixties, and the three young Gaither sisters (Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern) are returning to their father's home in Brooklyn after spending a crazy summer in Oakland with their Black Panther mother. The girls arrive home and find that things are in upheaval there, too. Their father is dating a new woman, their grandmother is as old-fashioned and strict as their mother was laid back and careless, and their Uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam a changed man. Delphine, the eldest, struggles with these home issues as she comes of age in a time of great social change. Her journey is powerful, but full of heart and humor. I really loved how the story was punctuated by her sisters' silliness and their gleeful obsession with the Jackson Five. Williams-Garcia could have another Newbery honor here! This novel is met...

World Rat Day:  Poems about Real Holidays You've Never Heard Of by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Anna Raff Candlestick, 2013.  36 pgs.  Poetry      J. Patrick Lewis will quickly be forgiven the dangling participle of his subtitle in the delight of his poetry. Beginning with January 2, Cats Day (Happy Mew Year!), Lewis works his way through a year full of oddities:  Dragon Appreciation Day (January 16), Bulldogs are Beautiful Day ("A perfectly lovely/Excuse for a pet/A face you remember/ To never forget"), International Cephalopod Awareness Day (October 8), and, of course, World Rat Day (April 4).  Anna Raff's rats, with personality to burn, appear on most every page with very funny pictures and poems about the kid who can't make it to school on National Hippo Day because something very large is sitting on him, or Mule Day when if you decide to name your mule Jack, you should probably not mention his last name. Truly ingenious rhymes...

Nurse Clementine by Simon James Candlewick, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book.      Clementine's dreams are realized when her parents give her a nurse outfit and kit for her birthday. When Clementine's father stubs his toe, she bandages his foot (and his leg) with instructions that he has to keep the bandage on for a week.  When her mother has a headache, she takes her temperature, checks her ears and throat, and finding nothing wrong, bandages up her head just in case. After winding up the dog's paw, she has no one to care for until her wild little brother Tommy launches down the stairs on his roller skates and slams into the door, but he's not interested in Clementine's Chosen Profession and doesn't want to be fixed when nothing is broken. But when Tommy has a real emergency will Clementine know what to do? Simon James' fine little story made even better by his Quentin Blake-like illustrations, should be a big hit with all the youngsters whose life...

Boo ABC: A to Z with the World's Cutest Dog Written by J.H. Lee Photographs by Gretchen LeMaistre Chronicle Books, c2013. Unpaged picture book. The World's Cutest Dog (really!) is the star of this fun alphabet book. Boo is featured in 26 different scenes, from A, Awake to Z, Zzzzs. His fluffy fur and smiling face are impossible to resist. He even dons some cute outfits including a fuzzy hoodie! Boo's best friend Buddy accompanies him on some of his adventures, like riding in a mini car. Check this one out for an easy, breezy summer read. And be prepared for puppy-requests from your little ones!

The Long, Long Journey:  The Godwit's Amazing Migration by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Mia Posada Millbrook Press, 2013.  Unpaged.  Nonfiction.      When a bar-tailed godwit hatches in Alaska he/she must immediately begin to prepare for the longest nonstop bird migration ever--7,000 miles to New Zealand, and then back again. The godwit chick learns to hunt and eat everything she can find that will fit in her mouth and won't eat her first.  This means dining on spiders, beetles, worms, and small clams, and avoiding foxes, falcons, and other predators.  The godwit's steep learning curve includes learning to fly as well as practicing various survival techniques. Though godwit parents nurture their young in an exemplary fashion, when it comes time to fly the parents take off and leave the youngsters to their own devices.  Even though they have never undertaken this long journey before, the fledgling godwits know where to go and they...

Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld Chronicle Books, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book.      I couldn't quite get the drift of this steam train because I didn't pay attention to the dream train part, but kids will understand that what at first seems to be a circus train eventually carries race cars and dinosaurs. Just about everything a child could possibly want in a train cargo rides on this dream train:  monkeys, kangaroos, a giraffe as a lookout, an ice cream car with every flavor. The train itself is dreamy, an old-fashioned locomotive crossing the prairie on a moonlit night.  Tom Lichtenheld's illustrations are luminous and deeply appealing. Not quite up to the standards of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site , this book should still find a spot in the hearts of young train and animal lovers, of whom there are many.