Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Owl at Home By Arnold Lobel Welcome to Owl's cozy home. Owl lives by himself in a warm little house. One evening he invites Winter to sit by the fire. Another time he finds strange bumps in his bedroom. And when Owl goes for a walk one night, he makes a friend that follows him all the way home. Owl Howl By Paul Friester Who is that in the forest, howling and howling? A wolf? No. It's a little owl. Everyone in the neighborhood -- from hedgehog to crow to squirrel to mole to stag beetle -- tries to comfort the little owl. They rock her in a large cobweb. They give her a nut. But even the mole's necklace of flowers does not calm her down. What on earth could be the matter? Annie Hoot and the Children's Extravaganza By Holly Clifton-Brown Annie Hoot, an owl, loves to knit, but the other owls in the woods will not wear the clothes she makes for them so she goes off in search of other animals that will appreciate her knitwear.   Owly: Jus

Jinx by Sage Blackwood Harper, 2013.  360 pgs.  Fantasy When his horrible stepfather takes him out into the forest in order to leave him there to die, young Jinx instead finds himself taken in by the resident evil wizard, Simon. The wizard is cranky and difficult to live with, but he takes pretty good care of Jinx. Years pass and as Jinx grows older and wiser, he begins to wonder why Simon is so interested in keeping him alive? Does it have anything to do with the unusual powers that Jinx possesses? Jinx knows he must somehow escape, but the world outside is a large and frightening place--filled with werewolves, trolls, witches, and one other extremely nasty wizard who makes Simon look like a saint. Lots of magical adventures await. Can Jinx survive them all? Read this fabulous and thrilling book to find out!

The Finest Hours:  The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman Henry Holt, 2014.  153 pgs. Nonfiction      During the night of February 18, 1952, two tanker ships were torn in half off the coast of Cape Cod in one of the worst storms New England had ever seen. As survivors clung to the wreckage, coast guard vessels were dispatched on what sometimes seemed like suicide missions. Bernie Webber and three other men managed to get over the Chatham Bar in their small Coast Guard lifeboat and into the open sea, though their windshield was shattered almost immediately. As the boat filled with horizontal sleet and bitter winds, Webber had to decide whether to press on or to save himself and his crew.  They went on, and rescued 36 men from the stern of the Pendleton --thirty-six men in a thirty-six foot boot.  But it would be everyone or no one, Bernie decided. The story of this rescue and others taking place simultaneously at the sinking Fort Mercer make

Lulu and the Cat in the Bag by Hilary McKay Hardcover , 112 pages Published September 1st 2013 by Albert Whitman & Company Lulu is a magnet for pets. She collects them without even trying. Lulu's cousin, Mellie, is staying at Lulu's house while their parents are all on vacation. Nan, their grandmother, is looking after them. She can't tolerate the menagerie at Lulu's house, especially the dogs. So when the girls find an abandoned cat tied up in a bag she is adamant about not letting it in the house. The giant, bright orange cat takes matters into its own paws and sneaks into Lulu's bedroom. When her dogs start acting strange and the cat starts eating them out of house and home, Lulu realizes this might be one pet she can't keep. Oh well, maybe she knows someone who will take care of the quirky kitty? Lulu and her critters are back for another fabulous adventure. This is a great intermediate series for kids 1st-3rd gra

The Big Hairy Secret Furry and Flo #1 by Thomas Kingsley Troupe Hardcover , 128 pages Published August 1st 2013 by Capstone Young Readers Flo and her mother move into a new apartment building. The Corman Towers, and its residents, are strange to say the least. When Flo sets a bag of groceries down in the hallway for a minute things get even more mysterious. A box of popsicles is torn from the bag and disappears. Flo wonders who or what could have done that. Was it the strange boy across the hall that runs around in his tighty whities? Or does it have something to do with the unusual amount of spider-webs in the building? And what secrets are lurking in the basement? Flo is determined to find the answers to all of her questions before she has to move yet again. This is a cute little mystery for 3rd and 4th graders. It has humor, mystery, suspense and some paranormal activity to make it a fun and exciting read for most kids.

Calling All Pets! Pet Hotel #1 by Kate Finch Paperback , 96 pages Published June 25th 2013 by Scholastic Paperbacks      Meg and Charlie move into their great-great-aunt's hotel with their parents. The hotel is rather rundown but it is very unique and interesting. Unfortunately, they have no guests as there are nicer hotels in town. The twins come up with a fabulous idea to turn the has-been inn into a Pet Hotel. The entire family gets on board with the idea and the fun begins! This is a sweet intermediate series for boys and girls. The people and pets are adorable.

Hey, Charleston! The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band by Anne Rockwell illustrated by Colin Bootman Library , 32 pages Published November 1st 2013 by Carolrhoda Books  This is a fascinating non-fiction picture book about the beginning of Rag music. It all started with a pastor of a small church in Charleston. The tender-hearted man began taking in orphans and caring for them. He not only saw to their basic needs, he taught them to care for themselves. The group outgrew his home and they found an old warehouse that was turned into an orphanage. The only problem was the prison next-door. The prisoners were loud and vulgar which was not the examples the pastor wanted for his charges. His decision to teach the boys music may have seemed like a small and rather insignificant thing, but it would change the course of all of their lives in a major way. It also would have a lasting influence in the world of music as well. This beautifully illustr

Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons By Sara Levine Illustrated by T. S. Spookytooth Library , 32 pages Published August 1st 2013 by Lerner Publishing Group Bone by Bone is a well-done non-fiction picture book that will intrigue many young readers. The illustrations are nice and the text is written so all ages can understand. The comparisons between humans and a variety of other animal types is demonstrated in the picture as well as the words. Kids will laugh at the "what if" type scenarios presented. Such as, "What would we look like if we didn't have any bones?" or "What if we didn't have leg bones, only arm bones?" Books that make learning fun are the best!

Cuidado con la Rana By William Bee Editorial Juventud, S.A., 40 pg., Picture Book This is an enchanted story of an old lady who lives in a house in the forest, she is afraid of what might come from the thick forest. The old lady is scared, but wait, she has a frog that takes care of her, and a sign on her gate that says: Cuidado con la Rana / Be aware of the Frog. Could this stop scarey things from coming her way? You have to read this funny story! Este es el cuento de una encantadora anciana que vive en una casita en el bosque. Esta muy asustada por lo que puede salir del frondoso y oscuro bosque. La anciana esta asustada, pero esperen, ella tiene una rana que la acompaña y un letrero que dice: Cuidado con la Rana. Podrá esto parar a los monstruos que vendrán por su camino? ¡Debe leer este cuento!, ¡muy chistoso!

Thomas Jefferson:  Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Everything by Maira Kalman Penguin, 2014.  Unpaged.  Biography      In this volume, the inimitable Maira Kalman does for Thomas Jefferson what she has done previously for Lincoln; namely, declared her love for one of the giants of our history, while acknowledging, as well, his considerable faults. Kalman loves that Jefferson loved everything.  "What was he interested in?  EVERYTHING.  I mean it.  EVERYThING." And he was.  He despised idleness, he "could not live without books." He loved his garden, and his favorite vegetable was peas. He was also an inventive architect, designing his own home at Monticello to accommodate his life (his bed was situated between two rooms so he could leap either into action or scholarship, depending on his mood), and his belief in the value of light and fresh air. His beloved wife Martha died before he became president and he promised her on her deathbed that he would not remar

Lost Cat By Roger Mader Houghton Mifflin Books, 30 pg. Picture Book After Slipper is left behind, she tries to follow her owner, but eventually, she resolves to find a new home. No ordinary home will do for her, after a few miles of trying, she finds a pair of shiny shoes to follow home. Would this be her new home?  This smart cat will steal your heart, and you'll love the happy ending!  

Un Amigo de Veras Maravilloso By Suzanne Bloom Boyds Mills Press, 30 pg. Picture Book Goose loves his friend bear, but sometimes he enjoys being with him a little too much. Bear is annoyed by goose, at the end, goose shows his love, and bear realizes how nice it is to have a caring friend. Great book! Love the message! Ganzo quiere mucho a su amigo oso, pero a veces ganzo se pasa de amigable. El pobre oso se harta de ganzo, hasta que un dia ganzo le demuestra su amistad, oso se da cuenta y aprecia la amistad de ganzo. Este libro me gustó mucho por el mensaje de amistad verdadera. ¡Buen libro!

Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise Henry Holt, 2012.  Unpaged.   Picture Book      When Grammy Lamby comes to visit, Larry Lamby keeps a big secret to himself:  he doesn't always like when Grammy Lamby comes to visit. Grammy loves Larry, though, and gives him a secret handshake.  Three (hard) squeezes mean "I love you." Larry Lamby is embarrassed by how cute Grammy Lamby thinks he is in his new pajamas.  He's even more embarrassed by how loudly she sings in church, and by the enormous hat she wears when they go. But one day a terrible summer storm hits just before Grammy leaves.  She repairs the roof, which has a big hole in it, and she made South Sea soup and Tanzanian turnovers.  After Larry's house is fixed, she ranges around the valley, helping everyone else.  And she tells great stories about pirates and mermaids. When Grammy Lamby leaves, she asks Larry for the secret handshake, but he refuses.  Instead, he squeezes

Hunted (Spirit Animals #2) by Maggie Stiefvater Scholastic, 2014.  185 pgs.  Fantasy      Award-winning Young Adult author Maggie Stiefvater weighs in with the second volume in the Spirit Animals series, in which our four champions must travel to the north with an enigmatic, battle-scarred guide, Finn, to try to retrieve Rumfuss the Great Boar's talisman. Conor makes the mistake of visiting his home village on the way, where he and Rollan are imprisoned; Abeke receives an unwelcome visit from two of the Conquerors, and each child finds ways to bond more powerfully with his or her spirit animal. Hunted is an exciting, well-written continuation of the Spirit Animals series, for the profoundly gifted Stiefvater a bit of a toss-off, surely, but she does her job well, combining fine writing with humor and insight to carry the story along to, if not a cliff-hanging conclusion, at least a slippery slope one. The books in this series are sturdy enough to stand on their own, but there

Best Foot Forward:  Exploring Feet, Flippers, and Claws by Ingo Arndt Holiday House, 2013.  Unpaged.  Nonfiction        Fabulous photos highlight this book for young children about what kind of animals have what kind of feet. Whose foot is this? asks each facing page with a striking picture on the other side.  Turn the page to find out whose foot it is, and for pictures of other animals' feet who walk, climb, and jump. (The last page has pictures of "Extraordinary Feet," which is just another way of saying really weird feet.)  Best Foot Forward . . . is a great Common Core/STEM book for children in the Primary grades as well as their older siblings and parents, who may think they recognize the feet in the photos but who will be wrong again and again.  I speak from experience.

http://pac.provo.lib.ut.us/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=ISBNEX&term=9788424133511 Tito, Tito  -Rimas, Adivinanzas y Juegos Infantiles- By Isabel Schon, Illustations by Violeta Monreal. Editioral Everest, S.A. This is a compile of rhimes, guessing games and play of words, that takes you to your childhood. I found myself remembering the times when I learned them. I realized how important they are in the process of acquiring a vocabulary. Please read them to your children, memorize them! Este libro contiene una serie de rimas, adivinanzas y juegos de palabras, que por seguro les va a llevar a su niñez. Me hicieron recordar los tiempos en que los aprendí. Que importantes son para la adquisición del lenguaje. ¡memorícenlos juntos!

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata Atheneum, 2013.  270 pgs. Fiction      Summer's family has had a long spell of bad luck-- kouun , in the Japanese.  Summer herself was one of the few people in the United States unlucky enough to contract malaria.  Her younger brother Jaz is an odd, perhaps autistic, boy whose only friend has moved away, and who can't seem to make any new ones. And just as the harvest season begins in the Midwest, Summer's parents are called away to Japan to assist dying relatives, and the money they usually make by working on a threshing crew  to pay their mortgage will not be coming in when they most need it.  Could things get worse?  We'll see, as Summer's grandparents, Jiichan and Obaachan take the children on the road to pay the mortgage and fulfill their obligations.  Jiichan will drive the combine, Obaachan and Summer will cook for the crew, and Jaz will do what Jaz does. Summer is a delightful character--funny, resilient, obedie

Red Sled By Patricia Thomas A boy and his father lift one another's spirits by going sledding on a winter's night. Snow Dogs DVD After being named in his birth mother's will, Miami dentist Ted Brooks travels to Alaska to claim the inheritance, her team of sled dogs. Now he must learn how to race them or give them up to a crusty mountain man who wants the dogs for himself. Here Comes Jack Frost By  Kazuno Kohara One cold morning, a lonely boy wishes for something to do. Then someone comes to play who knows what winter is all about. Snowmen at Work By Caralyn Buehner When winter sidewalks seem to have been mysteriously shoveled, a child wonders if snowmen are magic and have nighttime jobs while the people sleep. Includes hidden pictures. Snow By Uri Shulevitz As snowflakes slowly come down, one by one, people in the city ignore them, and only a boy and his dog think that the snowfall will amount to anything. Cold Snap

  The Blessing Cup By Patricia Polacco A single china cup from a tea set left behind when Jews were forced to leave Russia helps hold a family together through generations of living in America, reminding them of the most important things in life. Dreams in the Golden Country By Kathryn Lasky Twelve-year-old Zippy, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, keeps a diary account of the first eighteen months of her family's life on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1903-1904. With a Mighty Hand By Amy Erlich An adaptation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible presents the stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and other primary figures in a continuous narrative that upholds the complexities of the original text. Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust By Doreen Rappaport In a stirring chronicle, Doreen Rappaport brings to light the courage of countless Jews who organized to sabotage the Nazis and help o

Cheese Belongs to You by Alexis Deacon, illustrated by Viviane Schwartz Candlewick, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book      A young rat strolls across the bottom of the page and encounters, Happy Day!, and enormous piece of cheese.  "THIS IS RAT LAW:  Cheese belongs to YOU."  Unless . . . and a multitude of exceptions follow.  If a big rat wants the cheese it belongs to him, and if an even bigger rat wants the cheese, it belongs to her.  But if a quicker rat wants the cheese he can snatch it away and it belongs to him. Thus proceeds this hilarious picture book from rat to rat until everyone wants the cheese and a brawl ensues.  When everyone but the original mouse is down for the count, ". . . cheese belongs to you again . . . if you still want it.  THAT IS RAT LAW." Justice is done, but mercy is also rendered, as our original little mouse chooses to share.  What a scream, in more ways than one.      

To Dare Mighty Things:  The Life of Theodore Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by C. F. Payne Hyperion, 2013.  Unpaged. Biography      Theodore Roosevelt loved life and all the adventures and experiences it could provide. As a young boy he was sickly and frail, but he trained his mind by extensive reading and then took his father's advice to "make [his] body into one that would allow him to live his life to the fullest. Fascinated with the natural world, Teedie, as he was called, filled his house with animals--hedgehogs, snakes, whatever he could get his hands on, to study and to enjoy. When he was grown, he took long trips into the wild West, especially after his first wife died, to try to overcome his sorrow. He rode with the rough riders against the Spanish in Cuba in the Spanish-American War, and when he became president of the United States after the assassination of William McKinley, he curbed the power of immense corporations to crush their competition, t

Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon Roaring Book Press, 2013.  Unpaged. Picture Book.      "I have at last, after several months' experience made up my mind that [New York] is a splendid desert--a domed and steepled solitude, where the stranger is LONELY in the midst of a million of his race."  -Mark Twain-  Herman Schubert, a crocodile, lives alone in New York City. He works in a cube farm "selling things," but when he gets home he likes to play his oboe.  He also likes wild boysenberry yogurt, the smell of hot dogs in winter, and films about the ocean.  Rosie Bloom, a deer, also lives by herself. She works in a restaurant washing dishes, but after work she takes voice lessons, and at night she sings in a small jazz club. One her own time, Rosie listens to old jazz recordings (Dizzy Holiday, Louis Basie, and various other mashups). She also likes toffee, singing on the fire escape . . . and watching films about the ocean. By and by Herman gets fired for talki

How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.  313 pgs. Fantasy      Birdie is glad to be a bogler's assistant, a step up for a London street urchin from toshing in the sewers or mudlarking on the banks of the Thames.  Never mind that her job is to bait the trap to ensnare bogles, a catch-all name for any number of monsters: a shellycoat, a grindylow, or even a worricow. Alfred the Bogler is very careful of his young helper, as he has already lost one child to a bogle (all of whom love to eat children), and he doesn't aim to lose another one.  Still, it is a risky proposition for Birdie to stand inside a circle of salt, one end open, and sing until the bogle enters the open end, then hop out the other.  In this story, first in a trilogy, Alfred and Birdie make the acquaintance of a lady of quality who is interested in folk creatures, not quite imagining that they are real. Miss Eames, at first totally done in by her first experience with the mys

The Boy on the Wooden Box:  a Memoir by Leon Leyson Atheneum, 2013.  231 pgs.  Biography       Born Leib Lejzon, the boy who would become Leon Leyson was ten years old when the Germans invaded his home in Krakow, Poland at the beginning of World War II. When the Lezjon family began to hear rumors of attacks on Jews, they sent their son Hershel back to live with his grandparents in the country, and went about their lives as usual, trying not to attract attention to themselves. But the Jews of Krakow would soon find themselves in a ghetto, just like the one in Warsaw. Leon's father was arrested by the Gestapo; when he was finally released he was a different, nearly broken person. But his skills as a machinist made a critical difference to his family--he got work with Oskar Schindler, and arranged for most of the rest of his family to get on Schindler's list as well.  Tragically, Leon's older brother Tsalig might have saved himself when he was loaded on a train with his

The Mystery of Meerkat Hill by Alexander McCall Smith, illustrated by Iain McIntosh Anchor Books, 2013.  90 pgs.  Intermediate      The second title in McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe mysteries for young readers, The Mystery of Meerkat Hill finds Precious helping some new, and very poor friends, find their missing cow. But first, we learn the story of how Precious's father Obed was saved from an angry ostrich by a hat on a stick, and how the two new children at the school found and tamed a meerkat named Kosi. Kosi saved Teb and Pontsho's grandfather from a cobra, and he makes all the difference in the missing cow search as well. Even though I suffer from an irrational dislike of meerkats, I liked Kosi and this book extremely--filled with information about Africa in general and Botswana in particular, and with excellent but non-pushy advice to children about how to behave towards one another and their elders, The Mystery of  Meerkat Hill is a gentle treasure, with pi

Eruption! by Elizabeth Rusch Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 76 pgs., Non Fiction Eruption! is a very different sort of volcano book.  It isn't just about the science behind how a volcano erupts--but about the scientists who risk their lives studying them so that they can save thousands of people just in the nick of time. The accounts of real volcanos and the nail biting days leading up to their eruptions show exactly, step by step, what these amazing scientists do and how they risk their lives to do it. When is it time to evacuate an entire town?  When do the scientists decide to leave themselves? Will they get out in time? How do they know which towns are in danger and which are not? What do scientist do when more than one volcano erupts at the same time and they don't have enough scientist to go watch all of them? Many lives depend on their choices and the science they use to make their predictions. This book will have you on the edge of your seat as you reliv

El Silbido de Juan By Lili Ferreirós, Illustrated by Sonja Wimmer Cuento de Luz SL, 32 pg.,Picture Book Juan is a unique boy, he whistle instead of saying his first word, so by the time he goes to school, he is not talking, he only whistles. He is so amazing with his gift, that birds follow him. He inspires all the kids at school with his whistle, he could make them feel all the subjects they were learning, and the kids love him for that. Then a friendship changes things......You have to read this book! The illustrations are amazing and helps tell the story. After I read this book, I was compelled to tell you about it! Juan es un niño especial, en lugar de decir su primera palabra el silbó. Cuando es tiempo de ir a la escuela todabía no habla, solo silba. El don que tiene de silbar hace que los pajaritos lo sigan; Juan inspira a los niños de la escuela, y por medio de su silbido sienten lo que estan aprendiendo. Una amistad cambia todo..... Tienen que leer este libro,