Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Buddha Many centuries ago, in a kingdom in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, a miraculous child was born to the king and queen. The young prince, Siddhartha, was raised in the greatest luxury, sheltered from all pain and ugliness. But one day Siddhartha left the palace and saw, for the first time, human suffering and death. He knew then that he must relinquish everything - his family, his wealth, his position - to discover the Truth of life and death. With only a few humble possessions, he began a remarkable spiritual journey that ended many years later under a bodhi tree. There he finally discovered the Truth and became an Enlightened One, a Buddha. The Buddha taught the Truth and the path to inner peace for forty-five years, attracting thousands of disciples. Today millions of people around the world live by his teachings. Muhammed Muhammad is the messenger of Islam. Born in Mecca in the year 570, Muhammad grew into a sensitive and thoughtful man who...

Benito y Melosa By Chista Kempter North-South Books Inc., 25 pg., Picture Book Benito, an industrious, and clean little rabbit finds a home, but is just too big for him, so he decides to find a roommate. Melosa, a bear, comes and immediately takes the room with out hardly a consent from Benito. This becomes quite a relationship, and you will be delightfully surprise at the ending of this fun story. Benito, un conejo muy trabajador y aseoso, encuentra una casa donde vivir. La casa es muy grande para el solo, asi que decide encontrar una persona con quien compartirla. Melosa, una osa, se aparece y decide que ella va a ser  la compañera de casa. La relacion entre ellos es un poquito tensa, pero les sorprenderá como termina este encantador cuento.   

Maple by Lori Nichols Penguin, 2014.  Unpaged. Picture Book      Maple loves her name.  Before she was even born her parents planted a maple tree, so she and her tree could grow up together.  When Maple was little, so was the tree. As the tree grew, so did she. She loves to spend time under her tree watching the wind blow the leaves, and in the winter she wraps her coat around her maple's trunk to keep it warm. One day Maple discovers a seedling growing near her tree.  Soon she has a baby sister whose name you will discover at the end of this charming picture book about being loved and growing up.

El Águila y la Gallina By Marta Munte Vidal Cuento de Luz SL, 33 pg. Picture Book If you ever wonder, "why do chickens scratch the ground?". You are in for a treat, this book will entertain you as well as give you the answer to this wonderment. This tale from Africa is retold in an adaptation both entertaining and beautifully illustrated. Children as well as adults will really enjoy this book. Si alguna ves se han preguntado,"¿por que las gallinas escarban el suelo?". Bueno esten listos para un regalo, este libro les va a entretener como tambien darles la respuesta a esta adivinanza. Este cuento de Africa ha sido retocado y adaptado en una manera entretenida como tambien ilustrada maravillosamente. Tanto niños como adultos van a gozar mucho de este libro.

Catching Kisses by Amy Gibson, illustrated by Maria Van Lieshout Feiwel and Friends, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book This lovely and lyrical picture book starts with a kiss, symbolized by one red dandelion seed floating off across the page. On each page thereafter, the dandelion seed makes its way through many colorful scenes, illustrating all the different kinds of kisses. The pictures in this book are graphically simple, looking almost like paper cutouts. But the wonderfully complex designs of each scene are absolutely enchanting. Children will love hunting for the one tiny red dandelion seed hidden on each page. If you are looking for a different sort of Valentine's Day book for the holidays--this might just be the right one for you.

Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, Historical Fiction, 260 pages Why does the Robin Hood story fascinate us so much? It has been retold more times than anyone can count, and each retelling has its own spin.  This version is told from the point of view of the two youngest members of the Merry Men, Will Scarlet and Much.  The son of a wealthy lord, Will is driven into Sherwood forest when evil Guy of Gisborne seizes his family's castle while the father is away fighting alongside Richard the Lionheart.  Much the Miller's Son is really the Miller's Daughter who began dressing as a boy to make her way in the world after her father's death.  At first Will is bent on revenge, but gradually he comes to realize that he, with the help of Robin, Much and the Merry Men, can do a lot of good for the people of England, and foil the Guy's greedy plans at the same time.  It is an interesting and fresh retelling of an old story that has enough swash-bu...

Tu y Yo By Maggie Maino Ediciones Ekare Sur Ltda, 30 pg., Picture Book This sweet story of a lady and her cat, will make you smile. It is an entertaining story of the adventures of  these two, the pictures are very good story tellers of their  tale. You will enjoy this short book!! Este es un cuento tierno de una señora y su gato, que por seguro le hará sonreir. Este es un cuento encantador y entretenido de las aventuras de estos dos, las ilustraciones nos dan a saber con detalle de lo que pasa en el cuento. ¡Van a gozar este librito, se los garantizo!

Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins Henry Holt, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book      Eat Like a Bear lies right on the cusp between picture book and informational text with sterling attributes of each. Sayre's free verse text is filled with internal rhyme, assonance, and alliteration making each simple-seeming statement memorable and visual. "Leaping trout? None about./ Bushes? Bare. No berries there." Sayre's literary skill and vast knowledge of the natural world is well matched by Steve Jenkins' cut paper collage illustrations.  Young readers will follow this bear through the seasons of the year from April when he/she emerges from hibernation looking for something to eat, to the pre-hibernation September and October gorging on berries and pine nuts (an excellent source of fat-adding nutrition, as we learn). Such a terrific book - a great read-aloud or read-alone.

Slithery Snakes by Roxie Munro Two Lions, 2013.  Unpaged.  Nonfiction      A new Roxie Munro title makes one expect mazes, maps, and puzzles of many varieties, but Slithery Snakes takes a  somewhat different approach. A two-page spread of a particular snake's skin begins each section:  Can you guess what kind of snake this is? it asks, then gives a hint. Sometimes the hints will lead you to the right answer, such as the snake named after the old-timey article of men's clothing that held up his socks, or the name of the snake that is roughly translated as "snake with hood" from the Portuguese.  But Schinz's beaked blind snake?  Really?  Still, it's fun to try and then learn fascinating facts about snakes you know and those you don't.  Who knew that the yellow-bellied sea snake floats around in enormous packs, is the most widespread snake on earth, and can kill you if it bites you? or that the African black mamba is the fa...

Big Snowman, Little Snowman by, Tish Rabe Illustrated by, RH Disney Random House, NY, NY 2013.  Easy Reader What a wonderful new Step Into Reading book.  With beautiful pictures straight from the film, this book will capture the attention of beginning readers, and it's sure to become a favorite of Frozen fans. It has just a few words per page, perfect, and encouraging for the beginning reader.  It also teaches opposites, seasons, and emotions.  A great read for those just learning to blend and read sight words.

Amy's Three Best Things by Philippa Pearce, illustrated by Helen Craig Candlewick, 2013.  Unpaged.  Picture Book      Philippa Pearce, writer, and Helen Craig, illustrator, were neighbors, had grandchildren in common, and were both  They are also two grand ladies of British children's literature. Pearce died in 2006, and Amy's Three Best Things has just been reissued to everyone's delight.  Amy has decided she is old enough to spend the night with her grandmother--and not just one night, but three nights in a row.  Amy feels confident that she will have a great time at her grandmother's, but just in case, she takes her three best things.  When she wakes up missing her family, she takes out one thing after another:  a magic mat that flies her over her home, a tiny horse which grows up to just her size and gallops past her window at home where she sees her mother, brother, and dog, and then flies back to Grandma's house. On the la...

Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnston Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.  279 pgs. Fiction          Victoria Secord is trying to get ready to run her dogsled in the White Wolf Classic, but it's hard without her recently deceased and much beloved father at her side. Angry at her mother, whom she blames for her father's death, she takes off for a neighbor's one afternoon without saying where she is going.  On the trail she finds an injured snowmobiler, a young boy about her age from Toronto. By the time she has gotten him bandaged and they are on their way, it is nearly nightfall and a blizzard is brewing. The two get lost and despite Victoria's excellent survival skills, are soon cold, very hungry, and dehydrated.  Moving from crisis to crisis, Victoria manages to pull everyone through, including her beloved dogs, and even to make friends with Chris, the boy she has rescued.  Ice Dogs is a good adventure story with lots of inform...

Droughts By Judith Bloom Fradin Describes droughts (with special eyewitness accounts of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s) and the far-reaching effects of these disasters. Chapters alternate between history and science to bring home the awesome power of nature's fury. Ninth Ward By Jewell Parker Rhodes In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them. Hurricanes  By Judith Bloom Fradin The Storm Makers By Jennifer E. Smith Twelve-year-olds Ruby and Simon have been growing apart since their parents moved them to a Wisconsin farm, but weird weather events that seem tied to Simon's emotions bring a stranger into their lives who introduces them to the Makers of Storms Society, strengthening the bond between the twins. Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America By Jim Murphy Presents a history, ba...

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.  By Doreen Rappaport This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Martin Luther King, Jr., Was one of the most influential and gifted speakers of all time. Doreen Rappaport uses quotes from some of his most beloved speeches to tell the story of his life and his work in a simple, direct way. Bryan Collier's stunning collage art combines remarkable watercolor paintings with vibrant patterns and textures. A timeline and a list of additional books and web sites help make this a standout biography of Dr. King. One Crazy Summer By Rita Williams-Garcia In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a ded...

Un Tractor muy, muy ruidoso By: Mar Pavón; Illustrated by: Nívola Uyá Cuentodeluz SL, 2013, 30 pg. Picture Book This is a book about a lady farmer, mind you, she is not your usual farmer. She wears her hair kind of funny, has big glasses and her boots are kind of unique. But the most unusual of all is her tractor... so noisy, and she goes all over town with it. This unique story is the kind you want to read and enjoy it with your family. I loved it!, she is my kind of woman! Este cuento es acerca de una agricultora, no es una agricultora común. Su cabello es diferente, también sus lentes, sus botas son únicas, pero mas que eso, es su tractor, es muy muy ruidoso. Esta señora se va por todo el pueblo manejando ese ruidoso tractor . Este cuento es uno que le gustaría leerlo y apreciarlo con la familia. ¡A mi me encantó!, ¡esta señora es mi clase de persona!

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage Penguin, 2014.  352 pgs.  Fiction      What a scream.  And not just because there's a ghost. Mo LoBeau and her best friend Dale are back (after Turnage's Newbery Honor book  Three Times Lucky ) as the Desperado Detective Agency takes on its most difficult case yet. When the Old Tupelo Inn (decrepit and  haunted) goes on the auction block, Miss Lana and Grandmother Miss Lacy go looking to buy an umbrella stand. What they get is the inn itself, for a cool $200,012.26 plus a Canadian dime, because Miss Lana "would not have that horrible woman for a neighbor." That horrible woman keeps after the property when the ladies may not have the money to fix it up, and she may get it because no buyers appear having heard the house is haunted.  And it is.  Mo and Dale spring into action to save the hotel and to salvage their history grades by tracking down the faintly pink and very chilly ghost for ...

Candlewick Book of First Rhymes An anthology of poetry featuring works from classic Mother Goose to original poems and illustrated by artists such as Maurice Sendak, Helen Oxenbury, and Shirley Hughes. Soul Looks Back in Wonder By Tom Feelings Artwork and poems by such writers as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Askia Toure portray the creativity, strength, and beauty of their African American heritage. So, What's it Like to Be a Cat? By Karla Kuskin A cat a nswers a young child' s questions a bout s uch things a s how much a nd where it s leeps, a nd whether or not it like s living with people. S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet By Carol Crane The Sunshine State gets its own alphabet book! Florida, where "B is for Beaches, P is for Pirates, and V is for Vacationers," comes to life with playful, vivid illustrations by Michael Monroe and a conch shell full of fun facts and poems by Florida author and educator Carol Crane. ...

Wright Numbers: A North Carolina Number Book By Carol Crane Using numbers many of North Carolina's state symbols, history, landscapes, and famous people are introduced. Topics include Pilot Mountain, Corolla wild horses, peanuts, and Scottish bagpipers. Each topic is introduced with a poem and detailed expository text. Incredible Journey: The Story of Alcock and Brown By Carolyn Sloan Alcock and Brown were among the many adventurers who sought to be first to fly across the Atlantic Ocean nonstop. Flying from Newfoundland to Ireland in June 1919, through dense fog and darkness, at an altitude never attempted before, the two were sometimes unable to determine if they were flying level! Young people will be astonished by the details of their daring -- at one point, Brown rode on the wing, over the Atlantic, while clearing snow from a gauge outside the plane! Their flight marked the first delivery of transatlantic airmail. A brief history of aviation and a glos...

  The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland Harper, 2013.  272 pgs.  Fiction  After Logan Wilde's mother abandons her family via post card, he and his father  move into a different town in order to begin a new life. That is where he meets Zoe Kahn and her usual group friends. Blue--the strangely quiet, but handsome boy every girl in the school wants to be friends with.  Jasmine--who used to be Zoe's Best friend at school until it all suddenly ended one day and Jasmine can't figure out why. And then there is Keiko--Zoe's adopted sister--a mysteriously prickly girl with secrets to hide. But Zoe and her circle of friends are not all they seem. And the more Logan tries to learn about them, the more he starts to realize they are hiding a secret. A BIG, magical, secret that could change his whole life. This is a fun and fast paced book for both boys and girl who love stories filled with magic and mythical creatures.

The Spotted Dog Last Seen by Jessica Scott Kerrin Groundwood Books, 2013.  205 pgs.  Fiction      Derek, Pascal, and Merrilee are three Grade Six students at Queensview Elementary school who have been assigned "cemetery duty" as their senior service project. Pascal and Merrilee think working in the graveyard will be fun, but Derek is worried about intensifying his nightmares--bad dreams of the day when he saw his young neighbor friend get hit by a car and killed. Soon the three are learning lots of things about headstones and funerary practice, and are also trying to solve the mystery of library books filled with clues to what's inside a locker time capsule.  How Derek comes to terms with his sorrows under the sometimes grumpy tutelage of Mr. Creelman and the Twillingate Cemetery Brigade is the burden of this gentle tale.  Derek provides comic relief with his hobby of printing T-shirt slogans.  For the school secretary:  "Not here ...

In this display are different examples of covers for foreign editions of some rather popular chapter book series. See if you can figure out which covers match up with which titles in the English version of the series. See if you can guess which country each cover represents.   Harry Potter series By J.K. Rowling Bartimaeus Trilogy By Jonathan Stroud Leviathan series By Scott Westerfeld Percy Jackson and the Olympians series By Rick Riordan The Kane Chronicles By Rick Riordan

The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth Hardcover , 192 pages Published August 27th 2013 by Graphix    Nate's story might at first seem rather commonplace. He moves to new town unwillingly where he stumbles upon a mystery and makes a new friend, eventually accepting the move and even liking the new locale. However, the ancient tape recorder that Nate finds in his new house leads him to some interesting people that aren't quite what they seem. The story of the Lost Boy and the strange creatures living in the forest is fascinating with just the right amount of spooky. This is a graphic novel with amazingly detailed black and white illustrations. They are moody and atmospheric, adding to the creepiness of the mystery that Nate is caught up in. I think kids 5th grade and older will be the best audience as some parts are fairly intense. The end was left just a wee bit open so there will likely be more. The format is brilliant, feeling like you are gettin...

Hello, Nebulon! Galaxy Zack #1 by Ray O'Ryan Hardcover , 128 pages Published April 2nd 2013 by Little Simon Zack Nelson is moving to a whole new planet with his parents and twin older sisters. Surprise, surprise....he doesn't want to leave Earth and his best friend. He especially doesn't want to leave his dog, Luna. Zack dreads being the new kid in school. His bicycle is nothing like the other kids' bikes. In fact everything is completely different than he is used to. But when all is said and done, boys are boys, teachers are teachers, school is school and pizza is pizza! (Oops, forgetthat last bit. Nebulon pizza is nothing like Earth pizza!) 1st-3rd grade boys will have a blast tagging along on Zack's galactic adventures.

Adventures in Cartooning: Characters in Action by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost 64 pages Published October 8th 2013 by First Second    The Brave Knight and his trusty horse, Edward, are slightly confused when they meet an odd group of characters in the forest. They realize something is not right in the kingdom so they race home to check on the king. Upon arrival at the castle they find a movie director who has taken control and is trying to cast a new king and other characters. As the story unfolds the reader learns important things about the magic of cartooning as well as good behavioral lessons. If you haven't read any of the Adventures in Cartooning yet, please do, as they are entertaining while at the same time teaching the art of cartooning. 

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee Hardcover , 240 pages Published January 28th 2014 by Knopf Books for Young Readers Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard is the last person you would expect to be the chosen one. The One Other who will save the world from the icy grip of the Snow Queen. Knock-kneed Ophelia's glasses are always smudged, her pockets have holes in them and she constantly needs her puffer when she gets too excited. She is a proud member of The Children's Science Society of Greater London who thrives on making lists and explaining everything with logic and reason. She has no patience for things of magic and fantasy. Ophelia's emotions and beliefs are put to the test when her father accepts a job at a museum in a strange city full of snow and ice. As her father works and her older sister grows distant, Ophelia is left to explore the complex and mysterious galleries of odd collections. She discovers a boy who is locked in a small...