Provo Library Children's Book Blog

A Mom for Umande by Maria Faulconer illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014. unpaged picture book Umande is a gorilla baby born in a zoo.  His birth mother is inexperienced and doesn't know how to take care of a baby, so the zoo keeper tries to raise the baby like a gorilla mother would.  She carries him on her back and even sleeps with him in a hay nest.  She knows, however, that he needs a real gorilla mother, but none of the gorillas in the zoo will accept him.  Finally the zoo decides to fly him to another zoo where there is an older, experienced, gorilla mother.  The experienced gorilla mother takes to the baby Umande immediately.  After just a few months she has fully adopted the young gorilla. The heart warming text is accompanied soft simple illustrations that match the mood of the story. This picture book, based on a true story, is a tribute to loving adoptive mothers of all kinds.

Loot:  How to Steal a Fortune by Jude Watson Scholastic, 2014.  266 pgs.  Mystery     Jude Watson's introductory dedication, "To bad children everywhere," will give you an idea what's coming in this book.  March McQuin is the twelve year old son of international jewel thief Alfie McQuin, and as our story begins March is riding a getaway bike to pick up his father from a jewel heist. He gets there just in time to see his father fall from the roof, and then to hear his last words as he lies broken on the ground:  "Find Jewels."  From this sorrowful and mysterious beginning, we follow March and three friends he meets in a New York group home as they try to unravel Alfie's mysterious instructions and avoid the curse of the seven moonstones that seems to be drawing two of them to their doom. Loot is a high octane thriller for tweens, with lots of well-deserved larceny, unexpected family and friend dynamics, a cast of deeply sympathetic and d...

Fighting Fire!  Ten of the Deadliest Fires in American History and How We Fought Them by Michael L. Cooper Henry Holt, 2014.  215 pgs. Nonfiction      Fighting Fire  is one of those bait and switch books that will attract kids with its glossy, colorful cover and then perhaps lose them with the muddy black and white pictures inside.  Some of that can't be helped because the fires being described pre-dated color photography, but the 9/11 tragedy, and the California wildfires of  2007 could have been more powerfully illustrated.  Still, this is a fascinating book about the terrors of fire when cities were built from wood and relied on volunteer firefighters and horse-drawn engines to put out blazes in closely packed, extremely flammable buildings. The Chicago fire and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire are familiar conflagrations considered here, but who knew that Boston was the city most likely to burn in Colonial America because of the...

  Caterina and the Lemo nade Stand by Erin Etter Kono Diane Books For Young Readers, 2014. unpaged picture book Caterina wants to buy a scooter, so she decides to make a lemonade stand.  She plans carefully, makes lists and buys ingredients. When her stand opens she discovers that she has competition.  All the other animals are selling lemonade too.  She decides she has to make her product unique so she adds a variety of fruit to her lemonade.  It works, and she is able to buy the scooter.  The book ends with suggestions for young entrepreneurs on how to "stand out".  This is a both a cute picture book and a great first introduction to business for the youngest readers.

A Home for Mr. Emerson Written by Barbara Kerley Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham Scholastic Press, 2014. Unpaged picture book biography. Ralph Waldo Emerson lived a rich life, from his connection with nature to his love of literature. As an adult, he married his sweetheart and moved to the little town of Concord. Here, the couple filled their house with books and friends, and loved to walk in their orchard with their children. In their older years, the family lost their home and all their books to a devastating fire; thanks to the tender care of their neighbors, they were able to recover. I absolutely love the artwork in this book, and how the story is filled with quotes from Emerson. This whimsical biography is a standout, with much to read and see on every page.

Shadow Chasers by Ellie MacKay R.P. Kids, 2014. unpaged picture book As evening falls and the sky changes color, children run out to chase the shadows. Bunny shaped shadows hide on trees and bird shaped shadows race across the ground.  As the children run through the forest the sky darkens until at last the children are ready to go back home. MacKay's lithe text reads like a free-verse poem. The paper-cut illustrations are full of the colors of a sunset. Somehow MacKay has made the paper edges soft to imitate feel of twilight. If the illustrator were not from Canada this could be a Caldecott contender.

The Only Alex Addleston in All These Mountains By James Solheim Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler Carolrhoda Books, 2014. unpaged picture book Alex Addleston meets another child named Alex Addleston on the first day of kindergarten.  The boy and the girl with the same name become instant friends. They do everything together and are best friends until the girl Alex suddenly moves to Africa. Can their friendship stretch clear around the world and down through the years? The both boy and girl Alex don't t know how to contact each other, but they keep the memory of the special friend alive. Solheim's text is spare, but lyrical. Ebbler's warm illustrations capture the magic of the two children's relationship.This is a heart warming story of the enduring nature of friendship.

If I Had a Raptor By George O'Connor Candlewick Press, 2014. unpaged picture book In this new addition to our Dinosaur picture book section, a little girl with curly pigtails dreams of having a pet raptor. She imagines that raptor would start out fluffy and cute, and she would put a bell around its neck so it wouldn't get lost.  When the raptor got bigger it would stay up all night and hunt little birds, but the little girl would still love it and it would love her. The fun of this story is that everything that is used to describe the raptor could be used to describe a cat.  The raptor in the illustrations is very cat-like while still looking like a dinosaur, yet things done by a little cat become much more ominous when done by a large dinosaur. The perky cartoon illustrations make it clear that the little girl maintains complete control of the situation throughout. O'Connor seems to have a good grasp of a small child's sense of humor.

  Norman Speak!  By Caroline Adderson Illustrated by Qin Leng Groundwood Books, 2014. unpaged picture book When a family chooses a dog, Norman, from a dog shelter, they are disappointed that he doesn't know any basic commands. The Norman doesn't know to come, sit, or speak on command, so the family decides he must not be very smart. Then one day Norman hears another dog owner giving commands in a different language.  Norman responds, and they discover that their dog understands Chinese.  As the family tries to learn simple commands in Chinese, they realize just how smart Norman is. The heart warming story is illustrated by watercolor and ink cartoons in soft colors. What a great way to teach children not to underestimate people (or dogs) who speak a different language.

Cantaba la Rana / The Frog was Singing Selected and arranged by Rita Rosa Ruesga, Illustrated by Soledad Sebastián Scholastic en español, Non Fiction. The creators of this bilingual song book have compiled many of the most popular children's songs from Latin America. This is a well illustrated book with the words and music of songs from different countries. It will take parents back to their childhood, and give them a chance to teach the next generation all the songs that they grew up with. Este es un libro de canciones bilingüe, que han agrupado canciones populares de niños de  Latino América. Las ilustraciones son apropiadas para este libro de canciones con la letra y música de diferentes países. Esperamos este libro traiga a la memoria de los padres las canciones de su niñez y quieran enseñarlas a la siguiente generación.  

Los Diez puntos negros / Ten black dots By Donald Crews HarperCollins Children's Books, 28 pg, Picture Book What do you do with ten black dots? This book gives you many ideas of what you can do with dots, some are obvious and some are funny. It's a great book for preschoolers, to learn the concept of numbers in a clever way. ¿Que se puede hacer con diez puntos negros? Este libro nos da muchas ideas de lo que podemos hacer, algunos son obvios y otros son chistosos. Este libro es fantástico para los niños de edad pre-escolar, pueden aprender el concepto de números en una manera ingeniosa.

  Princess Tales:Once Upon a Time Rhyme with Seek-and-Find Pictures by Grace Maccarone illustrated by Gail de Marcken Feiwel and Friends, 2013. unpaged nonfiction If you are planning a road trip any time soon, and need a book to keep the kids busy in the back seat, this is the book for you.  It has 10 fairy tale stories, written in rhyme, illustrated with beautifully detailed, brightly colored paintings. The illustrations feature a variety of cultural styles. For example the picture accompaning the "Frog Princess" looks like a scene from Japan, and the artwork for "The Princess and the Pea" is African in style. At the end of each poem/story there is a list of things to find in the accompaning picture. Opposite the table of contents the creators mention even more things that can be found in each picture. This is a lovely collection of short fairy tales, and the seek-and-find activities are just an added bonus.

A Tour of Your Nervous System by Molly Kolpin Illustrated by Chris B. Jones Capstone Press, 2014. Graphic Nonfiction, 25 p. Here is another series in the growing market of nonfiction books presented in graphic novel format.  There are five in this series that feature the major systems of the human body.  In this volume Nelly Neuron takes the reader on a tour of the nervous system.  She names the parts of a neuron and explains how a message is carried along a neuron to the spinal column and on to the brain. The information, though limited, is good and the graphic format makes it accessible and appealing to a fairly young audience. Others in the series feature the digestive system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system and the skeletal muscular system.

  Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward Illustrated by Steve Jenkins Beach Lane Books, 2014 unpaged informational picture book Did you know that hummingbirds use cobwebs when they make their nests, and some wrens make their nests in poky cacti? This new informational picture book is full of interesting facts about different kinds of nests.  The primary text is written in rhyme with only a few lines per page.  Secondary text gives more facts about the birds and nests featured.  Each kind of bird and nest is beautifully depicted with Jenkin's incomparable cut paper illustrations. He manages to make birds and environment look both realistic, and artistic. There is good reason that Jenkins has won almost every major children's informational picture book award out there.

My Name is Bob by, James Bowen and Garry Jenkins Illustrated by, Gerald Kelley Random House, UK 2014 This is a lovely book based on a true story about a homeless cat named Bob.  He was found and cared for by James, a man just barely off the streets himself.  James was a street performer in England, struggling to make ends meet when he found Bob.  When James found Bob, he'd been injured and James nursed Bob back to health.  Once he was better, Bob decided he was staying with James, for good!  The story of James and Bob has touched the hearts of many around the world.  It's a beautiful story of kindness and unselfish love and at the end of the book you'll find great photos of Bob and James together!

  Jepp, Who Defied the Stars Jepp, a teenage dwarf living in 16th century Europe, leaves home to seek his destiny. The Twilight Prisoner In an effort to impress a female classmate, high school sophomore Jack Perdu endangers both of their lives by taking her to New York City's Underworld, where those who died in New York reside until they are ready to move on. The Night Tourist  After fourteen-year-old classics prodigy Jack Perdu has a near fatal accident he meets Euri, a young ghost who introduces him to New York's Underworld, where those who died in New York reside until they are ready to move on, and Jack vows to find his dead mother there.

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto Janeczko's powerful poems, accented with historic illustrations by actual inmates, convey the horrors of the Czech concentration camp Terezín.    Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing A handbook for the budding cryptographer including codes and ciphers, invisible inks, concealment techniques, spy stories and some history.   The Dark Game: True Spy Stories A collection of true spy stories from throughout the history of the United States, discussing personalities, missions, traitors, technological advances, and more.   A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms In this splendid and playful volume, acclaimed poetry anthologist Paul B. Janeczko and Caldecott Honor illustrator Chris Raschka present lively examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms so wonderf...

The Baby BeeBee Bird The zoo animals find a way to keep the baby beebee bird awake during the day so that they can get some sleep at night. Pinkerton, Behave! His behavior may be rather unconventional, but Pinkerton the dog proves it doesn't really matter. Pecos Bill: A Tall Tale Incidents from the life of Pecos Bill, from his childhood among the coyotes to his unusual wedding day. The Three Little Pigs In this retelling of a well-known tale, Serafina Sow starts her own waffle-selling business in order to enable her three offspring to prepare for the future, which includes an encounter with a surly wolf. Library Lil A formidable librarian makes readers not only out of the once resistant residents of her small town, but out of a tough-talking, television-watching motorcycle gang as well. How Much is a Million? Text and pictures try to make possible the conceptualization of a million, a billion, and a trillion. The Day Jimmy'...

  What's New? The Zoo! by Kathleen Krull Illustrated by Marcellus Hall Arthur A. Levine, 2014. Unpaged Nonfiction It is so fun to go to the zoo but have you ever wondered how zoos got started?  This accessible and entertaining nonfiction follows the history of zoos from Ancient Sumeria to the present.  Krull is a veteran nonfiction writer and she knows just how much interesting facts and information to include to keep the reader engaged. The zoos featured are from around the world, and Krull chronicles how the role of zoos changed through history.  The book is illustrated with child friendly watercolor artwork that highlights important information from the text. This is a great choice to read before your next zoo field trip.

The Tarantula Scientist Describes the research that Samuel Marshall and his students are doing on tarantulas, including the largest spider on earth, the Goliath birdeating tarantula.   The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood  A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own among wild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always felt more comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladly opened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away from nourishing meals by his stronger siblings. Yet Sy had no inkling that this piglet, later named Christopher Hogwood, would not only survive but flourish-and she soon found herself engaged with her small-town community in ways she had never dreamed possible.  The Snake Scientist Discusses the work of Bob Mason and his efforts to study and protect snakes, particularly red-sided garter snakes.   The Wild Out Your Window What could be b...

  Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception  On the day of an important music competition, talented but painfully introverted and nervous Deirdre Monaghan is helped to perform by the compelling and enigmatic Luke Dillon and finds herself inexorably drawn into the mysteries and dangers of the faerie world. Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie When music prodigy James Morgan and his best friend, Deirdre, join a private conservatory for musicians, his talent attracts Nuala, a faerie muse who fosters and feeds on creative energies, but soon he finds himself battling the Queen of the Fey for the very lives of Deirdre and Nuala. Shiver In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity.   Linger  As Grace hides the vast depth of her love for Sam from her parents and Sam struggles to release hi...

  The Crayon: A Colorful Tale about Friendship By Simon Rickerty Aladdin, 2014. unpaged picture book Blue and Red are engaging in some friendly sparring when things get out of hand.  Feelings are hurt, and Blue finds a new friend in Purple.  Red watches sadly as Blue and Purple play together.  Will they ever forgive Red?  It is amazing how much Rickerty can communicate with simple illustrations and just 50 words.  The gentle message about friendship coupled with a fun introduction to colors makes a great preschool read aloud.

  Curiosity by Gary Blackwood Penguin, 2014.  313 pgs.  Historical Fiction      Many real characters and one real automaton inhabit the pages of Gary Blackwood's latest historical/mystery fiction title. Rufus Goodspeed is a chess prodigy and essentially an orphan.  His father, the Reverend Tobias Goodspeed is in debtor's prison with no means of freeing himself, and his mother is gone. Rufus sees a way to help himself and his father when he is offered the job of playing chess vicariously in the cabinet of the Turk, an actual historical automaton and sideshow figure in the mid-1800s who wowed observers with his chess-playing abilities even though someone hidden inside the Turk's cabinet was actually moving the pieces. His new employer stalls off paying him so that he cannot help his father in his time of greatest need, and he must constantly be on guard against anyone discovering his secret and exposing the Turk as a fraud , as Edgar Allan Poe ...

Maple by, Lori Nichols Penguin Group NY, NY USA Picture Book This is a sweet beautiful, book that covers several areas.   When a tiny, little girl is born, her parents plant a new tree for her, they decide that "Maple" is the perfect name for her too.  We follow Maple through all the seasons and watch as her tree changes as well.  When more changes come about in her family, we get to see how much happiness those changes bring her too.  The pictures in this book are paired so well, with the lovely story by this author and illustrator.  A must read for anyone learning about nature, seasons and new siblings.

A Perfect Place for Ted  by Leila Rudge Candlewick, 2014. unpaged picture book Ted knows that he doesn't belong at the pet store, so he decides to go out and find the perfect place for him.  He tries joining the circus and entering a pet beauty contest, but nothing seems right.  Finally Ted finds a little girl looking for a dog just like Ted.  His new home is not quite what he expected, but it is perfect for him. Ms Rudge grew up in England, this this book has a quaint British feel to it. The watercolor and pastel illustrations include little bits of textiles to give them a tactile appearance. There is an understated strength in Ted's persistent search to make his life better.

Let's Build by Sue Fliess Illustrated by Miki Sakamoto Two Lions, 2014. unpaged picture book A father and son have a day to spend together so they decide to build a clubhouse.  They shop for supplies, hammer and saw, working together until the clubhouse is done.  At the end of the day the most important thing that is built is the father/son relationship. The simple story is told in well crafted rhyme.  The watercolor pictures are bright and child friendly. Beware, if you read this with your child, they will want you to build a playhouse with them.

  The Pout Pout Fish Goes to School Written by Deborah Diesen Illustrated by Dan Hanna Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014. unpaged picture book Pout Pout fish is going to his first day of school. He is excited at first, but then he starts looking into classroom windows.  All the other students seem to know so much more than Pout Pout fish.  Overwhelmed, Pout Pout fish starts in with negative self talk: "I'm not smart. I'll never get it. I don't belong. I should forget it."  Just as he is about to run away from school a kind teacher finds him and gently leads him to his own class.  He is relieved to learn that that other students in his class are  beginners as well. Together, with the help of their teacher, they start to gain skills and confidence. This is a reassuring new "first day of school" book.  The text is all in rhyme with a bouncy, upbeat meter.  The cartoon illustrations are done in light, happy, colors, and the fish characters, especia...

  R is for Robot: A Noisy Alphabet by Adam F. Watkins Price Stern Sloan, 2014. unpaged picture book Here is the latest addition to our new ABC hot topics collection in the Picture Books section.  This creative alphabet book features different sounds created by robots. "A" is for "ahooga" and "B" is for "Beep Boop".  The sound words are the only text, and are printed in large, expressive, art fonts.  The robots in the illustrations are of a variety of shapes and sizes, and all are working together to assemble the giant, colorful, sheet metal letters.  The colorful cartoon pictures are funny and there is much for the young reader to see and notice on each page. This is a great choice for a preschooler or an older child who likes robots.

  Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons By Jon Muth Scholastic Press, 2014. Unpaged Picture Book Jon Muth's books featuring his loveable panda bears have won numerous awards (Zen Shorts, Zen Ghosts etc).  This latest installment contains short poems about the seasons.  The poems don't all follow the strict meter requirements for a haiku, but they do capture the spirit of authentic Japanese haiku. The poems are fresh and thought provoking. The poems are illustrated with Muth's exquisitely rendered watercolors featuring a young panda bear and his human friends having fun all year long.

Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong and M.A.Marr Little Brown and Co 2013 Fantasy 358 p The small town of Blackwell, South Dakota, is the home to two rival families, the Thorsen's and the Brekkes. The family rivalry goes back a long way, in fact, it goes clear back to the ancient battles of the Norse gods, because the Thorsen's are decedents of Thor, and the Brekkes are decedents of Loki.  As decedents of the gods the young champions of the two families, Matt and Fen, have special powers, and are destined to be players in the world's final battle, Ragnarok.  If the two boys can learn to work together, maybe the total destruction can be avoided. But that is a big "if". This is definitely a book for those who like Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series or the Thor movies. The kids stumble from adventure to adventure, discovering new powers, new friends, and new enemies at every turn. This fun and fast paced fantasy is recommended for boys or girls ...

  My Bus  by Byron Barton Greenwillow Books, 2014, unpaged Picture Book Byron Barton is great at making books that will appeal to the youngest readers.  This book follows a bus driver as he picks up cats and dogs along his rout.  He delivers some to the boat dock and others to the train station.  In the end the last dog left is his own.  Although the illustrations and text are both very simple, readers must use some beginning math skills to keep track of how many animals are on the bus.  Luckily the illustrations act as counters to help with the basic addition and subtraction. This is a great early concept book.

Digger Dog Written by William Bee Illustrated by Cecilia Johansson Noisy Crow, 2014. unpaged picture book All dogs love to dig for bones, but some bones are harder to get to than others. The persistent dog in this book first tries a shovel, then small machinery, and finally a full sized backhoe, but still the bone is too deep.  Will Digger Dog give up?  No way! This is a great read aloud for preschoolers who love tractors and/or dogs.  The text has predictable repetition so children can anticipate the next page, and is printed in a lively, child friendly font. Johansson uses a combination of humorous cartoon drawings and colorful geometric patterning to visually tell the story. Little extras, like the side-kick mouse and snail add extra fun.  This is a very well put-together picture book with lots of kid appeal.