Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Junk Yard by Mike Austin Beach Lane Books, 2014. picture book The yard is full of junk; old cars, boats, buses and much more.  It is not a nice place to be but don't worry. The Munching Machines are on the job. They munch up all the junk, plant trees and flowers, and make a wonderful play park. Austin's text is bouncy and all in rhyme, but the funnest part of this book is the illustrations.  The Munching Machines are very friendly looking robots that seem to be having a great time crunching everything in sight.  The new park they create is full of bright colors and smiley face flowers. This is a great book for young robot lovers that doesn't involve fighting or violence.  The message about the hope of land reclamation is just an added bonus.

  Doctor White by Jane Goodall illustrated by Julie Litty Michael Neugebauer Edition, 2014. picture book Doctor White is not your usual pediatrician.  He has a furry tail and a little black nose, and he somehow knows which children need him the most.  He cuddles up to them in their hospital beds and occasionally licks their little fevered hands until they get better.  Doctor White's treatments are amazingly effective until one day a health inspector threatens to shut down the hospital unless they get rid of the little dog.  The inspector has a change of heart when his own daughter winds up in the hospital in need of Doctor White's care. This book, written by the world famous naturalist, Jane Goodall, is based on a true story of a London hospital.  It is illustrated with carefully detailed watercolors that capture the hope and sorrow of a pediatric hospital. This is a great choice for those who understand the power of doggie love.

  Jack and the Jelly Bean Stalk by Rachael Mortimer illustrated by Liz Pichon Tiger Tales, 2014. Picture Book Everyone knows the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, but what if Jack's magic beans were jelly beans? Who would want to eat a little boy when he could have a feast of brightly colored and multi-flavored jelly beans instead? Just watch out for the "stinky socks" flavored ones.  This is a short and silly mixed-up fairy tale that will tickle a child's fancy. Pichon's illustrations use all the vibrant colors of a bowl of candy and employ some creative point of view shots to show how big the giant really is.  This would be a good choice to read along with a more traditional telling of the story like Steven Kellogg's Jack and the Beanstalk . 

The School is Alive! Eerie Elementary #1 by Jack Chabert illustrated by Sam Ricks Hardcover , 96 pages Published June 24th 2014 by Scholastic Inc.    Sam is not your ordinary hall monitor. After all, his school is named "Eerie Elementary". He realizes the magnitude of his new job the first day when the school literally tries to eat him. He quickly learns that it is up to him to keep all the kids safe while also trying to stop the school and satisfy its hunger. This is a fun and spooky little chapter book for 2nd-3rd grade kids. Great black and white illustrations add to the creepiness of the tale.

Missing Monkey! Good Crooks Book One by Mary Amato illustrated by ward Jenkins Hardcover , 128 pages Published February 25th 2014 by Egmont USA Most kids try to model their behavior after that of their parents, and that is what most parents want. Yet twins Billy and Jillian have a bit of a problem with their parents behavior. They want to fully live up to their last name, Crook. Mom and Dad Crook want the young twins to be expert lock-pickers and pickpockets. The kids want nothing more than to do a good deed for once. As they try to secretly do a community service project at the local zoo their parents discover them and somehow they end up stealing a monkey and taking it home with them. The parents are convinced he can be part of their gang, I mean family. So now they have the chance to do a really good deed by returning the monkey. And how do they convince their parents that the crooked life of a Crook is not for them? This ridiculous intermediate chapter bo...

Mis cuentos de Princesas (My Princess stories) Sally Gardner Editorial Océano de México, 96 pg. Fiction, Spanish This book of princess stories, contains five of the most popular: Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Pea, and Snow White. The illustrations are very entertaining and bring out the humorous side of these traditional tales. This book is the perfect cuddle-up and read-aloud for your children. Este libro de historias de princesas, contiene cinco de las mas populares como: Cenicienta, El Príncipe Rana, La Bella Durmiente, La Princesa y El Guisante, y Blancanieves. Las ilustraciones son muy entretenidas y realzan las historias tradicionales, como también su humor. Este libro es perfecto para acurrucar a los pequeños y leérselo en voz alta.

Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park Illustrated by Matt Phelan Clarion Books, 2013. Picture book. Xander wants to throw a panda party, but he is the only panda in the zoo. He decides to make it a bear party, but when he invites the koala and discovers that koalas are marsupials, he decides he needs to invite other marsupials as well. As he talks to more animals and doesn't want to leave anyone out, he is overwhelmed by the growing guest list. Will he throw a successful party, or will it be more than he can handle? The storytelling is delightful. Park's use of verse is impressively executed. She incorporates a bit of zoology and animal classification, which is a fun element. Phelan's ink and watercolor is stunning. Overall a lovely book.

¡Cosas que andan! (Things that go!) James Buckley, Jr. Scholastic INC., Non Fiction, Spanish. This small book of things that go is a great addition to the Spanish collection. The twenty seven pages of this book are filled with information, and each has a caption on the page to explain new words. Children will love this book because of the great pictures, and the captions and names or years of things that go. Este pequeño libro de cosas que se mueven, es una gran adición a la colección en Español. Las veintisiete páginas en este libro estan llenas de información, tienen en la página unos círculos donde dan información extra, con nuevas palabas de las cosas que se mueven.  

Monkey Me and the Golden Monkey by Timothy Roland Hardcover , 96 pages Published January 28th 2014 by Scholastic Inc.         Clyde and Claudia are twins yet they couldn't be more different from one another. Claudia is calm, brainy and cautious. Clyde constantly is bouncing and reckless. When their class visits the museum Claudia tries to make Clyde follow the rules. But he can't help it if he is so hungry he eats a banana out of a scientific experiment! Now when he gets super excited he literally starts monkeying around. Can Claudia use her wits to figure out what happened and how to fix it? Branches has done it again...given beginning chapter book readers a fabulous new illustrated series that will keep them coming back for more. Kids are sure to love that the monkey parts are shown in comic book style instead of straight chapter book. This makes it great for reluctant readers.

Nine Words Max by Dan Bar-El illustrated by David Huyck Toronto : Tundra Books, ©2014 Young Prince Maximilian questions everything and talks non-stop. His older brothers finally have had enough and ask the royal wizard to do something to stop him. The solution is a curse that allows Max to only speak nine words at a time. Normally, this would be a fabulous thing. However, a neighboring queen is coming to visit while their own parents are away. It is up to the four boys to welcome her and show her the respect her position deserves. Unfortunately, the three older boys don't know anything about proper salutations and manners and poor Max can't speak enough words to instruct everyone. Will the visit be a disaster? Or will Max be able to save the day? This is a cute and funny picture book for all ages.

Moldylocks and the Three Beards Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe #1 by Noah Z. Jones New York : Branches/Scholastic Inc., 2014. 72 pages ; color illustrations  Princess Pink is anything but a princess! That is just her name, and she also hates the color pink. She loves everything messy, muddy and gross. Her world is literally turned upside down when she opens the fridge for a midnight snack. She falls into a really twisted fairytale land where nothing is as it should be. And the worst part is, Princess's hair turns PINK!!!!! Can she get over this trauma and help her new friends in this mixed-up world? This is a cute and colorful little chapter book series for 1st-3rd graders.

Rino Detective y el Pingüino Desaparecido Pilar Lozano Carbayo EDEBÉ, Intermediate, 50 pg. This is a new intermediate series of adventure books. The story features a Rhinoceros as a detective and a parrot as his assistant and together they try to solve mysteries. The animals live in the zoo, and Rhino decides to take a new case.  A lady penguin comes to him for help to find her beloved son Carloto. He takes the case and as he works, he realizes he has to face his fears and encounter the outside world. These little series promise to have some really cute stories to entertain and also help readers gain some new vocabulary. Esta es una nueva serie de libros de aventura. El cuento se trata de un rinoceronte detective con su ayudante el papagayo, y juntos van a tratar de resolver casos misterios. Todos los animales viven en el zoológico, y muy a menudo no tienen ningún caso, pero cuando la mamá pingüina viene a pedir ayuda para encontrar a su querido hijo Carloto.  Rino d...

  The Little Raindrop by Joanna Gray Illustrated by Duravka Kolanovic Sky Pony Press, 2014 informational picture book One day Little Raindrop falls out of a cloud and begins his amazing journey through the water cycle.  He lands in a puddle, then flows to a stream and then to a river.  Along the way Little Raindrop meets many animal friends.  Finally resting on a warm shore, Little Raindrop begins to float back up to the clouds.  This book is appropriate for very young children.  The text is simple and printed in large clear font.  The pastel illustrations have soft edges and all the little creatures, including the raindrop, have smiling faces.  This is a great preschool or kindergarten STEM or Common Core choice.

Bionicle: Island of Doom  by Greg Farshtey The Toa Nuva must save an island from six powerful figures who might unleash an ancient evil in their pursuit of treasure.    The Boy and His Bot by Daniel H. Wilson When timid young Code falls down a hole into Mekhos, where everything is made of metal and circuitry, he must obtain the legendary Robonomicon from evil Immortalis in order to save the robots of this subterranean world and return home.    Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.    The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos On a routine voyage aboard an Academy spaceship, thirteen-year-old Mason Stark and his fell...

The Lion and the Mouse By Jenny Broom Illustrated by Nahta Nój Templar Books, 2013. Picture Book There are many versions of the old Aesop's fable, The Lion and the Mouse .  This one features an unusually friendly lion.  After deciding to let the mouse go, he also helps her get the berry she was trying to reach when the lion woke. Of course, the mouse is able to return the favor.  The text is very brief and is printed in large, easy-to-read font. The book is illustrated with bright, stylized pictures that feature dye-cut windows on each page.  The extra novelty of the holes, and the completely nonthreatening portrayal of the lion makes this a good version of the story for the very youngest readers/listeners.

What If You Had Animal Hair!? by Sandra Markle Illustrated by Howard McWilliam Scholastic, 2014. 32 p. Nonfiction What if you had hair like a porcupine?  What about arctic fox hair? This interesting and entertaining nonfiction explores the unusual traits of the hair of several kinds of animal. Did you know that reindeer hair helps them float and that musk oxen have the longest hair of any wild animal? There are nice color photographs of each of the animals featured, and a cartoon of what a child might look like with that animal's hair.  Markle ends the book with some comments about how animals take care of their hair and encouragement for children to take care of their own hair.  This is an interesting science title kids will want to read just for fun. Good for kids second grade and up.

  Cat Napped! by Leeza Hernandez Putnam's Sons, 2014. picture book Kitty cat lives in the city with her adoring child friend. One day curiosity gets the better of the cat, and she finds herself driving away from her home in the back of a junk truck. She jumps from the truck, but doesn't know how to get home. Thank goodness for the Rescue Shelter. Soon pet and master are happily reunited. This book is written with very short rhyming phrases. The story is conveyed primarily through the simple illustrations which makes it accessible to both beginning readers, and very young toddlers. This is a comforting title that reassures readers that lost things can be found.

  Two Little Birds By Mary Newell DePalma Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014 picture book Two birds begin life together in a nest high in a tree. Together they learn to fly and together they go out to explore the world. They fly through storms, and cross an ocean.  They spend a winter in a strange land, and then they start back for home.  When they return they are ready to build nests of their own.  This is a first introduction to the wonder of bird migration for the youngest readers.  The text is simple, only a sentence or two per page, but DePalma manages to communicate the little birds' courage and determination. The illustrations are painted with soft colors on a textured canvas and convey, in an age appropriate way, the momentous journey the two birds make, both physically and emotionally.

Shoe Dog  By Meg McDonald Illustrated by Katherine Tillotson Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014. picture book Shoe Dog loves his new home.  He loves his new master.  He loves tummy rubs and nose kisses. But most of all he loves to chew on shoes.  His new master is not happy with his shoe habit.  She tries hiding the shoes. She tries putting them high on a shelf, but Shoe Dog always finds them.  Bad Dog! Will Shoe Dog and his master ever figure out how to resolve the shoe problem?  This book is written from the point of view of the dog, and McDonald does a great job using clipped sentences and short phrases to suggest the enthusiastic energy of a puppy. Tillotson uses soft watercolor and bold strokes of pastels to communicate the dog's vitality and activity and a variety of perspectives to give the reader a dog's eye view. This is a great book about pets and their owners, and about persistence in finding a way to make things work.

  Mutt's Necklace: The Oldest Story in the World By Louise Hawkes  Muti treasures the necklace her father gave her so much that she risks the wrath of Egypt's pharaoh when it falls into the water. Based on an ancient Egyptian story. The Scarab's Secret By Nick Would A tiny scarab beetle saves the Pharaoh from a trap that would have led to his death. Includes facts about ancient Egypt. The Nile By David Cumming The Nile is the longest river in the world. For much of its route through eastern Africa, it travels through desert, and farmers have been using its water for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians farmed the land beside the Nile and built great temples and pyramids on its banks.  The Nile is home to a fascinating range of wildlife, including hippos and crocodiles. Now, the rapidly growing countries along the Nile compete for a share of its water.  Tutankhamun By Demi After thirty-two centuries of lying hidden in the ...

  Food Trucks by Mark Todd Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. informational picture book Did you know that the world's largest hamburger weighed over 2000 lbs and was ten feet in diameter? Did you know the word pretzel comes from the Latin word that mean "little reward." Each spread of this crazy new informational book features a kind of fast food truck. There is a poem about that kind of food on one side, a cartoon illustration in the middle and interesting facts on the other side of the spread.  The poems are short and clever and the illustrations bright and inviting.  The facts are fascinating and readers, young or old, will have a fun time sharing them with their friends.

Pinkalicious: The Royal Tea Party by Victoria Kann Harper, 2014. 32 p. Beginning Reader The transition from sounding out words to fluid reading is difficult.  One way to motivate emerging readers to keep practicing is to give them books about characters they love.  In this delightful early reader Pinkalicious has decided to throw a party for her unicorn, Goldilicious.  Peter wants to help, so Pinkalicious puts him in charge of tasting the refreshments to make sure they are perfect.  Peter takes his assignment seriously and adds some extra ingredients to the tea.  Will the tea party be ruined?  Girls, especially, will enjoy the cute and happy illustrations, done with a lot of pink and purple.  Pinkalicious fans will welcome this latest addition.

Shipwreck Island by S. A. Bodeen Feiwel and Friends, 2014.  184 pgs.  Fiction      Shipwreck Island starts out like a normal--even predictable--adventure story. Twelve year old Sarah's father has remarried after the death of Sarah's mother, and the new family (two boys) are taking an island cruise to try to blend into a loving group. Things go quickly wrong, as the luxury yacht they were supposed to sail on turns out to be a rusted out junker, and when the captain dies in a storm, the family is washed up on the shore of a beautiful island, and they make camp and wait to be rescued. But when they begin looking for fresh water, things get abruptly very weird.  They find an empty house built from oak(!).  Marco, the twelve-year old boy, sees a brilliant red bird that has teeth instead of a beak, and when he opens what appears to be an aged bottle of perfume, a woman's voice cries "Please come back!" Things get even stranger fr...

Comics Squad:  Recess! ed. by Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka Random House, 2014.  133 pgs.  Comic      As is usual with anthologies, this book is a mixed bag, but everything that isn't really funny is relatively funny, and all should appeal to middle grade children.  Gene Luen Yang starts things off with a bang and a snort when Daryl tries to join the Super Secret Ninja Club he hears forming up at recess.  Sensing he is about to lose his life's purpose, Daryl works on his ninja skills over Winter Break only to be rebuffed in a totally different way, which he decides not to take lying down. In subsequent adventures Babymouse is consumed with a quest simply to get to go to recess, since she is so often (that is, always ) in trouble. Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants' kids, George B. and Harold H. write a "graphic novella" in support of reading, introducing their new hero, Dog Man who reads so much that he gets smarter...

Oso quiere contar una historia / Bear has a story to tell By Philip C. Stead, Illustrated by Erin E. Stead Editorial Oceano, S.L. 26 pg. Picture Book Winter is coming and bear wants to tell a story to his friends. Everyone is busy getting ready for the winter so they can't stop and listen. You'll like this little story, is fun to see all the forest friends come together and help each other. El invierno se acerca y oso desea contar a sus amigos una historia. Todos están preocupados tratando de prepararse para el invierno y no pueden parar para escucharlo. Les encantará este gracioso libro, es encantador ver a todos los amigos del bosque ayudarse mutuamente.

Reptiles Penelope Arlon & Tory Gordon-Harris Scholastic, Nonfiction This book about reptiles is amazingly close capture, for most of the animals is great to see them up-close. It is a very good book, that gives an excellent idea of how these creatures eat, and survive in their environment. Kids would love the pictures of the reptiles, especially of their favorites, it is a "cool book". Este libro de reptiles provee imágenes de los reptiles muy cerca, para la mayoría de los animales es interesant verlos tan cerca. Es un buen libro,y da una excelente idea de como estas criaturas se alimentan y viven en su medio. Le encantará a los niños ver las fotos de estos animales, especialmente las de sus favoritos. Este es un libro único con excelente fotografías.

  The Prince's Breakfast by Joanne Oppenheim illustrated by Miriam Latimer Narrated by Hugh Bonneville Barefoot Books,2014. picture book with CD The prince won't eat breakfast and the queen is worried that it will stunt his growth.  The king decides that the royal family should take a trip to find something the prince will eat.  They travel to India, Mexico and China where the king and queen love the local cuisine, but still the prince won't try anything. Finally in Africa a wise man offers a bottle of ketchup to the prince.  The boy prince loves it and after that eats everything with ketchup.  Full color, stylized, child friendly illustrations fill every page.  The book comes with a CD on which Hugh Bonneville (Earl Grantham from Downton Abby ) narrates the story with lots of expression and a delicious British accent. Even if you don't have a picky eater at your house, it is well worth the check out.

Hands and Hearts by Donna Jo Napoli illustrated by Amy Bates Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014. picture book As a mother and daughter play on a beach, they use sign language to describe what they are doing and seeing.  On one side of each two page spread is a watercolor illustration of the two at the beach, and on the other is a diagram showing how to sign one of the things from the picture.  The watercolor illustrations capture the feeling of a quiet beach in summer.  In some of the pictures the mother or daughter seems to be signing the featured word, but in others the two are just having fun.  Bate's diagrams of the hand signs are clear and easy to follow.  Napoli and Bates successfully teach a few words in sign language, and convey the idea that being able to sign is a wonderful way to communicate.

Check out our new Alphabet Collection in our Hot Topics picture books section. Can you find something in this display case starting with each letter of the alphabet? On Market Street By Anita Lobel A child buys presents from A to Z in the shops along Market Street. ABC: A Child's First Alphabet By Alison Jay In this alphabet book, a is for apple and z is for zoo.   Jousting with Jesters: An ABC for the Younger Dragon By Martin Springett When Dennis the dragon emerges from his egg, he cannot yet breathe fire. This is not unusual in the dragon world, but the quest Dennis undertakes to find his flame most certainly is. An alphabetical series of instructions guides the young dragon as he journeys from castle to countryside, from fairground to forest until he arrives at the blazing crater of a volcano.    The Furry Animal Alphabet Book By Jerry Pallotta Readers use the alphabet to learn about some of the more unusual mammals of the ...

Sleepytime Me by Edith Hope Fine illustrated by Christopher Denise Random House, 2014. unpaged picture book Fine has composed a love song to the coming of night.  Each stanza, written in rhyme, is short and has a restful meter. "Daylight's fading./Stars grow bright./Darkness glowing./Velvet night." The large font text is printed in pale yellow on full page illustrations.  Denise's pictures play with the contrast of small lights in a dark world; fireflies, stars, light from a window.  They are done in comfortable blues, greens, yellows and browns, and are beautifully composed. The effect of the illustrations and text together is lovely and restful. This is a great choice for someone looking for a new bedtime book.

Smasher by Scott Bly The Blue Sky Press, 2014. 252 pages. Charlie, a magician's apprentice from the Renaissance era, and Geneva, a time-traveling bionic girl from the future, team up to stop corporate giant Gramercy Foxx from taking over the world. They have to combine their skills in magic and technology to figure out how to stop Foxx's upcoming product, The Future, before it is released to the public. Bly tells the story through the perspective of many different characters. Getting to know the characters in this way gives the story meaningful depth. The protagonists, antagonists, and neutral characters are all captivating and well written.  Smasher is action packed and fast paced. There is no neat and tidy exposition as Charlie is entangled in conflict from the first page. However, once you get into it, it is hard to put down. Boys and girls ages 8-12 who like action packed stories will love this one. It is also a great introduction to science fiction.

Night Gate By Isobelle Carmody Seeking a cure for her sick mother, Courage "Rage" Winnoway and her dogs pass through a magical gateway to a strange land known as Valley where they must find, before the sand in an enchanted hourglass runs out, the powerful wizard noted for his healing magic. Goblins in the Castle By Bruce Coville  What moans at midnight in Toad-in-a-Cage Castle? Toad-in-a-Cage Castle was filled with secrets -- secrets such as the hidden passages that led to every room, the long stairway that wound down to the dungeon, and the weird creature named Igor who lived there. But it was the mysterious night noises that bothered William the most -- the strange moans that drifted through the halls of the castle where he was raised. He wanted to know what caused them. Then one night he found out.... Wishful Thinking By Amanda Ashby Sophie can't wait to start middle school. She has a brand-new pair of jeans that make her look ...