Provo Library Children's Book Blog

                                                   Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan Scholastic, 2015.  587 pgs.  Fantasy      Echo is comprised of three stories, framed by a fairy tale. Fifty years before World War I, Otto gets lost in the forest and is found by three sisters, princesses in bondage to a witch. He reads to them from a book he has bought from a gypsy, which tells them their own story but stops abruptly at the point where they and Otto meet. Otto is given a magic harmonica and is told that when the time comes (he will know when it is!) he must pass it along to the next person, and they to the next, or the sisters will never be free. There follow the stories of Friedrich, a gifted young musician who works in a harmonica factory in Hitler's Germany; Mike and his brother Frankie, orphans who are temporarily adopted by a grievin...

                                                                                     Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones, illustrated by Katie Kath Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 216 pgs.  Fantasy      Sophie Brown and her family have moved to her Great-Uncle Jim's farm because her father has lost his job and her mother is trying to support the family on what she makes as a freelance writer. Sophie's dad doesn't have much time to spend with her because he is looking for work and trying to figure out how to run a neglected farm from a broken down house. Sophie's mom is busy writing articles about how to "Decorate for Fall with Farm Tools." So Sophie has time and room to explore, and, in the process to meet a little wh...

. . . and Nick By Emily Gore Illustrated by Leonid Gore Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015. Picture Book. Nick is a mouse with three brothers: Rick, Mick, and Vick. Each one is confident in what he wears, eats, and wants to be when he grows up. Nick, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure. One day the brothers go out to the meadow to pick flowers for their mom, each one finding the perfect flower—except Nick, who finds only a sprout but takes it home anyway because he likes it. It isn’t until the next day when the sprout has bloomed into a beautiful flower that everyone else sees the potential of the sprout like Nick did. Written by a father-daughter team, this picture book shows that even though a child might not know where he or she fits in the world, in time, just like the flower he or she will find the right time to bloom. The cheerful textured illustrations add to the optimistic feel of the storyline.

  Every one of Sandra Boynton’s whimsical books are instant classics. But did you know that several of her titles have also now been made into clever interactive apps? The Boynton Collection includes four of these apps all in one package— The Going to Bed Book , Blue Hat, Green Hat , Moo, Ba, La La La , and Barnyard Dance . Each story is presented on the screen like a book, with digital “pages” that the child can turn. They can choose to read the story themselves or have a narrator do it for them. Each page holds fun little characters which can be interacted with by touching the screen. Much happy giggling will occur as young readers discover all the delights that each page holds.

I, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are by Bridget Heos Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas Henry Holt, 2015. Nonfiction, 40 p. In this nonfiction picture book, a fly feels slighted because school classes always study butterflies instead of houseflies.  Sure, butterflies are beautiful and go through amazing metamorphosis, but houseflies are cool too.  They also go through metamorphosis, have way more children than butterflies do, and make a cool sound with their wings.  A fly's wings beat 200 times for second (a butterfly's only 12-15), and they help clean up the world by eating garbage and refuse.  Sure, they spread germs and disease, but hey, nobody is perfect. Pleca's colorful cartoon illustrations, complete with word bubbles, add fun to Heo's informal, informative and lively text. This is a cute science book about an under-represented part of everyone's summer picnic.

  Toad Weather Written by Sandra Markle Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez Peachtree Publishers, 2015. Picture Book. Ally and Grandma are stuck inside on a rainy day. Ally thinks there is nothing to do until her mother bursts in the door. She tells Ally and Grandma to get their slickers and boots on because she has something to show them. Ally is so excited that she asks her mother questions the whole way to the surprise. Grandma reluctantly follows. Ally’s mother finally shows them a large group of toads migrating across a road. Ally, her family, and many other people help the toads make it safely to the other side of the road. Toad Weather lets the reader join in Ally’s excitement as she anticipates her mother’s surprise. The realistic illustrations create a believable and beautiful rainy-day atmosphere for the toads and the reader. After the story, the author includes an explanation of the real life situation from which this story was drawn. A good choice for...

  Little Red Henry by Linda Urban Candlewick, 2015. Picture book. Henry’s parents and siblings happily do everything for him: feed him, carry him, dress him, and brush his “widdle toofers.” But Henry is getting bigger and on this day he sets out to do things for himself. In a spin-off of the story of the Little Red Hen, the family members all beg to help with each task. “Let me! Let me!” But Little Red Henry says, “No, thank you. I can do it myself.” They watch with mounting anxiety as Henry proudly accomplishes each task on his own, making their hovering presence obsolete. They mope listlessly about the house, until they start to remember things they used to love to do, like painting, writing, and playing music. The illustrations convey a lot of humor, especially when depicting the family’s over-the-top eagerness to meet Henry’s every need, and the spread where Henry attempts to choose his own outfit, trying on tutus and ponchos in the process. Henry’s family disc...

Song for a Summer Night: A Lullaby by Robert Heidbreder illustrated by Quin Leng Groundwood Books, 2015. Picture Book A summer night has its own set of sounds. Leaves whisper, "shh, shh." Racoons waltz, "tra, la, la." Sound is added to sound until there is a nighttime lullaby that lulls all the children to sleep. The children wake the next morning, ready to greet the new day full of summer daytime sounds. This is a lovely and lyric read aloud written in rhyme.  Children will enjoy joining in as a parent reads the night sounds that are repeated each spread. Leng's watercolor illustrations match the soothing, yet whimsical mood of the text. This is a great new summer bedtime story.

Good Morning to Me! By Lita Judge Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015. Picture Book. Beatrix the parrot is excited to start the day and forgets to use her inside voice when she sees her friends asleep and wants to wake them up. Beatrix tries to be a good birdie today but keeps ending up in mischief, and Mouse has to come to the rescue. Through it all, the many animals of the household have a fun filled day with Beatrix. Many children can relate to Beatrix’s enthusiasm at seeing her friends and will laugh along with her adventures.

The Pet and the Pendulum (The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe #3) by Gordon McAlpine Penguin Group, 2015. Fiction. 208 p In this final adventure of the identical twin, great-great-grand nephews of Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar and Allan are up against their greatest challenge yet.  Their arch enemy, Professor Perry, has returned disguised as the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe.  He tricks the twins into believing that Poe was murdered and that they must expose his murderer in order to release his spirit to the great beyond. Meanwhile, the space ship that acts as their parent's tomb is hurtling toward Baltimore and the twins may be the only ones that have any chance of stopping it. Can the twins foil Professor Perry's plan and stop the space ship disaster before it is too late? As always, the twins get help from some historic literary giants from the great beyond and from their preternaturally loyal and intelligent cat. This is the funny and exciting end to a clever...

Silly Doggy! By Adam Stower Orchard Books, 2011. Picture Book. Lily has always wanted a dog so she is elated to find what she believes to be a dog in her backyard. The unsuspecting bear doesn’t know what to think when little Lily takes him in and keeps him as her pet dog. Lily eventually realizes that her “dog” may belong to someone else so she prepares a poster which eventually leads to the departure of her pet. But don’t worry, she finds a new pet! Little children will enjoy this fun picture book with a cute little girl and a huggable bear.