Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Interactive History Adventures Multiple Author Series Capstone Press, 2008-2015. Non-fiction/Informational, 112 pages.  There are some hidden gems in the J informational section, and the Interactive History Adventure series is definitely one of them. This series isn't just "choose your own adventure," it's also a great way to find out what life was like during various moments in history while acting as a member of the action. I have to admit, I died a couple of times while reading The California Gold Rush, but I'm sure you'll make much wiser choices than I.  These books are written by various authors, and since they cover a wide range of historical events, this series is scattered throughout the non-fiction section. Follow the title link to find a list of all our copies, or search by event. Whether it's ancient China or World War II, there's probably an interactive adventure for that. 

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal By Jeffrey Brown Crown Books for Young Readers, 2016. J Comics. 194 p. Siblings Lucy and Andy live in a cave with the rest of their Neanderthal family. Andy desperately wants to hunt mammoths and Lucy is skilled at cave paintings and making clothes. For the most part, they are bored with their simple life. But that is all about to change when their baby brother, Danny, begins saying that he saw “Pee-pul.” This is a very funny graphic novel by Jeffrey Brown, author of the Jedi Academy series. The family members are hilarious and quirky and the story is wild and silly. Interspersed with the story are facts about Neanderthals presented by two modern day archaeologists. This is a good choice for fans of Jedi Academy or readers looking for a funny graphic novel.

Mango and Bambang: The Not a Pig by Polly Faber illustrated by Clara Vulliamy Candlewick Press, 2015. Intermediate. 135 p. Mango lives with her father who is always busy "balancing books."  She tries to stay busy, too, but is often lonely, until the day she meets Bambang.  Bambang is not a pig, but a tapir from a far away land. He is very nervous about living in the big city, but Mango is kind and gentle with him, and soon they are best friends. When Mango finally faces something that makes her nervous, Bambang knows he must step up and help his dear friend, the way she has helped him. This book is a treat, both literarily and visually. With simple language Faber creates a wonderful story of friendship and kindness. Vulliamy's two tone lavender cover art calls out to young readers and promises good things and her interior illustrations deliver on the promise. Gentler than Junie B. Jones or Ivy and Bean , this is a great choice for a young child who is an advanced ...

The Big Book of Bugs By Yuval Zommer Thames & Hudson, 2016. Informational. This book is half gorgeously illustrated picture book and half informative non-fiction. Each spread has a subject title – such as “Butterflies” or “Night-Time Bugs” – 4 or 5 single-sentence facts spread around the page with matching illustrations nearby, and often a “Can you find?” challenge. The layout is beautiful and accessible, inviting readers to learn facts broken down into manageable pieces. This is a wonderful book for all different ages. Very young children can study the detailed illustrations or try the I Spy games; early readers can listen to or practice reading the short but interesting facts. And older kids will enjoy breezing through the book and picking up interesting tidbits of information. The answers to all the “Can you find?” challenges are shown in the back, and there is an index as well.

Hippopotamister  By John Patrick Green :01 First Second, 2016. 84 p. The zoo is in trouble! People aren’t coming to visit and the animals aren’t being taken care of as they should be. Red Panda (Hippo’s neighbor at the zoo) decides it is time to go out into the world to do something other than living at the zoo. Red Panda often comes back to tell Hippo just how wonderful the outside world is. Soon Hippo decides to become a Hippopotamister (a hippo pretending to be a human and get a human job out in the real world). Job after job Hippo carefully tries his best—while Red Panda does such a “great” job that both eventually are fired. Red Panda’s optimism keeps them going from job to job while Hippo seems to just be along for the ride. Eventually Hippo realizes just what this Hippopotamister should do (and with the details of the run-down zoo at the beginning of the story and the choices of jobs that the animals “try” readers will not be surprised or disappointed with Hippo’s de...

Tell Me a Tattoo Story By Alison McGhee Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler Chronicle Books, 2016. Picture Book. As a young boy goes through his nightly routine of getting ready for bed he asks his father to tell him again what each of his tattoos mean. The father goes on to explain the story behind each like the dragon on his shoulder from a story book his mother use to read to him as child and the words “Be Kind” tattooed on the inside of his wrist because he always wants to remember those words from his father. Just as he is tucked into bed, the boy asks about his favorite, a tiny heart with a date on it, and the father tells him it’s his favorite, too, because it represents the young boy. A loving bedtime story shared between a father and son. Illustrated in India ink and watercolor, it replicates the feel of real tattoo ink.

This Book Just Ate My Dog! By Richard Byrne Henry Holt and Company, 2014. Picture Book. Bella tries to take her dog on a walk, but it doesn't work out like she'd hoped. Unfortunately the binding or gutter of picture books can sometimes, accidentally, eat up their characters. And even more unfortunately, Bella's dog isn't the only one that's going to get lost in the book. It's going to be up to you to rescue them in this fun, interactive read.

Curse of the Boggin (The Library, Book 1) by D. J. MacHale Random House, 2016. Fantasy. 242 p. First in MacHale's new series (The Library, Book 1), Curse of the Boggin  begins with a nine-year-old boy named Alec who is scared of something under his bed. Only this time there really is something there - a big black pit bull who chases him out the window and onto the roof. His father, following his terrified cries arrives in time to save Alec but not to save himself as the pit bull drives him off the roof to his death on the pavement four stories down. All that remains is a sentence carved into the wood of Alec's bedroom floor: Surrender the key.   Enter Marcus O'Mara, cocky middle-schooler who starts to see visions of his own - a frightening old lady in a green dress, a black bull charging through the hallways of his middle school. Scariest of all, he is being shadowed by a man in a bathrobe who turns out to be Alec Swenor's dead father, Michael. Turns out Marcus i...

The Turn of the Tide by Rosanne Parry Random House, 2016. Fiction. 294 p.      Kai is in school when the earthquake hits. He knows what he is supposed to do.  Stay put. But he also knows what will follow the quake so he runs toward the harbor to rescue his grandparents. The three make it to a place where they think they will be safe, but they are not. The water keeps rising, and when Kai's grandfather tells him to run, he does. But they can't follow. Kai's parents both work at a nuclear reactor damaged by the quake and tsunami, so they send him to his aunt and uncle's home in Oregon though he is desperate to stay to help. In Astoria, Kai meets his cousins: Jet and Oliver. Jet has made a recent mistake of her own, not checking the tide tables before taking her sailboat out, endangering herself and her brother and damaging the boat. So much for her dream of becoming a harbor pilot when she grows up. During the summer, Kai and Jet try to be friends but have a lot...

Mighty Jack By Ben Hatke First Second, 2016. J Comics. 205 p.  Jack lives with his Mom and sister Maddy, who doesn’t speak. At a flea market, Jack is shocked when a man mysteriously knows his name and Maddy speaks to Jack and urges him to buy some seeds from the man. After acquiring the seeds, Jack and Maddy begin planting them and quickly learn that the seeds are magic. With the help of a Lilly, the sword-wielding girl Jack just met, they begin to “maintain” the garden which consists of battling creatures and eating magic vegetables that give them powers. However, Jack is becoming increasingly nervous about the intentions of the garden.  Ben Hatke, creator of the popular graphic novels Zita the Spacegir l and Little Robot , succeeds in creating a new fractured fairy tale graphic novel that is exciting and funny. With good characters and well-done twists on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale, this is a solid graphic novel series opener that kids will really enjoy...

The Poe Estate  (Grimm Legacy #3) by Polly Shulman Penguin Group, 2015. Fiction. 259 p. Because of financial troubles, Sukie's family moves in with an elderly cousin who lives in a creepy old house. Sukie soon discovers that the house is haunted, but that is nothing new to Sukie. She has been haunted by her deceased sister since her death years earlier. The house ghosts tell of a lost treasure and soon Sukie and a new friend, Cole, are on a quest to discover the treasure and save her family from financial ruin.  But they can't do it alone.  They need the help of the New-York Circulating Material Repository and its mysterious archivist, Elizabeth Rew. This is a companion book to The Grimm Legacy , and The Wells Bequest . Although Elizabeth Rew is the common thread between the books, this story has a host of new characters, and works just fine as a stand alone. The premise of all three books is interesting and original, but the book's real appeal comes from th...

Dirt + Water = Mud By Katherine Hannigan Greenwillow Books, 2016. Picture book. A girl has amazing adventures in her backyard with her dog, her active imagination, and a few props. Each page has a simple equation (“sheet + flowerpot + stick = Her Majesty, the Queen”) and a few speech bubbles, including humorous translations of the little dog’s different “woofs” and “ah-roos.” The two best friends have fun, communicate, and express emotions. The short phrases and fun word equations mean this book could work well as an easy reader. The story and the illustrations are both warm and cheerful. The dog’s face and body language are wonderfully expressive. This book offers lots of action and some great ideas about using imagination and working through emotions.

The Mixed-Up Truck  By Stephen Savage Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, 2016. Do you have a kiddo who loves truck books? Do you like it when a truck book has a hint of humor added to it (knowing that you will be reading the book to the little one over and over and over again)? Then this just might be the book for you! A cement truck is ready for his first day of work at a construction site. The other trucks were busy doing their jobs (“crane was lifting”, “dump truck was dumping”, and “digger was digging”). When the cement mixer asks how to help he is told to mix “some powdery white cement.” Only he gets it wrong. He mixes up flour and makes a cake. Then he mixes sugar and makes frosting. Finally he mixes the right thing and is able to help make a building. In this newest Savage book kids who love trucks (and a bit of silliness) will enjoy the story of the cement truck and how he learns what he should do in order to accomplish his job. This book has the type of illu...

My Thumb By Karen Hesse Illustrated by Rich Deas Feiwel and Friends, 2016. Picture Book. In rhyming text Newbery Award winning author Karen Hesse lets a little girl expound on the joys of having such a close companion as her thumb that she can rely on when she is scared or sick. Though at times it is inconvenient, like when she wants to eat or chew gum, she does not let that deter her. Even though her mother wishes she would, she does not give up on her thumb. Young kids will relate to this great relationship with their thumbs and will giggle along with the story. If you are looking for a book to help your child to break this habit, this is not the book. Rich Deas’s complimentary illustrations enhance this ode to thumb sucking.

President Taft is Stuck in the Bath By Mac Barnett Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen George Washington crossed the Delaware in the dead of night. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union. And President William Howard Taft, a man of great stature - well, he got stuck in a bathtub. Now how did he get unstuck? Author Mac Barnett and illustrator Chris Van Dusen bring their full comedic weight to this legendary story, imagining a parade of clueless cabinet members advising the exasperated president, leading up to a hugely satisfying, hilarious finale. The Bath Monster By Colin Boyd Illustrated by Tony Ross Have you ever wondered where your dirty bath water goes? The Bath Monster slurps it up, of course! I’m Still Here in the Bathtub: Brand New Silly Dilly Songs By Alan Katz Illustrated by David Catrow Well-known songs, including "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Farmer in the Dell," are presented with new words and titles, such as "Tiny Baby Brother" and "I...

READ IN BOOK BABIES Wiggle Written by Doreen Cronin Illustrated by Scott Menchin Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.  Picture Book. Do you have a wiggly little one?  Reading this book with them will give ample opportunity to wiggle, wiggle, wiggle right along with Cronin's darling dog ("First wiggle where your tail would be/Then wiggle all your hair/Feeling extra silly?/Wiggle in your underwear!").  Fun illustrations and silly situations will add some giggles to those fun wiggles! READ IN TODDLER TIME Not a Box By Antoinette Portis Harper Collins Publishers, 2006.  Picture Book. Everyone knows that a kid's favorite part of a gift is the box, right?  Well Portis shows us exactly why!  Little bunny uses his imagination to turn his cardboard box into "Not-a-Box."  From a race car to a rocket, this Not-a-Box is ready for adventure! READ IN PRESCHOOL TIME Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Wri...