Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard Roaring Brook Press, 2017. Informational. (unpag) In this beautifully illustrated picture book biography, Leonard gives the young reader a glimpse into the early life and musical legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. The spare text --there are only a few lines per page-- is written in first person, as if Bach is telling his own story. He relates how he was orphaned at a young age and was raised by an older brother.  He became a professional musician quite young, and lived his whole life within 200 miles of his birthplace. The richly colored illustrations are sometimes realistic, but most often swirl with multicolored staffs of notes. Some of the people and objects are completely made out of notes. Leonard does a great job representing Bach's polyphonic and complex music visually. This is a wonderful book for music-loving parents to share with children or for young musicians to peruse on their own. Why not download some of Bach's music from Freegal ...

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors By Drew Daywalt Illustrated by Adam Rex Balzer + Bray, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. Picture Book. Rock was sad. He was the toughest warrior in the Kingdom of Backyard. Nobody could beat him—which made him sad. The fact that there wasn’t another warrior who could match his skill was just depressing. Meanwhile in the Empire of Mom’s Home Office another warrior named Paper was conquering everyone. There wasn’t another warrior in the Empire that could match the skill of Paper—and this made him sad as well. He wished that there was someone who could give him a challenge. Finally in the Kitchen Realm (“in the tiny village of Junk Drawer”) there was a warrior named Scissors. She again was sad that there wasn’t a warrior who could beat her. It was frustrating to always be able to predict that she would win. Thankfully all three warriors met in the great cavern of Two-Car Garage. There they can all commence in an epic battle that wil...

Acadia National Park By Kathleen Connors Mount Desert Island, home to Acadia National Park, has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years and enjoyed by vacationers for more than 200! Its many plants, animals, and scenic views make the island and its famous park one of the most visited places in the United States. Colorful photographs and descriptions take readers along the historic carriage roads and to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Everglades National Park By Kathleen Connors Everglades National Park was established in 1934 to protect one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. From hardwood forests to the estuarine habitat of Florida Bay, the many habitats in the park are home to about 1,000 species of plants and hundreds of Animal species, some of which are endangered. My Yosemite: Guide for Young Adventurers By Mike Graf Loaded with colorful photos and illustrations, this handy guidebook covers all the favorites, from giant sequoias to awe-inspiring waterfalls. G...

Deborah Wiles Deborah Wiles grew up in Jasper County, Mississippi. She moved around, because her family was in the Air force, but she ended up calling Mississippi home. She is the author of picture books and novels for readers young and old, including Each Little Bird That Sings, a 2005 National Book Award Finalist, and the documentary novels Countdown and Revolution. Revolution was a 2014 finalist for the National Book Award. Deborah teaches teachers and writers around the country, and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Each Little Bird that Sings Written by Deborah Wiles Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year-old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto. Countdown Written by Deborah Wile Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in...

Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses, and Crescents by Mark Podwal Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2005. Poetry.  This book is an illustrated poem that wonderfully captures the spirit of Jerusalem. This city, revered by three powerful religions, has been the home to many different nations. The myths and beliefs about this sacred place that so many claim as their homeland have flavored the air itself. I think this book is worth checking out to enjoy both the poetry and the tender taste of Jerusalem. Podwal's hints towards certain stories could be the beginning of some interesting research or scripture study. 

Amina's Voice By Hena Khan Salaam Reads, 2017. Fiction. Amina Khokar is a talented singer, probably the best one in her class, but she has had horrible stage fright ever since the "John Hancock incident." She does not want to perform a solo in her choir class performance and she does not want to compete in a Quaran recitation competition hosted by her Mosque - if she can't speak in front of people in English, how can she be expected to speak in Arabic? None of this is made any easier by the fact that her best friend Soojin wants to change her name to Susan, or that she wants to become friends with Emily who used to make fun of them, or that her uncle is visiting from Pakistan and might just realize Amina is not perfect. Amina is a truly identifiable character. Her anxieties about performing in public, losing her friends, and disappointing her family are handled deftly by Khan in a way that will speak to a lot of kids. There are strong themes of individual va...

The Creeping Shadow (Lockwood and Co. #4) by Jonathan Stroud Disney/Hyperion, 2016. Fiction 445 p. This is the fourth installment of the  Lockwood & Co  series. In this one Lucy has left the agency because of the premonition she received at the end of book 3. She is successful as an independent agent, but her life is empty and her only friend is The Skull. When Lockwood comes to her door begging her to come back and help them with "just one case" he doesn't have to twist her arm very hard. That case leads to another, and soon they are battling the biggest and scariest phenomenon they have ever faced. This story does not disappoint Lockwood and Co fans. All the main characters develop in their relationships with each other, and readers get a few more hints at the ultimate cause of "The Problem." Stroud is a master at crafting both characters and plots, balancing intensity and humor so that readers are biting their nails one minute, and laughing out l...

The Bad Guys By Aaron Blabey Scholastic Press, 2016. Intermediate. 139 p. Mr. Wolf is tired having a bad reputation. Sure, he has had some run-ins with some pigs and a little girl dressed in red, but he has changed--and to prove it, he has created the Good Guys Club. He, along with other bad reputation carnivores--Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha--decides to do a gigantic heroic deed to prove it. But it’s hard to change your ways and not everyone understands that they are now the good guys when they try to rescue 200 dogs from the city pound. A great fit for the beginning Intermediate reader or reluctant reader with its hybrid graphic novel feel. Sure to have kids laughing out loud and wanting the next in the series. But don’t worry: book two, The Bad Guys in Mission Unpluckable , is out already.

Be Quiet!  Ryan T. Higgins Disney Hyperion, 2017. Picture Book. Rupert is a mouse who wants to create an artistic picture book that is wordless. The only trouble is that two of Rupert’s mice friends want to help create the book—and they aren’t really quiet as they are helping to create the story. They talk and talk and talk about what they can do in the book and how wonderful they are; which in turn aggravates Rupert to the point that he is no longer quiet as well. This is a comedic picture book where kids will see the irony of whether or not the mice are being quiet in this “wordless” picture book. And for fans of Higgins’ previous works ( Mother Bruce and Hotel Bruce ), there is a cameo of that “strong”, “silent”, and “grumpy” bear. This book is simply clever.

Whose Hands Are These? A Community Helper Guessing Book Written by Miranda Paul Illustrated by Luciana Navarro Powell Millbrook Press, 2016. Informational Picture Book. Are you preparing to teach a unit about Community Helpers and looking for a new book to introduce the topic? You have found it! Paul has created a perfect, rhyming, read-aloud for interactive preschoolers to guess who each community helper is. Each person is introduced by Powell's illustrations showing what they do with their hands. These illustrations are accompanied by simple rhyming stanzas leaving the reader to guess the rhyming word on the next page. The next page contains the name and an illustration of that specific community helper. There is diversity throughout and both genders performing the professions. A summary in the back of the book provides a more detailed paragraph about the specifics of each of the occupations that are introduced.

Each of these great reads comes straight from our science fiction booklist! Clone Codes by Pat McKissack Scholastic Press, 2010. 173 p. On the run from a bounty hunter who arrested her mother for being part of a secret society devoted to freeing clones, thirteen-year-old Leanna learns amazing truths about herself and her family as she is forced to consider the value of freedom and what it really means to be human in 2170 America. Bounders by Monica Tesler Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2016. 366p. Twelve-year-old Jasper and his friends are the first group of cadets, called Bounders, to be trained as astronauts who use new spaceships to teleport, but soon are forced to go up against an alien society seeking revenge for stealing this brain-sync technology. The 7 Professors of the Far North by John Fardell Putnam's Sons, 2005. 217 p. Eleven-year-old Sam finds himself involved in a dangerous adventure whe...

A Year Full of Stories: 52 Folktales and Legends from Around the World By Angela McAllister Illustrated by Christopher Corr Frances Lincoln Children's, 2016. Informational. This collection of 52 folk tales (one for each week of the year) features stories from all over the world and from diverse traditions. The stories start in January with New Year's Day and the Russian legend of Father Frost and end in December with Kwanzaa. This is a great book to read straight through or bit-by-bit depending on the season and time of year. All of the stories are short and interesting enough to work well as a read-aloud for younger kids. The stories in this book are fun and good, but the illustrations are where this book really shines. Each page is filled with beautiful, interesting, graphic illustrations that enhance the stories perfectly. The bright colors and folk art inspired style of the illustrations are sophisticated enough for parents to enjoy, and bright enough to be fun fo...

Hilo Saving the Whole Wide World  Hilo and the Great Big Boom by Judd Winik Random House 2016, 2017. Comics. 193 p. Here are the second and third in the Hilo comics series. In number 2 Hilo returns to Earth and moves next door to DJ. When a destructive force greater than any they have yet encountered lands near DJ's house, Hilo, Gina and DJ will need all the help they can get to defeat it. In the third book Hilo, Gina, and DJ visit the home world of their new friend, Polly, the warrior cat. Polly's clan is in trouble and the three friends stay to help bring peace to their world. In the process, DJ learns more about friendship, and Hilo learns more about his past.  I looked back at my review records, all three in the series have received starred review, which is rare for comic books. Winik manages a nice balance of plot, character development and action. They really are a delight and will appeal to both the  Avatar  crowd and the  Calvin and Hobbes ...

Always By Ann Stott Illustrated by Matt Phelan Candlewick Press, 2008. Picture Book. A young boy wonders if his mother will still love him even when he does things like refusing to go to bed or eat his peas or (my personal favorite) forgetting to feed his hamster. The humorous illustrations done in soft watercolors shows all the ways in which his behavior might affect the mother's answer but in the end she reassures him that no matter what she will always love him. A perfect read to share with your little one at bedtime.

Dad and the Dinosaur  By Gennifer Choldenko Illustrated by Dan Santat G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Random House LLC, 2017. Picture Book. Nicholas is afraid of many things—but his dad is not. Nicholas wants to be more like his dad. In order to be brave, Nicholas carries around a dinosaur with him. The toy dinosaur helps him in so many ways: from not getting scared of the dark to playing sports better. Only, one day after a soccer match Nicholas realizes that he lost his dinosaur. How can he ever feel brave again? This is a sweet story (and a perfect one to read just before Father’s Day next month!). Nicholas idolizes his dad, and it is nice to see that his dad is actually a really nice guy. This is a good story about being scared and going to the adults in your life to help you conquer your fears. And as an added bonus the illustrations are amazing! Seriously, that last page where Nicholas and Big Nick are silhouetted while looking at the stars (with the hint of the dinosau...

Silly Wonderful You Written by Sherri Duskey Rinker Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell Harper Collins Publisher, 2016. Picture Book. Books are often written to entertain the reader as well as the child being read to. Rinker has done this, in this fun story, written as a letter to a toddler from her mother. McDonnell's cartoon illustrations are funny and children will laugh-out-loud as the reader follows the toddler throughout a normal energetic, busy day. There is rhyming throughout accompanied by large entertaining words that mirror the story. Any caregiver will empathize with the mother in this story and enjoy the ride of spending the day with a toddler.

The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein Random House, 2008. Fiction, 325 p. My recent literature selections read like a Halloween booklist, so it's not surprising that The Crossroads grabbed my attention. This is actually a pretty scary book for something on the children's side. It was pretty easy to imagine horror movie scenarios as I read, but it stayed just light enough that an old fan of Ghost Whisperer would be pretty comfortable.  Zack is plagued by the idea of ghosts before he moves from the big city to his father's old hometown. So he's primed and ready to believe in the ghosts once they start showing up. With Zack doing most of the paranormal work, and his new stepmother independently gathering research data, the Jennings family has one chance to stop the ghostly reappearance of a malevolent spirit and solve the deaths of 40 people... and the body count is rising. 

When Jackie Saved Grand Central: The True Story of Jacqueline Kennedy's Fight for an American Icon By Natasha Wing Illustrated by Alexander Boiger Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. Biography In 1968 - which probably seems like ancient history to most young readers - Grand Central Terminal was set to be demolished. What was once one of the grandest buildings in New York City was dirty, dilapidated, and "outdated." Enter Jackie Kennedy - former first lady, lifetime New Yorker, patron of the arts, and style icon. Together with other lovers of art, she fought all the way to the Supreme Court to save this historic icon. This book does right what so many children's biographies do wrong - rather than try to summarize an entire life in a very short and stilted picture book format, Wing and Boiger focus on one specific achievement in the life of an extraordinary person. This book really succeeds by having two main characters - Grand Central Terminal and Jacqueline Ke...

Into the Lion's Den (Devlin Quick Mysteries #1) by Linda A. Fairstein Dial Books, 2016. Fiction. 312 p. Devlin Quick is the daughter of the New York City Police Commissioner.  She, like her mother, has a nose for crime solving, so when a friend believes she has seen a page cut out of a valuable book in the NYC Public Library, Devlin is on the case. This is the first in a new detective series for people who enjoyed the Sammy Keyes series.  Devlin is a strong girl character who is not above bending the rules a bit for the greater good.  She has two sidekicks, the brainy and handsome African American, Booker, and a Liza, a loyal and sensible exchange student from Argentina, who balance out Devlin's sometimes reckless exuberance. As a librarian I couldn't help but cringe at the thought of rare books being cut up, but young readers will enjoy the fast paced action and Devlin's access to all the cool crime fighting tools available at the NYPD.  This book is availa...

Yours Sincerely, Giraffe By Megumi Iwasa Gecko Press, 2017. Intermediate Fiction. 104p. On the African savanna lives a bored giraffe. The one thing he’s really missing in life is an extra special friend. So Giraffe writes a letter and sends it with Pelican to deliver to the first animal he meets on the other side of the horizon. So begins a long-distance friendship between Giraffe and Penguin, who have no idea what the other looks like. First published in Japan and illustrated by the famous Jun Takabatake, this international bestseller is a sweet, funny, and quick read.

A Boy Named Queen By Sara Cassidy Groundwood Books, 2016. Fiction. 77 p. When a new boy named Queen enters Evelyn’s fifth grade class, she quickly strikes up a friendship with the confident, off-beat kid and soon realizes that how you react to the world, not how the world reacts to you, what truly matters. A Boy Named Queen is reminiscent of Gary D. Schmidt’s work as it gives you lots of things to think about but keeps a somewhat lighter tone, which makes it great for younger readers. A quick read for book discussion groups.

One Trick Pony  by Nathan Hale Amulet Books, 2017. Graphic Novel. 127 p. If you know me, you know that I love the “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales” series. I love that history and humor are combined in such a way that kids enjoy learning. I know, what a concept, eh? So, because I love that series so much, I was pretty excited to learn that Nathan Hale has come out with a stand-alone science-fiction graphic novel. This has nothing to do with American history. But it still has Hale’s detailed illustrations and impactful spot color (which is really a reason in and of itself to read this book). In this story the world is in dystopian chaos. There are pipers that come and “eat” anything technology. Three young kids/teens (a brother and sister and their friend) are out looking for technology. The girl (named Strata) finds a robot horse. Of course the discovery of the horse (and a whole stash of other robots) gets the pipers to come and follow them—which puts not only them but als...

Keep Your Eye on the Kid: The Early Years of Buster Keaton By Catherine Brighton This biography of Buster Keaton evokes the streets and stages of early twentieth century America and brings the remarkable childhood of a timeless comedian to life. Mack Made Movies By Don Brown A simple biography of the director whose silent films immortalized such slapstick clowns as the Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, and Ben Turpin. Brick flicks : A Comprehensive Guide to Making Your Own Stop-Motion LEGO Movies By Sarah Herman Turn your bricks into blockbusters with this movie-making guide! You've seen the smash-hit film; now it's time to step into the director's chair and make your own. Forget big budgets, A-list movie stars, and exotic locations--this comprehensive guide will show you how to make a stop-motion movies using little more than a camera, a computer, and your own LEGO collection. The Young Oxford Book of The Movies By David ...

Malala: Activist for Girl’s Education By Raphaële Frier Illustrated by Aurélia Fronty Charlesbridge Publishing, Biography. 2017 Fronty’s art beautifully accompanies the intense story of Malala Yousafzai’s life thus far. Malala is an inspiration. There are many who faced with her experiences would feel defeated. The harder things got for her, the stronger she became. At just eleven years old she spoke out against the Taliban for taking away her educational rights. There was an attempt to assassinate her, but after she healed she went on to speak at the United Nations. At seventeen she was the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Frier powerfully tells Malala’s story and describes her heroic efforts to give a voice to the voiceless. I was excited to bring this book home and share her story of advocacy for others with my own children. Older children will be able to understand the meaning and message Frier portrays and be exposed to passion for a cause, no matter ...

Rapunzel by Chloe Perkins Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan Little Simon, 2017. Board Book. I love this adorable little board book. And an Indian Rapunzel actually looks quite natural with long, flowing locks. This books is simple but hits all the main points of the story. One cute addition is that the prince and Rapunzel fall in love after sitting and talking together for hours, which is sweet.  You'll love the bright, Indian-inspired illustrations of this classic tale. 

It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden By George Ancona Presents a portrait of a Santa Fe community garden, revealing how students and other citizens work together to select and grow annual plants, create compost, release butterflies, harvest edibles, and protect garden beds for the winter. The Curious Garden By Peter Brown Liam discovers a hidden garden and with careful tending spreads color throughout the gray city. Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard By Kathleen Zoehfeld Depicts a family of four who make their garden their summer home as they prepare the soil, plant seeds, water the garden, and watch for a harvest of vegetables. Tokyo Digs a Garden By Jon-Erik Lappano Tokyo lives in a small house between giant buildings with his family and his cat, Kevin. For years, highways and skyscrapers have been built up around the family's house where once there were hills and trees. Will they ever experience...

The Worm By Elise Gravel Shares information on the earthworm with graphic illustrations and fact-filled text that traces its extensive history as well as its habitats, anatomy, and behaviors. In addition to the visual gags, the author includes basic facts about the creepers, such as their ability to sense light without eyes, the manner in which they get around, and the food they like to eat.   Diary of a Worm By Doreen Cronin A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good and some not so good things about being a worm in this great big world.   The Worm Whisperer By Betty Hicks Ellison Ellis Coffey, a lonely fifth-grader, discovers he might have the special gift of talking to bugs and decides to use his ability to win his town's annual Woolly Worm Race.   Yucky Worms By Vivian French While helping Grandma in the garden, a child learns about the important role of the earthworm in helping plants grow.   Inch by In...

Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression By Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrated by Sarah Green Albert Whitman, 2017. Biography. This picture book biography provides a good, basic introduction to Dorothea Lange for younger photography fans. It is does a good job of showing and explaining how her art made her both an artist and an activist - a good message to send home. The color illustrations are bright and cheery and it's fun to see an artist's rendering of her most famous photograph (Migrant Mother). This book is a good pick for kids learning about photography, but an even better pick to supplement discussion of the Great Depression.

The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones by Wendelin Van Draanen Random House, 2016. Fiction. 262 p. Lincoln and his mother escaped an abusive situation and have started a new life in a new town. Lincoln's mother has a job as a caregiver at a nursing home, and every day after school Lincoln goes to Brookside and spends his afternoons with his mother and the residents. The home cares for Alzheimer's patients, and things can get pretty crazy sometimes, but Lincoln admires how his mother and the other caregivers take care of the "oldies".  Life is more complicated at school.  Lincoln is so afraid that the other kids will find out where he spends his afternoons that he keeps to himself and spends all his free time writing stories in his notebooks. Then Candy shows up, noses her way into Lincoln's life, and everything changes. This is a great choice for people who liked Wonder or Fish in a Tree .  Lincoln is one of the nicest kids in recent literature. He isn't pe...

Mighty, Mighty Construction Site By Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld Chronicle Books, 2017 In this sequel to Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site the five construction trucks wake up to a new day. However, their blueprints show that the project is quite massive—so much so that they need to call for reinforcements with five other construction trucks to help. With the addition of the five new crew members the grandest building yet can be constructed. Youngsters who loved the first book will enjoy this new edition as well. And with five new machines there is even more terminology and construction love to go around.