Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Read in Monday Book Babies Spring Babies Written by Kathryn O. Galbraith Illustrated by Adela Pons Peachtree Petite, 2018.  Small Picture Book. An endearing board book with adorable babies on the go during the spring season!  Spirited, rhyming text and colorful, graphic art reveal an energetic cast of babies having an action-packed day of play in the park on a cheerful spring day.  Featuring diverse characters and highlighting early concepts like shapes and repetition, books in the Babies in the Park series encourage an appreciation of nature and outdoor imaginative play.  --Publisher Read in Monday Cuentos Valentina y la dragona  Por Lucia Serrano Picarona, 2019. Spanish Picture Book. ¡Una nueva versión de la leyenda de Sant Jordi! Tenéis en vuestras manos una leyenda que ha permanecido en el olvido a lo largo de los tiempos: La verdadera historia de Valentina y la Dragona. Abrid bien vuestros ojos y oídos. Cerrad la boca, qu...

All of a Sudden and Forever: help and healing after the Oklahoma City bombing By Chris Barton Carolrhoda Books, 2020. Informational Picture Book. 40 p. When a bomb explodes in front of a federal building in Oklahoma City - injuring and killing many people - the town is astonished to find that a nearby elm tree resiliently stands tall against the devastating blast. This tree becomes a symbol of hope for the people of Oklahoma that things will be alright and each year it serves as the meeting place for people to gather and remember the tragedies of that fateful day. The tree's seedlings are collected and distributed to people going through hard times, sometimes as a reminder of loss and sometimes as symbol of hope. Rallying around the tree the people of Oklahoma come together to cope with the tragedy of the bombing and use their experiences to go forth and help others through hard times. The focus of this book is on the strength of the people who came out of this tragedy rath...

Dinosaur Detectives By Peter Chrisp Track dinosaurs with the earliest fossil hunters and modern-day geologists! Read about their amazing discoveries! These 48-page books about fascinating subjects like pirates, mummies, and volcanoes are for proficient readers who can understand a rich vocabulary and challenging sentence structure. Eyewitness Fossil By Paul D. Taylor  A photo essay about different types of fossils, from bacteria and algae to birds and mammals. Stunning real-life photographs of the spectacular remains of ancient lives offer a unique "eyewitness" view of what fossils are, how they were formed, and how they lived millions of years ago. See pearls that are 50 million years old, a dinosaur's toe, a troublesome "snake" that was turned to stone, a fossilized human being, and a snail made of precious stones. Paleontology:The Study of Prehistoric Life By Susan Heinrichs Gray Presents general information about paleontologists and what they...

Birdsong By: Julie Flett Greystone Books, 2020. Picture Book. Moving can be a hard and in Birdsong by Julie Flett a young girl is having a hard time starting over again after moving from her house near the ocean to the country. She misses the ocean, is lonely and doesn't have any friends, then she meets her elderly neighbor, Agnes. They both share a love of art, nature and birds and this bond brings them together. Throughout  the seasons their friendship grows as they create art and share time with each other. This is a lovely gentle story told in a quiet simple way with beautiful illustrations. Its a story told about loss, change, and the importance of generational friendship. 

Bear Goes Sugaring By Maxwell Eaton III Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, 2019. Picture Book. In this delightful book readers will learn the process of how to go “sugaring” and collect sap from Sugar Maple trees in order to make maple syrup. Bear walks through all the various steps of making syrup from marking the trees in the fall (before the leaves fall off them and it is difficult to tell which maple trees are sugar maple trees) to using evaporators to actually get the product of maple syrup. Dog and Squirrel provide comic relief among the informational text to keep readers entertained. This is a clever way to introduce kids to a specific process that results in one of the favorite toppings for pancakes.

Read in Toddler Time Triceratops Stomp By Karen Patkau Pajama Press, 2019.  Picture Book. Nestled in the ferns is a big clutch of eggs.  But what could be inside?  With picks, pokes, pops, and wriggles, Triceratops babies hatch.  They are quick to scamper, scramble, and romp about, making as much noise as they please!  But could danger lurk nearby?  With mother's watchful eye and fierce protection to keep them safe, the little dinosaurs can expect to play another day. Full of onomatopoeic text that will delight young listeners and readers alike, this frolicking story from lauded visual artist and author Karen Patkau abounds with fun.  --Publisher Read in Preschool Time Two For Me, One For You By Jörg Mühle Gecko Press, 2019.  Picture Book. Bear finds three tasty mushrooms on her way home through the woods. Her friend Weasel cooks them up in the frying pan. But the friends have a problem: how to share three...

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky By Kwame Mbalia New York: Disney/Hyperion, 2019. Fiction. After Tristan loses his best friend in an accident, his parents decide Tristan needs time to heal. He's sent off to live with his grandparent's in Alabama, and he knows it'll be an uneventful month. Then strange things start happening: his best friend's journal starts glowing, he sees visions, and an interaction with a thief causes him to punch a hole in the universe. He falls through the hole and finds himself in a world of stories where legends from African and African American folklore exist. Can he save their world and return to his before it's too late? Fans of Percy Jackson will like this fun read. Not only does Tristan interact with people of legends and folklore, but his adventure leads him to strange lands and facing interesting foes. The symbolic messages sprinkled throughout the book create a good base to discuss the history of the slave trade wit...

Women Win the Vote!: 19 for the 19th Amendment By Nancy B. Kennedy A bold new collection showcasing the trailblazing individuals who fought for women's suffrage, honoring the Nineteenth Amendment's centennial anniversary. Women Win the Vote! maps the road to the Nineteenth Amendment through compact, readable biographies of nineteen women who helped pave the way. From early feminist activist Lucretia Mott to radical twentieth century suffragist Alice Paul, this vibrant collection profiles both iconic figures like Sojourner Truth and those who may be less well-known, like Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Vividly illustrated with an eye-catching design, Women Win the Vote! celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment and the intrepid individuals who broke through barrier and upended tradition to fight for gender equality and the empowerment of future generations. Give Us the Vote!: Over 200 Years of Fighting for the Ballot By Susan Goldman Rubin For more than two h...

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera By Candace Fleming Illustrated by Eric Rohmann New York: Holiday House, 2019. Informational picture book. The life cycle of a honeybee may not seem like new ground for an author/illustrator to cover - there are hundreds of great informational books about this very topic. Yet, Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann are both able to breathe new life into a familiar subject - casting the humble worker bee in an intimate new life. Fleming manages to build suspense (in an informational book!), teasing readers with all the things our worker bee, " Apis," needs to do before she can do the thing we know bees do -- fly! Rohmann matches the suspenseful tone with incredibly close-up, full page illustrations that follow Apis  from her beginnings in the dark, warm hive until she finally emerges into a brilliant blue sky. A larger-than-life honey bee peeking into an open sky opens onto a full, double-page spread as Apis takes her first flight. A ...

Cats Are a Liquid Written by Rebecca Donnelly Illustrated by Misa Saburi Henry Holt and Company, 2019. Picture book. If you've ever owned a cat, or been around one, or even just looked at pictures of them on the internet, you know that cats are basically a liquid. Not really, of course. Technically speaking, they're solid matter. But they manage to wiggle their way into spaces and containers that really make you wonder if cats might have defied the laws of physics and are liquids after all. Donnelly and Saburi present cats to us in all their different forms, both solid and liquid, cute and mischievous. We've got tabbies and calicoes, and solid-colored cats galore. The cats are sweet and colorful, and the text is simple and fun. This book displays the quirks that make us love cats so much, including their proclivity for doing exactly what they want to, despite our many protests. But we adore them anyway, no matter their form. 

The Button Book  By Sally Nicholls Illustrated by Bethan Wollvin Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, 2019. Picture Book. A bunch of animals find a red button—so they decide to press it. When they do it makes a “Beep!” noise. Then they start finding other colored buttons that do other things. This is a fun picture book that shows different colors (though learning colors isn’t the main purpose of the book) and invites readers to actively participate in the various responses to button pressing. Story times will be lively and noisy when this happy book is read aloud.

The Okay Witch By Emma Steinkellner Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2019. Graphic Novel.  Moth is an ordinary 13 year old girl that loves anything to do with witches and magic. On Halloween, when some bullies tease her, something explainable happens. When Moth tells her mother about it, she discovers that her mother's past isn't quite what she expected. Moth has inherited magical powers and she must learn how to navigate through life with her newly found abilities. A series of unexpected events occur as Moth works to uncover the secrets of the town in which she lives, learn more about her family's history, and discover her true potential.  This graphic novel is perfect for anyone who loves fantasy and magic. It is a spooky coming-of-age story in which Moth discovers who she is and what talents and abilities she possesses. An element of mystery is evident throughout the entire novel that keeps readers engaged until the end. 

Read in Monday Book Babies I Love You to the Moon and Back Written by Amelia Hepworth Illustrated by Tim Warnes Little Tiger Press Ltd., 2015.  Small Picture Book. The sun rises, and a bear and cub begin their day together. They splash in the water, climb mountains, and watch the shimmering sky. They show their love by touching noses, playing chase, and of course, hugging. A sweet, gentle rhyme, perfect for sharing with a special little one!  --Publisher Read in Monday Cuentos David se mete en líos Escrito por David Shannon Traducido por Teresa Mlawer Everest, 2011.  Spanish Picture Book. Cada vez que David se mete en líos siempre tiene una respuesta: "No es culpa mía". Pero en la hora de acostarse pide perdón de su madre querida.  --Publisher Read in Toddler Time The Bear Ate Your Sandwich By Julia Sarcone-Roach Alfred A. Knopf, 2015.  Picture Book. By now I think you know what happened to your sandwich...

Make way for ducklings Written and Illustrated by: Robert McCloskey Mr. and Mrs. Mallard proudly return to their home in the Boston Public Garden with their eight offspring.  The Three Little Pigs Written and Illustrated by: David Wiesner The three pigs escape the wolf by going into another world where they meet the cat and the fiddle, the cow that jumped over the moon, and a dragon. Wolf in the snow Written and Illustrated by: Matthew Cordell When a wolf cub and little girl are lost in a snowstorm they must find their way home by helping each other. Finding Winnie: the true story of the world's most famous bear Written by: Lindsay Mattick Illustrated by: Sophie Blackall A woman tells her young son the true story of how his great-great-grandfather, Captain Harry Colebourn rescued and learned to love a bear cub in 1914 as he was on his way to take care of soldiers' horses during World War l, and the bear became the inspiration for A.A. Milne...

Did you know that we have two parent/child book clubs every month at the Provo City Library? They are for children ages 9-12 and a caregiver. This month, they will meet February 25 (girls) and February 27 (guys). Preregister under the Kids Corner/Program Registration tab on the library website. We have two great books to discuss this month: Girls Brown Girl Dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2014. Verse. As a child, Jacqueline Woodson never felt settled at home. In the 1960s and 1970s she lived in South Carolina and New York, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement and with the dark shadow of Jim Crow era laws looming overhead. As she searches to find herself, Jacqueline finds her voice as a writer and she begins to tell stories that will shape her future. Told entirely in verse, this memoir is a touching and thoughtful story about growing up and finding your way. A National Book Award Winner, Newbery Honoree, and Coretta Scott King Award ...

Scary Stories for Young Foxes By Christian McKay Heidicker New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2019. Fiction. Seven young foxes wander deep into Antler Wood in search of an old storyteller who tells tales scary enough to "put the white in your tail." What better way to hook a bunch of kits in need of adventure? The Old Storyteller begins to spin the story of two fox kits, Mia and Uly, who are separated from their families and lost, alone to face the horrors of the woods. At first, their scary stories seem separate but as the tales become progressively scarier, Mia and Uly's paths begin to cross. And of course, as each story gets scarier the seven fox kit listeners begin to leave the Storyteller's cavern one by one. This horrific Newbery Honoree is certainly for the brave - for those looking for their next scary story to tell in the dark. What makes this book so unique is that, as the title suggests, these are scary stories for young foxes meaning the horrors in...

The bell rang By: James E. Ransome Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019. Picture book. A week long story about a slave family who lives and works on a plantation where each work day begins with the ringing of a bell. After the bell rings daddy gathers wood, mama cooks and then everyone leaves for the fields except for the youngest girl who is sent each day with the other "young'uns" to be watched by Miss Sarah Mae. One day the oldest son, Ben takes a chance at freedom. The family is left behind with sadness and hopefulness for the new life Ben may have. This is a beautiful poetically told story with stunning illustrations about the hard life many African Americans had in the 1800's. Its a look at the difficult decisions many made in choosing freedom over leaving their family behind. A story that will cultivate empathy for families and children who were enslaved.

Green Eggs and Ham Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss "Do you like green eggs and ham?" Follow Sam-I-am as he insists that this unusual treat is indeed a delectable snack to be savored everywhere and in every way. I Really Like Slop! Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems Piggie really likes slop. She likes it so much, she wants Gerald to try some! But can Gerald find the courage to do it? Or will the smell alone be too much to handle? D.W. the Picky Eater Written and Illustrated by Marc Brown Because her eating habits cause some problems, Arthur the aardvark's younger sister has to stay home when her family eats out. Felix Eats Up Written and Illustrated by Rosemary Wells Felix brings the same lunch to school every day: sprouts on buttered oat bread. He will also eat pasta with butter. And he loves macaroni and cheese. No need to try anything new. Then, on the night of Fiona's half-birthday celebration, Felix finds himself in a pickle. Will he le...

The Old Truck  By Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey Norton Young Readers, an Imprint of W. W. Norton and Company, 2020. Picture Book. There is a truck that works hard on a small farm; however, when the truck starts to get old and tired the truck stops working. Instead the truck rests and dreams—dreams of taking the little girl on the farm on adventures into the sea, the sky, and outer space. Eventually the little girl grows up and she fixes the old truck and then new adventures on the small farm begin again. This is a fun book for truck enthusiasts who like the idea of a truck being a part of the farm family. The pictures are full of fun details and the text simple enough that the very earliest readers will sit still to listen. This is a great addition to our “Things that Go” picture book shelves.

Read in Monday Book Babies Tails By Katrine Crow Flowerpot Press, 2019.  Small Picture Book. What animal has a tail like these? Little ones will love guessing which of their favorite animals belong to each set of tails in this question and answer title filled with bold text and bright photographs.  --Publisher Read in Monday Cuentos El hombre árbol Por Massimiliano Frezzato Picarona, 2019.  Spanish Picture Book. Érase una vez una colina que el viento acariciaba y como un loco, en la cima, el Hombre Árbol allí habitaba. Una fábula entrañable sobre la paciencia, la guerra, la paz y, sobre todo, el significado de la libertad.  --Publisher Read in Toddler Time The Big Red Rock By Jessica Stockham Child's Play, 2018.  Picture Book. When Bif finds a big red rock blocking his way, he decides it has to go. But how? Nothing he tries will move it. Bif's friend Bop knows some monsters who might be able to help. Whe...

The Forgotten Girl By India Hill Brown New York : Scholastic Press, 2019. Fiction. 250 p. Iris Rose loves the snow and nothing is going to stop her from playing in the first snowfall of the year. Her best friend Daniel feels hesitant about sneaking out to make snow angels late at night but Iris assures him that nothing bad is going to happen. Neither of them are prepared for what they are about to find. Iris and Daniel accidentally stumble onto the forgotten grave of Avery Moore, a girl their own age, and when Iris begins to have haunting experiences with her, the two of them must work to figure out what is keeping Avery around. Together the two friends must bring to light the truth about forgotten, segregated graveyards right in their own backyard so that Avery's ghost can finally move on. For fans of scary, spine-chilling novels this book is a great read. The author does a wonderful job of weaving invaluable history into a story that will keep you up late into the eveni...

The Wind Plays Tricks Written by Virginia Howard Illustrated by Charlene Chua Albert Whitman & Company, 2019. Picture book. A whole slew of barnyard animals are in for a mighty surprise when a wind blows through one day, and all their normal sounds are switched! Pigs is clucking, chicks are neighing, and nobody knows quite what to do to solve their problem. Luckily, all it takes is a one very helpful turtle, and some teamwork to get things set right. Howard's playful story about problem-solving and teamwork is accompanied by bright, cheerful illustrations of cute farm animals. Although they're all excited to get their own voices back, they also learn that to find a solution, sometimes you have to put your heads together and help one another out. This fun and sweet story would be fun to read aloud, especially when you get to make the animal noises!

Swim Swim Sink By Jenn Harney Disney Hyperion, 2020. Picture Book. There are three duck eggs in a nest—all just about to hatch. As they come out of their eggs a worm starts rhyming about the new ducklings. Only, when they go off for their first swim one of the ducklings doesn’t swim, it sinks. This is a hilarious book with rhymes and unexpected tries at problem-solving. Plus, looking at the worm and the littlest duckling is just plain fun. Read this aloud with any little one that loves ducklings or a book with a little bit of a surprise.

Read in Monday Book Babies Dust Bunny Wants a Friend By Amy Hevron Schwartz & Wade Books, 2019.  Picture Book. Dust Bunny is alone--and lonely. So when a small bug passes by him, he calls out hi and tries to befriend her. But the bug keeps on moving, and Dust Bunny sadly says bye. Then he meets a cat . . . but when the cat sneezes, the dust bunny goes tumbling. And so it goes, one failed attempt to make a friend after another. That is, until a broom sweeps Dust Bunny into the bedroom . . . and what does he find under the bed? Yes, his mates! This is a very simple, very sweet, incredibly spare story of missed connection and friendship, anchored by the cutest little bunny around. --Publisher Read in Monday Cuentos Mucho Cuento Escrito por Enrique Paéz Ilustrado por Marjorie Pourchet OQO Editora, 2014.  Spanish Picture Book. Bella durmiente despertó. Un príncipe acababa de darle un beso. Se quedó quieta y sin abrir los ojos, para ver qué p...