Provo Library Children's Book Blog

  So here is the thing. I have a nephew that LOVES dragon books. Part of me wonders if he is part-dragon due to his love for dragon books. This love of dragons may have started with Dragons Love Tacos (a family favorite). But there are a lot of new dragon books that have caught our eye. Today I wanted to share some of the new dragon books that my nephew has loved.  Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon   By Kat Zhang  Illustrated by Charlene Chua  Simon & Schuster, 2020.  The best thing about this book is when Amy Wu realizes that her dragon can be whatever she wants it to be. Readers will enjoy seeing how dragons are different from different parts of the world and will think about if they want to make a dragon of their own.  Attack of the Underwear Dragon   By Scott Rothman  Illustrated by Pete Oswald  Random House Children’s Books, 2020.  This is the book to read if kids like dragons and belly laughs…and seeing depictions of a drag...

  And the People Stayed Home Written by Kitty O'Meara Illustrated by Stefano Di Cristofaro and Paul Pereda Four Printing, 2020. Picture Book. All of our lives changed in some way during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people all around the world stayed at home to slow the spread of the virus. This book is about what people did while they stayed home and how that time changed them. It mentions the fun and relaxation as well as the shadows that haunt some people. The fun, quirky illustrations are friendly. The beautiful poem by Kitty O'Meara was written as a way to cope with all of the uncertainties that have plagued us all and I think it does a beautiful job at making readers feel seen. When you read this book with your child, you can definitely find a couple of things you did at home. And when you do, you'll hopefully feel like you aren't so alone.

The Dragon Path By Ethan Young New York: Graphix, 2021. Graphic novel. 198 pgs. Prince Sing, the heir to the Wong Clan, is traveling with his clan to reclaim their ancestral home called the Old Land. Hoping for a better life, the clan decides it is necessary to risk crossing through the territories of their mortal enemies, the Dragon Tribe. Suddenly, the Wong Clan is attacked by the Dragon Tribe and Prince Sing is lost and presumed dead. In reality, Prince Sing escapes the attack and finds his way to the Old Land where he is met by a mystic named Ming and a giant, fluffy, cat monster with a stunning unicorn horn. In the Old Lands, Prince Sing finally learns the truth about his family history and must find a way to save his clan from the dragons and a traitor in their midst. The Dragon Path is a steampunk-tinged, fantasy-adventure graphic novel with gorgeously drawn comic panels. The fast-paced plot of this exciting novel picks up right in the middle of the action and the story never dr...

  Jump At The Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston Written by Alicia Williams Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021. Biography. Zora loved to listen to tales. She could sit for hours and just drink in the folktales of home,  like bee's to honey she was drawn to stories. When she was younger she would look for any excuse to go down to Joe Clarke's store and sit on the front porch and listen to the tales being swapped . When she started telling her own tales, her father and grandmother would get upset with her for telling lies, but her mother saw the value in her stories and she encouraged her to "jump at the sun." Her mother said she may not land on the sun but at least she would get off the ground. So Zora did just as her mother said and she jumped. Even when life was hard she continued to jump and try and through determination and grit she eventually achieved her dream of becoming a writer of stor...

  How to Apologize  By David LaRochelle  Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka  Candlewick Press, 2021. Picture Book.  What is an apology? Why would someone (or some-animal in this case) need to apologize? How do you apologize? These are some very important questions that are answered in this book. LaRochelle and Wohnoutka (who teamed up for the Geisel Award winning book See the Cat ) have teamed up again to deliver another great book for kids. Albeit not quite as hilarious as the aforementioned See the Cat (though really, what could be funnier than that book?), they do insert some comedy into what can be a very serious subject for children (just take a look at the apology letter Snail sends to Sloth). Wohnoutka’s brilliant illustrations of animals portray various concepts of LaRochelle’s information about apologies. This is a great book to read for anyone who is trying to teach young kids the importance of saying “I’m sorry!”

  Out of Nowhere By: Chris Naylor-Ballesteros Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book Have you ever had a friend where, when you met, you clicked right off the bat and couldn't remember a time when there wasn't two of you? That's the case in this story! A beetle and caterpillar become the best of friends, out of nowhere. One day caterpillar goes missing, cocooned underneath their home rock, out of sight, and beetle bravely sets off in search of his friend despite his fears leaving the safety of his home.  Out of Nowhere is a book of few words, but it shares a large story of friendship and loyalty. The illustrations are almost entirely black and white, but have highlights of red to draw focus to certain drawings. Although the story is simple, it is a wonderful reminder about the power of friendship and how to be brave in difficult circumstances. It is a story that both young children and adults will enjoy and relate to.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Road Trip By Melissa de la Cruz Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion, 2021. Fiction. 263 pgs. The East High Wildcats are still fresh from the success of their production of High School Musical: The Musical when Carlos finds out about an HSM convention in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and proposes a last minute, road-trip field trip. Of course, all of the Wildcats and their fearless leader Miss Jenn jump at the chance to attend panels about dancing, singing, acting, and much more. Plus, rumor has it that stars from the original High School Musical cast will be in attendance. Everyone has their own reason to attend, but one thing is clear -- even if the road gets bumpy, nothing will stop our Wildcats. Fans of High School Musical, and especially High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+, will fall in love with this goofy road trip story. The novel picks up right at the end of season one of the TV show and offers an additional story for reade...

  The Memory Thief Written by: Jodi Lynn Anderson Aladdin, 2021. Fiction. Rosie was only twelve-years old when she began to see magic. It all started on the night Rosie decided to burn the notebook of stories she had written. After burning her stories, Rosie unknowingly unlocks her ability to see ghosts. A ghost named Homer tells Rosie about her mother who was a witch hunter. Rosie discovers that on the night she was born, the Memory Witch stole all of her mother's memories to stop her from hunting witches. Rosie decides she is going to get her mother's memories back. With some help from her friend Germ, and several other ghosts, she hunts down a book called "Witch Hunters Guide to the Universe," and so begins a journey to save her mother's memories. The Memory Thief takes readers on a slightly scary adventure into a fantasy world of witches. It's a book filled with reminders of how powerful stories are and how stories can provide comfort and inspiration.  If ...

I’m On It!   By Andrea Tsurumi  Disney Enterprises, Inc., 2021. Easy Reader.  In this clever book a goat and a frog play on, over, under, and threw various objects. The goat is a steady climber on land while the frog gets more and more discombobulated while on his wobbly (which is helped by being on water) stack. Readers will enjoy the silly faces and the hysterical predicaments that goat and frog get into while trying to one-up each other. Readers who love other books in the “Elephant and Piggie Present” series will eagerly await to read this particular book.

The Llamacorn is Kind By Kate Coombs Illustrated by Elisa Pallmer Llamacorn land is filled with special creatures. Meet the well-known and beautiful Unicorn, the clumsy Buffalocorn, a big, blue Walruscorn, the fearsome Tigercorn, and more in this playful introduction to the land of the Llamacorn Once Upon a Unicorn's Horn By Beatrice Blue A little girl befriends a sad, tiny horse, and, with a little magic (and an ice cream cone), helps him fly. Unicorns 101 By Cale Atkinson Invites the reader to join top unicorn scientists as they clear up the myths and misconceptions people have about these majestic creatures and their abilities. The Unicorn Came to Dinner By Lauren DeStefano Illustrated by Gaia Cornwall The unicorn smells nice, but she is very rude. She never waits for an invitation to come over--she walks right in and tracks heart-shaped hoof-prints across the carpet. She sits in Elizabeth's chair and makes a complete mess of the house. She even sleeps in Elizabeth's bed...

  Ghosted By Michael Fry Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. Fiction. Grimm and Larry become best friends and together create their Totally To-Do bucket list, which includes all kinds of zany activities. Before they can finish all the items on their list, Grimm dies in an accident while saving a kitten from a tree. Next thing Larry knows, Grimm is back as a ghost playing his usual tricks. When they discover that Grimm is stuck as a ghost in this world, they decide to complete their bucket list to see if it will help Grimm move on.   Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love this illustrated chapter book by Michael Fry. This story is a tale of true friendship that is heartwarming and hilarious. It addresses the topic of struggling to deal with the death of a friend while still keeping humor intertwined to make it lighthearted and fun. 

The Shape of Thunder By Jasmine Warga New York: HarperCollins, 2021. Fiction. 288 pgs. In the year since tragedy struck their community, former best friends Cora Hamed and Quinn McCauley haven't spoken. Cora, who lives with her Lebanese father and white American grandmother, is mourning the loss of her older sister Mabel who was killed by a school shooter. Meanwhile Quinn and her parents are still reeling from the unspeakable actions of her older brother. But Quinn has an idea, to fix everything that her brother put wrong by traveling back in time to stop him from hurting anyone. This ambitious plan will require Cora and Quinn to work together while navigating the messy grieving process. This is an extremely powerful and utterly heartbreaking novel of two girls managing to heal in the aftermath of unbelievable tragedy. This novel succeeds in sharing both Quinn and Cora's voices in alternating chapters and offers a glimpse into a community attempting to heal after tragedy. Espec...

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance Written by Nikki Grimes Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2021. Informational. During the Harlem Renaissance there were many female poets who excelled in creating beautiful poetry, but over the years they have been forgotten. Nikki Grimes, author of  One Last Word, has taken these forgotten poems and paired them with her own poetry in the golden shovel style she has become known for. Legacy is a unique collection of poetry with original art work that complements both poems to create a beautiful bridge between the classic and modern poetry.  This stunning work of art, history, and voice contains a foreword by the author with an introduction to the Harlem Renaissance and the Gold Shovel method she uses in her poetry. At the end of the book are biographies of the illustrators and poets which are very inspiring and informative. This would be a perfect collection to read during African American History Month, or anytime you want to read uniq...

  Not Now, Cow  By Tammi Sauer  Illustrated by Troy Cummings  Abrams Appleseed, 2021. Picture Book.  In this book the various farm animals are preparing for various seasons. As the animals all get ready for spring, Cow dresses for winter. As the animals get ready for summer, Cow dresses for winter. Toddler and preschool readers will giggle as they realize what season Cow is really dressed for and what happens at the end of the story. This is just a fun read for those youngsters who like animals, laughing, and are figuring out their own clothing choices.

Welcome Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems Mo Willems' introductory guide for new arrivals welcomes readers to the world using bold, eye-catching graphics and clever text that is perfect for reading aloud.  Tessa Takes Wing Written by Richard Jackson Illustrated by Julie Downing While everyone else in the family is sleeping, baby Tessa manages to get out of her crib and plays until the rest of the family begins to awaken. Buster and the Baby Written by Amy Hest Illustrated by Polly Dunbar Buster the dog and a baby engage in a playful game of chase all day. When nighttime comes, they're still bonding. You Are New Written and Illustrated by Lucy Knisley A world of being new is waiting for little ones and the grown-ups who love them in this warm and funny book. From napping to crying to cuddling to playing, this book introduces the world to newborns (and new parents) with humor, honesty, and unmitigated sweetness. I Love You, Baby Burrito Written and Illustrated by Angela Domin...

Seaside Stroll By Charles Trevino Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga Watertown. MA, Charlesbridge, 2021. Picture Book A little girl goes with her mom and her doll to the beach in the winter. They explore the sand, wave pools, and creatures by the water. After a day of exploring they return home, warm up, wash, eat, and go to bed. The entirety of the text of this book is made out of letter "S" words and it tells a s uch a   s weet s tory. It creates a strong nostalgic pull to anyone who has experienced being near the coast, especially in cold weather. The illustrations will have you staring, captivated by the detail and imagery, no matter your age. Although it may be chilly during their beach day, this book is sure to warm your heart!

A Plan for the People Written by Lindset McDivvit Illustrated by Charly Palmer Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2021. Informational. This beautiful picture-book biography gives you a look at Nelson Mandela's life, from his hopeful desire to help his fellow South Africa Natives, to the man who took his experiences on to impact the world. He watched his life morph as racism weighed down on the black people of his country. He felt angry and desperate to make a change. In prison, he felt loneliness and isolation until he was able to summon his courage to rewrite his future. After decades of imprisonment, he was finally released and felt the empowerment of freedom.  When elected president of South Africa, he was able to share that freedom with so many others. The lives that this one hopeful man touch are countless. The acrylic illustrations provide depth to the inspiring words of the book. Seeing and reading about Nelson Mandela's fight against racism and injustice makes this quick b...

Training Day By Raúl the Third New York: Versify, 2021. Early reader graphic novel. Famous luchador El Toro has a big lucha libre match coming up, but he has a big problem -- all he wants to do is sleep! He is too sleepy to run around the block, catch chickens, carry abuelas across the street, or crush cars into cubes to get strong. Luckily, he has a relentlessly energetic trainer -- the rooster called Kooky Dooky -- who refuses to let El Toro give up.  This early reader graphic novel jumps back into the World of ¡Vamos! from Raúl the Third's Pura Belpre winning picture book series. Spanish words and phrases are peppered throughout the text and are subtly taught to readers with an English translation either preceding or following the text. Comic fans will love the super vibrant, richly detailed frames that look and feel like vintage lucha posters. This is the start of a must read graphic novel series filled with delightful illustrations and a great introduction to visual lite...

  Zonia's Rain Forest Written and Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal Candlewick Press, 2021. Picture Book. Zonia lives in the Peruvian rain forest with those she loves, where it is always green and full of life. She enjoys walking through the forest and visiting old and new friends who live there. During her daily walks she meets a lot of different creatures who live in the forest; sloths, birds, a jaguar, anteaters, a boa constrictor, river dolphins and turtles. One day during her walk Zonia discovers a part of the rain forest that has been cut down and destroyed. She runs home to tell her mother that the forest needs help. When she hears the forest calling her, Zonia vows to help the forest that she loves. If you are a fan of Juana Martinez-Neal's artwork you will not be disappointed with this book. The soft illustrations welcome you into Zonia's world as you are introduced to the many animals and the beauty of the forest itself. This is a great book to use as an introduc...

  One-Osaurus, Two-Osaurus  By Kim Norman  Illustrated by Pierre Collet-Derby  Candlewick Press, 2021. Picture Book. This is a clever read-aloud book that is full of counting, rhymes, and dinosaurs! I can’t wait for in-person story times when we can read this to a crowd. I suspect little toddler-sized listeners will love to count (and roar) along with the story. “One-osaurus, two-osaurus…three-osaurus, four…five-osaurus, six-osaurus, seven-osaurus…ROAR!” The text is clever enough that kids will love listening, but the illustrations are such fun as well! I personally love the nervousness show by the eight-osaurus as he is waiting for the “Ready or not, here I come” osaurus. This is sure to be a new counting and dinosaur classic among read-aloud and story time crowds.

Water Basics By Carol Lindeen Simple text and photographs present water and the water cycle. The Great Big Water Cycle Adventure Written by Kay Barnham Illustrated by Maddie Frost Follow the journey of water, from raindrops to rivers and then back to the clouds. Children have lots of questions about the world around them, and this book helps them discover many amazing and wonderful scientific facts about nature. The charming collage-effect illustrations are inspired by farms and scenery that the illustrator sees around her home in New Hampshire. Lively texts engage children and make this book a favorite to return to again and again. There are also notes to parents and teachers at the end to encourage further exploration and learning. Water By Harriet Brundle This exciting series explores a range of everyday materials. Early readers will discover the properties and uses of each material through accessible text and eye-catching imagery that will bring this area of the curriculum to life....