Provo Library Children's Book Blog

  Into the Glades  By Laura Sebastian  Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, 2022. 230 p.  Cordelia and Larkin are best friends. They live in a magical swamp full of creatures like pix-quitoes (pixie/mosquitoes) and dragon-gators (dragon/alligators). One day Cordelia’s father, Oziris, suddenly passes away. Now the peaceful glades become terrorizing and the girls think it has to do with the death of Oziris. They head off on a quest to see if a witch can potentially raise Oziris from the dead and make everything go back to normal. However, each girl’s struggles (Cordelia’s grief and Larkin’s lack of magic) makes the journey a bit more difficult. This is a great fantasy full of magic (Larkin’s brother has magical boogers), adventure, and learning how to overcome grief and to trust your friends. Readers who like magical adventures where characters and friendships are the most important bits of the story will love this tale.

  There have been some great informational picture books that have come out this past year. And I thought I would take a moment to show you five of my favorites. So, if you know anyone who wants to learn more and have that information presented in a beautiful format with fantastic illustrations, this list is for you!  Caves  By Nell Cross Beckerman  Illustrated by Kalen Chock  Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, 2022.  I have always been fascinated by speleologists—possibly because I may or may not be a tiny bit afraid ever since I read Tom Sawyer and imagined myself trapped like Becky and Tom. Anyway, this book totally grabbed my attention. It shows all the beauty (both the small bits and the grand, majestic parts) of caves. Readers who love adventures and exploring will enjoy learning more about this part of the world.  Mega-Predators of the Past  By Melissa Steward  Illustrated by Howard Gray  Peachtree Publishing, 2022.  Th...

It's Raining Tacos! Written by Parry Gripp Illustrated by Peter Emmerich Harpers Collin Publisher, 2021. Picture Book. Read (or sing!) along to the silly YouTube hit, "It's Raining Tacos!" Let's Taco About How Great You Are! By Bob Holt Double Day Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book. Anthropomorphic snack foods build reader's self-esteem in this pun-filled book. Taco Truck Snack & Find Written by Rubie Crowe Illustrated by Josh Cleland Cottage Door Press, 2022. Picture Book.  Follow Mole in an I Spy adventure as he searches all over town for a delicious taco.

Toddler Time Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party By Kimberly and James Dean New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019. Picture Book. After inviting his friends over for a pizza party, Pete piles his favorite pepperoni topping on the pie he is making, but when his guests arrive and add their own toppings to the pizza, Pete begins to wonder if his perfect pizza will be ruined.--Publisher  Preschool Time Princess Versus Dinosaurs Written by Linda Bailey Illustrated by Joy Ang  Toronto: Tundra Books, 2020. Picture Book. An argument ensues about what kind of book this is, a princess book or a dinosaur book. Maybe it is a book for everyone.--Publisher Preschool Time Penny and Penelope Written by Dan Richards Illustrated by Claire Almon  New York : Imprint, A part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, 2019. Picture Book.   Penny and Penelope are very different dolls. Penelope is a sweet princess, while Penny is a fierce secret agent. Penelope wan...

When you're super hungry, you may or may not want to read books about food, depending on how hangry you are. Books about food usually involve puns, and fabulous illustrations. Here are a few books you can read when you feel your tummy get a little rumbly: Let's Taco About How Great You Are By Bob Holt Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book. This yummy book is full of great food and hilarious puns. Because this book is about how great you are, it will make you smile and boost your self-esteem at the same time. The Foodie Flamingo Written by Vanessa Howl Illustrated by Pablo Pino RP Kids, 2021. Picture Book. Frankie the Flamingo and their friends always order shrimp dishes when they go out to eat. Frankie decides that she wants to be a foodie, so she starts to make food with ingredients other than shrimp. Since she's a flamingo, she turns whatever color the food is that she eats. She convinces her friends to become foodies too, and pretty soon there are rainbow...

  Digestion! The Musical Written by Adam Rex Illustrated by Laura Park Chronicle Books, 2022. Picture Book. Adam Rex is known for his humorous picture books (if you haven't read Are You Scared, Darth Vader?  stop what you're doing and go to the library to check it out right now, it's amazing!) and he hits it out of the park with Digestion! The Musical . Have you ever wished that something you disliked (learning about biology) could be combined with something you love (Broadway musicals)? Because I definitely have! That's what Adam Rex did here. This book follows the story of a piece of candy traveling through the digestive system until its eventual end in the toilet bowl and meeting different organs along the way.  If you are looking for a book that explains in great detail how the digestive system works, you'll want to look for a different book. But if you are looking for a brief overview of where your food goes after you eat it, this is the book for you. It would ...

The Abominable Snowman is a creature of snow, ice, and legend. Does this monster really stalk the snowy slopes of the Himalayan mountains? And if he could, what books would he choose to read up in his snowy cave? Here is a list of titles that you AND the Abominable Snowman might find interesting: When the Abominable Snowman wants a more in-depth look at his mountain home- Everest Written by Sangma Francis Illustrated by Lisk Feng London: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd., 2018. Informational. 75 pages. A detailed look at Mount Everest located in the Himalayan mountain range, which includes such chapters as: How do you measure a mountain?, looking up to the mountain, life at the foot of the mountain, magic in medicine, sacred mountain, the Sherpa people of Khumbu Valley, and the legend of Shambhala. When the Abominable Snowman needs new ideas on how he can remain undiscovered- Masters of Disguise: Camouflaging Creatures and Magnificent Mimics By Marc Martin Somerville, Mas...

  A Perfect Mistake Written by Melanie Conklin Little, Brown and Company, 2022. Fiction. 265 pgs. Middle school is hard for everyone but it is especially tough for Max who at age 11 is almost 6ft tall and struggles with ADHD. One summer night right before school starts Max and his best friends, Will and Joey, make a bad decision. They decide to go into the nature preserve, which is off limits, and now Will is in the hospital in a coma and Joey isn't talking to Max anymore. The last thing Max remembers about that terrible night is being scared, running home and leaving his friends behind. Max blames himself for the accident and when the police don't seem to be finding any answers Max decides to solve the mystery and find out what really happened that night.  This is an excellent book with a fast paced plot and a story that I think kids can relate to. Max is a great character who is learning to navigate middle school and changing friendships as well as learning to deal with his ...

As a librarian, I love books! But what's even better than books? Books about books! These fun picture books are hilarious, thoughtful, and imaginative depictions of books come to life. With 5 different options to choose from, these "book" books are amazing for both the avid and the reluctant reader. Battle of the Books By Melanie Ellsworth Illustrated by James Rey Sanchez New York, NY : Little Bee Books, 2022. Picture Book. It’s a battle between the books to be the story chosen for bedtime. Each one wants to be read, and as they push and shove each other in order to get the best spot, Pirate Book falls off the shelf. They each use their unique skills to help him get back on the shelf, and eventually, Josh picks the best book of them all—all of them. With fun text for each book and a personality to match, this is sure to become a favorite bedtime story. Book's Big Adventure By Adam Lehrhaupt Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell New York : Simon & Schuster Books for ...

Just a Big Storm By Mercer Mayer New York : HarperFestival, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. Picture Book. When a big storm passes over their house, Little Critter and his family lose power! What will they do without it? Franklin Has a Sleepover Written by Paulette Bourgeois Illustrated by Brenda Clark New York : Scholastic Inc., 1996. Picture Book Franklin invites his best friend, Bear, to a sleepover, the very first for each of them. Paddington Written by Michael Bond Illustrated by R.W. Alley New York : HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. Picture Book Nearly fifty years ago, a small bear from Darkest Peru set out on an adventure of a lifetime. With nothing but a suitcase, several jars of marmalade, and a label around his neck that read, "Please Look After This Bear," he stowed away on a ship headed for faraway England. When the little bear arrived at London's busy Paddington Station, he was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown. As luck would have it, the Browns we...

Toddler Time Arlo Draws an Octopus Written by Lori Mortensen Illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr.  New York, NY : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book.  When Arlo decides to draw an octopus, he can't help but think that maybe he's just not an octopus drawer. His drawing has a head that looks like a hill and eight squiggly arms that look like roads. It's an octopus disaster -piece! But just as Arlo vows to never draw an octopus again, he makes a discovery that changes his perspective about his drawing . . . and much more.--Publisher  Preschool Time The Perfect Rock  By Sarah Noble London : Flying Eye Books, 2022. Picture Book.  Ollie, Bea, and Ula do everything together. They play in the waves, eat shellfish feasts and snuggle up together to sleep. But there comes a day when every young otter must find a special rock of their very own -- one shiny and strong enough to crack open shells for themselves. What will happen when there's just one perfect rock and...

  Brave Miss Muffet Written by Dori Graham  Illustrated by Kyle Beckett New York: Reycraft Books, 2022. Picture Book. This classic nursery rhyme starts out like all the others. But when the spider sits down beside the little miss, she is not scared at all! The narrator tries again to scare her away with a tiger. But who could be afraid of such a cute, big kitty? After many attempts, the narrator surrenders to the brave Miss Muffet.  Take this book home and read it with your elementary-aged kids who need a laugh and a bit on inspiration. This adorable nursery rhyme retelling will have your littles laughing and inspire them to be brave. If this little girl isn't scared of tigers and crocodiles and dragons, why should I? The colorful, exciting illustrations are captivating. The bright pages and illustration technique makes you think that these frightening creatures aren't actually so bad. 

The end of January is the time of year when maple syrup farmers begin to tap maple trees to access the sugary sap inside. As the weather starts to warm up, the sap inside the trees flows out through the tap to the buckets waiting to collect it below. The sap is then distilled into delicious syrup we know and love. As much as 40 gallons of sap are distilled to make a single gallon of syrup! Break out the pancakes and check out these books about maple syrup during the sugaring season. Almost Time By Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney Illustrated by G. Brian Karas New York: Clarion Books, 2020. Picture Book. Ethan can't wait until it's time for the weather to warm up so he and his dad can begin the process of harvesting and making their maple syrup. Having to wait for his loose tooth to fall out doesn't make the process any easier. Readers will relate to Ethan's eagerness as he learns that although being patient is difficult, the rewards are worth it. Bear Goes Sugarin...

Seen and Unseen: What Toyo Miyatake, Dorothea Lange, and Ansel Adams' Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration By Elizabeth Partridge Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2022. Nonfiction. 123 pgs. This highly illustrated, immersive nonfiction book offers a whole new lens to view the Japanese American Incarceration through. In 1942, during World War II, President Roosevelt authorized the forced removal and imprisonment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast; including grandparents, children, and babies. These families were forced to relocate to federal prison camps like Manzanar in California. During the length of the Japanese American Incarceration, three photographers captured images of the camps -- Dorothea Lange, who wanted to show how unfair the relocation process was; Toyo Miyatake, a prisoner at Manzanar who used smuggled equipment to document everything; and Ansel Adams, who wanted to take posed photos and show a p...

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Frankly, it's a little too much screaming for my taste. Instead of yelling our guts out for the delicious dairy dessert, let's sit down with a bowl of our favorite flavor and quietly read about it instead. Ice Cream Face By Heidi Woodward Sheffield Nancy Paulson Books, 2022. Picture Book. A little boy experiences a variety of different emotions while he waits in line for ice cream, his favorite food. Paletero Man Written by Lucky Diaz Illustrated by Micah Player Harper Collins Publisher, 2021. Picture Book. A little boy passes through his busy neighborhood in search of the Paletero Man. But when he finally catches up with him, his pockets are empty. Oh no! What happened to his dinero? It will take the help of the entire community to get the tasty treat now. Pick Me! By Max Amato Scholastic Press, 2022. Picture Book. All the different flavors of ice cream believe they are best, and beg to be picked--until Rocky Road tells them...