Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Lizzy Legend Written by Matthew Ross Smith New York: Aladdin, 2019. Fiction. 236 pages. Lizzy Trudeaux loves basketball. She doesn't have much by way of money, but she has access to the community court and a worn ball named Ginger, and she practices constantly. After fighting to join the boys' team at her school, Lizzy is finally given the opportunity to show off her hard-earned skills.  Then, just as she's about to go face-to-face with her hero, the best player on the planet, things begin to fall apart. But Lizzy isn't a quitter and she'll play her hardest for the love of the game. --Publisher Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up Written by Jenn Bishop San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 2023. Fiction. 296 pages. New to Cincinnati, where her father is now coach of the University basketball team, eighth-grader Aurora (called Rory) finds herself isolated by the heated team rivalries-especially when it turns out her new friend Abby's father has a mys...

Scaredy Cats By Jeff Mack New York: Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book. A package has arrived and the white cat thinks that there's a cake inside. The orange cat, though, is convinced that something much more terrifying lingers inside the pretty package. Is it a tiger? A crocodile? A great white shark? A 30-ton guinea pig? On the left side of each spread are the cats, drawn more realistically. On the right side are pictures of the potential threats hiding inside the package, drawn bigger and more cartoonishly on each page as the book goes along. Your kids will giggle along as the cats scare themselves more and more as the book progresses. What's actually in the box? That's for the reader to decide.

Museum of Lost and Found  By Leila Sales  New York: Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, 2023. 297 pages.  Vanessa feels adrift. She is now in middle school and her best friend is ignoring her. Her dad is overseas for the military. Her older brother is annoyingly observant and wants to know what she is doing at all times. In order to cope, sometimes Vanessa goes around the city looking for new places to see on her own—and she discovers an old, abandoned museum. Vanessa crawls in through a window and decides that she will take over the building and make her own exhibit. Her hope is that if she displays all her past mementoes of their friendship, she will understand what happened between her and her best friend.  This is a great book full of heart, self-discovery, and kid-created museum exhibits. Readers who are looking for a book that takes a good look at the messy bits in life, family, and friendships will enjoy reading Vanessa’s story.

Biographies have always been one of my favorite genres of book. I love learning about people's stories and how they saw the world. I especially love picture book biographies, because you can get a snapshot of someone's life in a particularly digestible format that doesn't take you hours to read. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite picture book biographies from this year. Good Books for Bad Children: The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom Written by Beth Kephart Illustrated by Chloe Bristol New York: Anne Schwartz Books, 2023. Informational. This book tells the story of Ursula Nordstrom, a legendary children's editor at Harper. Nordstrom's childhood was solitary, she spent much of it in boarding school after her parents divorce. She worked on textbooks before rising up the ranks to become to eventually run the Children's Department. She discovered and assisted many notable children's book authors of the 20th Century, including E. B. White, Margaret W...

  Batcat By Meggie Ramm New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 91 pages. Batcat is part bat, part cat. They love video games, tacos, and being all alone in their home on Spooky Isle. Until one day, an annoying ghost begins haunting their house and disrupts all of Batcat's familiar routines and keeps eating all of their snacks, especially the ice cream! Batcat decides enough is enough, and seeks out the Island Witch to help them solve the problem of getting rid of this annoying ghost. The Island Witch sends Batcat on a mission to find three ingredients to make a spell that will solve their ghost problem, the ingredients are: a bottle of the essence of darkness, a jar of graveyard dust, and a griffin's egg. Along the way Batcat learns some encouraging lessons about accepting yourself as you are and that maybe being alone isn't all its cracked up to be.   Full of humor and heart, Batcat is a fast-paced read that is charmingly illustrated with an upbeat message that encourage...

 I believe it's important to teach children about the struggles and victories of the civil rights movement because children can play an important role in changing the world today. Here are a few civil rights books you can read and discuss to learn more about the people who stood up and made a difference in the world.  My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement Written by Willie Mae Brown New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2023. Biography. My Selma is several stories told from the perspective of a young girl, Willie Mae, living in Alabama during the civil rights movement. It's the summer of 1965 and young Willie Mae is experiencing life during a time of racism and prejudice, where she is judged everyday because of the color of her skin.  You experience her world through her eyes as she talks about a job she gets babysitting for a white family, attending a church rally with her mother where Martin Luther King Jr. speaks along wit...

Juniper's Christmas By Eoin Colfer Illustrations by Chaaya Prabhat New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2023. Fiction. 355 pages. Eight years ago, Santa Claus stopped delivering presents after his wife passed away. Without Santa Claus, Juniper's dad helps his family find their own Christmas cheer by helping others in need. When he dies, Juniper and her mom let go of the tradition. In the present, 11-year-old Juniper is finally ready to find the spirit of Christmas again when her mom disappears. Distraught, she seeks the help of a family friend, Duchess, and a man named Nicholas, who is actually Santa Claus hiding in modern-day London. Together, Juniper and Santa Claus must find her mom and save Christmas from a group of greedy constables who wish to shut down the charitable holiday celebration. This book is an incredible twist on the classic Christmas story, and it expertly weaves together masterful storytelling, phenomenal character development, and even a love story or two. Juniper...

The Naughty Kitten By Paula Harrison New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2019. Intermediate. 105 pgs. Princess Bea loves animals, and wants a pet of her own more than anything. But her father, the king, says that the Ruby Palace is no place for pets. When Bea rescues a stray kitten from a tree, she promises to keep it safe until she can find its owner. But the adventurous kitten keeps getting into trouble! And when it goes exploring in the middle of the night, Bea will need to be very brave. Bump By Matt Wallace New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2021. Fiction. 276 pgs. There is only one thing MJ loves: the world of professional wrestling. She especially idolizes the luchadores and the stories they tell in the ring. When MJ learns that her neighbor, Mr. Arellano, runs a wrestling school, she has a new mission in life: join the school, train hard, and become a wrestler. Undercover! By Ida Siegal New York: Scholastic Press, 2016. Intermediate. 124 pgs. When Emma finds an old note in a lost libra...

Ghost Book By Remy Lai New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2023. Comic. 313 pages. It's Hungry Ghost Month, which means that the Gates of the Underworld are open and ghosts are traveling through the mortal realm in search of food. Which also means that July Chen has to spend the next month pretending that she can't see all of the ghosts floating around, just like she has every other Hungry Ghost Month of her entire life. But when she saves William, a boy ghost, from being eaten by one of the Hungry Ghosts, he won't let her pretend that she can't see them. And as it turns out, William is not a ghost at all, he's somewhere in between life and death, as his body resides in a local hospital. For the first time in her life, July finally has a friend (you see, July has always been very forgettable, sometimes even her dad forgets that she exists.) Will they be able to find a way to reunite William with his body? Will they be able to figure out why July can see ghosts when no...

Duel Written by Jessixa Bagley Illustrated by Aaron Bagley New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. Comics. 307 pages. Lucy and GiGi are sisters who are constantly fighting. When a big fight on the first day of school lands them in the principal's office, the sisters decide to settle things once and for all with a big fencing bout in front of the whole school. If GiGi wins, Lucy will stay out of her way until GiGi goes to high school and if Lucy wins, then GiGi will stop bullying her. GiGi is an experienced fencer and one of the best on the school team whereas Lucy is talented but her skills are more basic. As they prepare for their duel, the story is told from both sister's perspective which helps the reader understand how we got here and why we should empathize with both girls. Lucy and GiGi's father has recently passed away and their mother has withdrawn into her grief. The already strained relationship between the two sisters is now heightened by th...

The Plot to Kill a Queen By Deborah Hopkinson New York: Scholastic Press, 2023. Fiction. 210 pgs. Emilia dreams of becoming a successful playwright in 1582, something unheard of for girls in her day, but she hopes that entering a writing competition under a pseudonym will give her a chance. When she overhears a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, though, Emilia agrees to help discover who is behind the plan. Sent undercover by Elizabeth's spymaster, Emilia infiltrates the circle of the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots to find out the truth. As Emilia spends more time around the exiled queen, she works to complete her play for the upcoming competition and discover the true culprits before it is too late. This book is written in three acts, with scene divisions like a play. Narrator asides from an older version of Emilia are interspersed to explain historical context for readers, and extensive historical notes are included at the back of the book. The book also includes a script and s...

We hate to say it, but it is the end of the year. In the book world, that means two things. First, everyone is frantically trying to finish their annual reading goals. Second, you are probably inundated with best of the year lists. This list is a little bit of both. The books on this list are some of the very best picture books of 2023 that will especially appeal to adult readers. These books are remarkable in both illustration and text and have elements that will resonate with adults for one reason or another. And, since they are pretty short in terms of page numbers, these are quick reads that will help you complete your reading goal. A win-win-win (because reading picture books is always a bonus win). These are our picks for best Picture Books of 2023 for Grown-Ups. A Walk in the Woods By Nikki Grimes Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney & Brian Pinkney New York: Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book. After losing his father, a boy opens an envelope from his late father to find a treasure h...

  Parachute Kids By Betty C. Tang New York: Scholastic Inc., 2023. Comics. 281 pages. After a fun trip to America, including a visit to Disneyland, Feng-li and her siblings are shocked to find out their parents plan on them staying in the United States... alone and undocumented.  This book made me feel all the emotions.  I felt the anger and betrayal that Feng-li and her brother and sister felt at realizing their parents were going to leave them on their own in a new country. I felt sympathy at their frustration, embarrassment, and growing pains of learning a new language.  My heart ached as they faced racism and fear of being found out as being undocumented.  I was sick when they were scammed out of their life savings by unscrupulous people taking advantage of their inexperience and tenuous position in America.   This book is for anyone wanting to learn more about the immigrant experience. It's also for readers looking for a based on real-life story o...

This time of year is filled with all kinds of yummy cookies, cakes, candy, and other sweet treats. There are parties and gatherings where people come together and celebrate, bringing treats to share. If you like holiday baking, these books are for you! Cookies for Santa: 52 Kid-Friendly Holiday Baking Recipes By Pia Imperial New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2023. Informational. 80 pages. On Christmas Eve many people have a fun tradition of leaving cookies for Santa. This book is perfect for those who are wanting to leave a fun holiday treat for Saint Nick. There are 52 recipes that are easy for kids to understand and make. American Girl Holiday Baking: Seasonal Recipes for Cakes, Cookies & More By American Girl Point Richmond, CA: Weldon Owen, 2019. Informational. 121 pages. This American Girl recipe book includes holiday treats for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. It teaches young bakers basic baking skills, piping techniques, and decorating ideas. There are tons of fun reci...

There Was a Party for Langston Written by Jason Reynolds Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023. Picture Book. Inspired by a photograph of famous writers Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at a party at the New York Public Library, this picture book is a celebration of the legacy of Langston Hughes. This book, as promised, is a party. It is joyful, resplendent, playful, and - above all - celebratory. A poem in a book, the text flows smoothly yet still creates whirlwinds of excitement around Langston Hughes -- his cultural impact is clearly felt. The verse pays homage to Langston Hughes, but still feels totally like Jason Reynolds. The illustrations move with the text in perfect syncopation and, in good tribute to the "King o' Letters," are often composed of colorful typographic call outs -- using verses from Hughes' poems. This is a book that celebrates words, but it also celebrates pictures and music an...

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods By Grace Lin New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2023. Informational. 288 pages. Have you ever wanted to know more about the food that you find at a Chinese restaurant? This book, which is laid out like a takeout menu with sections for tea, appetizers, soups, and "chef's specials," tells the stories behind more than twenty Chinese dishes. Some of the foods have stories based in folklore, in mythology, in historical fact, and all are shared with vivid detail. Each section includes the author explaining a little about the dish and her personal connection to it before digging into the origin story behind our feast. Line drawings and full-color gouache images bring the stories and foods to life.  This is an ambitious kind of project and it pays off. The resulting book is highly unique and very special. The resulting spread of dishes examines Chinese culture, Chinese folklore, and even relates to the his...

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer is one of our favorite Christmas icons. He was always judged for his shiny nose and then had the chance to prove himself when he leads Santa's sleigh through a foggy night. Here are some books that I think Rudolph would love to read! 12 Hacks to Beat Bullying By Honor Head New York: Enslow Publishing, 2023. Informational. 32 pages. This is a short but effective book about what to do if you are being bullied. The hacks help with things like frenemies, cyber bullying, and peer pressure. Rudolph could definitely take a few of these tips to combat the bullying from all the other reindeer. Cloud Chaser Written by Anne-Fleur Drillon Illustrated by Eric Purbaret Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books, Inc, 2018. Picture Book. Emery has always dreamed of flying and one day, when she meets the mysterious man who moved in next door, she finally gets her chance. The two work together to build a flying machine. As a frequent flyer, Rudolph would probably be tickled to hea...

  Just One Flake By Travis Jonker New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2023. Picture Book. As the weather turns colder, you may be looking for books to read to your kids about the snow. If you are, run, don't walk, to the library to pick up this fun read aloud about a boy who just wants to catch a snowflake on his tongue. Liam tries many different ways to catch the snowflake throughout the book, one of which sends him straight into a snow bank. This would be a great read aloud to use as the start of a lesson or art activity about snow and kids will laugh out loud at Liam's antics, and then probably beg you to let them go outside try to catch snowflakes of their own.

Need a little help winding down at the end of the day? Brain buzzing with questions? Let the soothing illustrations, silly hijinks, and gentle language of these books get you in the right mindset to drift off to dreamland.  The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions Written by Isabel Thomas Illustrated by Aaron Cushley New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2023. Informational. 95 pages. Have you ever lain awake at night because you couldn't stop thinking about a certain topic or question? Everyone has been there. Enters  The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions to set your mind at ease. Loosely encyclopedic with whimsical illustrations, this book sets out to answer impossible questions, such as: "How do we know that unicorns never existed?," "Do wasps know they hurt people when they sting?," and "How big is the universe?" So whether it's you personally or an inquisitive young one, prepare to have curiosity appeased and the stage set for a more ...