Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Jungle Cat Written by Andrew Larsen Illustrated by Udayana Lugo Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Book Publishers, 2023. Picture Book. In this playfully illustrated picture book, a group of neighbors come together to help their much-loved apartment cat when his outside adventure goes awry. --Publisher No Snowball! By Isabella Kung  New York: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2022. Picture Book. Queen NoFuzzball loves being the ruler of her queendom. Her subjects adore her. But a new kitten has arrived to her home! Could this new subject be a threat to her throne? --Publisher Scaredy Cats By Jeff Mack New York : Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book. Three kittens speculate on what might be in a wrapped gift before them: a harmless cake, or an array of increasingly vicious predators. --Publisher Being a Cat: A Tail of Curiosity Written by Maria Gianferrari Illustrated by Pete Oswald New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023. Picture Book. A child and ...

  Preschool Time What About X?: An Alphabet Adventure Written by Anne Marie Houppert Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman New York: Abrams Appleseed, 2020. Picture Book. Ready to go on a camping trip with the Alphabet Academy? F packs fishing poles. J has juice boxes for everyone. T tackles a tent. But X can't think of a thing to bring! --Publisher Preschool Time Grace and Box Written by Kim Howard Illustrated by Megan Lotter New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2021. Picture Book. After Box delivers a refrigerator, Grace and Box become friends, camping together, going to space, and exploring the depths of the sea, among other adventures. After a few days of playing together, Grace notices that Box is getting some rips and crumples, which she's determined to fix, so they can continue their fun. --Editor Toddler Time Extra Ezra Makes an Extra-Special Friend Written by Kara LaReau Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022. Picture Book. Ezr...

 There are many little ones who love to read about transportation books. The wheels that go round and round, the big trailers, the extra parts that dig or smash or compact just are fun to see out on the road and in a good book. Here are five of my favorite newer transportation books that are fun to read for both kids and the adults who might read to them. Enjoy!  Big Truck Day  Written by Rosanne Parry  Illustrated by Niki Stage  New York: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022. Picture Book.  In this story, the neighborhood is excited and heading to the library for a very special day. A day featuring all kinds of big trucks. However, their favorite is the library’s book mobile—all full of books ready to be checked out.  Bing! Bang! Chugga! Beep!  Written by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson  Illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois  Dallas; New York: Brown Books Kids, 2023. Picture Book.  With a plethora of onoma...

  Light and Air By Mindy Nichols Wendell Holiday House, 2024. Fiction. 188 pages. In 1935, Halle's lives with her mother and father. Every day at school, she gets to see her best friend Thelma. Although her life isn't perfect, her father is eager to criticize and hesitant to show affection, it is pretty great. But then Momma is diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and is rushed to J.N. Adam Hospital in upstate New York. Once it's just Halle and Papa, he becomes even less affectionate and more withdrawn, expecting her to take care of the housework and lashing out if it's not adequately handled. Halle's school life is also difficult, where she is bullied and ostracized by the children who assume that she also has TB, even though her x-rays have shown her lungs look clear. When everything comes to a head, she decides to walk the 20 miles to visit her mother in the hospital, but while on the way she becomes ill and ends up becoming a patient in the hospital herself.  This b...

Spring has sprung, and many animal species will soon be caring for new babies. Whether you're interested in animals that swim, fly, or graze, these books are sure to give you a few ideas about some baby animals you might spy around your own neighborhood... So, be on the lookout! The Egg Book: See How Baby Animals Hatch, Step by Step! By Robert Burton New York: DK, 2023. Informational. 79 pages. Did you know many baby animals, not just birds, hatch from eggs? Reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates all start out inside an egg. Through remarkable real life photographs, readers will follow along with the journeys of 20 different animals from what's happening inside the shell to the moment these creatures emerge.  National Geographic Kids 5-Minute Baby Animal Stories By National Geographic Partners Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Partners, LLC, 2023. Informational. 207 pages. Quick bites chronicling 12 different animals, including penguins and sea turtles, National Geog...

  Art Club By Rashad Doucet New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2024. Comics. 221 pages. When Dale was young his grandmother introduced him to comics and he fell in love with them and with making art. After his grandmother died, Dale has felt like nobody really understands him and his love for art and video gaming. For Dale, creating comics is more than just a fun way to pass time for him, it's his passion. He is constantly being lectured about how art will get him nowhere in life and he should focus on school and subjects that will help him down a profitable career path. When Dale's teacher gives the class an assignment to research different careers and give a report on a career choice, Dale decides to find a career that would combine his love of art and video games. When he stands up to give his report he doesn't quite meet all of the teacher's requirements. His report falls short, but he is given another chance to show through experience that art can be profitable. ...

Easter is right around the corner, and these funny picture books are sure to be a hit! Featuring the Easter Bunny, the Three Little Pigs, a leprechaun, elves, dogs, and more, each book has a silly twist regarding Easter. Check one of these out, or put them on a list to read for next year! Leprechaun Vs. Easter Bunny Written by Todd Tarpley Illustrated by Stephanie Laebris New York; Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. With St. Patrick's Day and Easter being so close together, the Leprechaun and the Easter Bunny decide to battle it out to see which holiday is better. Competing to keep a hill that is the best hiding place for either a pot of gold or Easter eggs, these two holiday creatures engage in hilarious, rhyming antics that are a hit for anyone who loves a good holiday mashup.  Is This...Easter? By Helen Yoon Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2024. Picture Book. After a creature wearing a pair of bunny ears leaves an egg behind, other animals surrou...

Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion Written by Charles R. Smith, Jr. Illustrated by Leo Espinosa Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Biography. One hundred years ago, one of the most popular spectator sports was bicycle racing, and the man to beat was Marshall "Major" Taylor, who set records in his teens and won his first world championship by age twenty. The first African American world champion in cycling and the second Black athlete to win a world championship in any sport, Major Taylor faced down challenge after challenge, not least the grueling Six-Day Race, a test of speed, strength, and endurance. With energy, heart, and pounding verse, Charles R. Smith Jr. evokes the excitement of the crowd at Madison Square Garden as Major powered through exhaustion, hallucinations, and racist abuse from fellow riders, who tried to crash his bike throughout the competition. Leo Espinosa's dynamic illustrations capture the action, and as day six draws to a close, and Major...

  Preschool Time Something Wild By Molly Ruttan New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022. Picture Book. Hannah's performance jitters about her violin recital lead to some imaginative what ifs before she finds her confidence. --Editor Preschool Time There's a Dodo on the Wedding Cake Written by Wade Bradford Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2021. Picture Book. For his return visit to the wacky Sharemore Hotel, Mr. Snore will be playing his violin at a fancy wedding. As he waits for his cue to join the ceremony, he admires the wedding cake . . . and notices that he's not alone in ogling that tower of frothy perfection. Is that a dodo, eating one of the frosting roses? As more and more creatures enter the scene--including two beavers, a boa constrictor, and a bunch of bats--it's hard to tell who's a guest and who's a pest. But Mr. Snore, rushing the cake trolley from room to room, is going to do his heroic best to save that prize from sure d...

It's Not Bragging If It's True Written by: Zaila Avant-garde New York: Random House, 2023. Biography. 134 pages. At such a young age, Zaila has accomplished so much. Zaila is only sixteen years old and has already won a Scripps National Spelling Bee and has two Guinness World Records for basketball. In this autobiography she shares all of her tips and tricks to accomplishing so much. Her success has truly come from her determination, her support system, and being willing to learn and make changes. Each chapter provides a new step to finding success from embracing your uniqueness to accepting help from others This book is a very fun, motivational book for middle grade readers. Zaila's writing style is very witty and easy to follow. This book would be perfect for over-achiever kids who could use someone to look up to. She sets a great example with her discipline while being homeschooled and staying so close with her family.  There is so much to learn from Zaila and I highly r...

Spring has officially begun! The weather has started to warm up, the days are longer, and plants are just starting to sprout again after the winter. Springtime also means that bees will soon be back at work helping pollinate flowers and making honey. Here are five bee picture books to celebrate these hardworking insects! The Wind & the Clover By Audrey Helen Weber New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2022. Picture Book. The rich illustrations in this picture book follow various ground bees as they fly off, discovering beautiful new climates and exciting environments. One bee that remains behind also learns to appreciate the local blooms around her. Camouflaged bees hidden in the flowers throughout the illustrations provide a seek-and-find game for young readers.  Am I Even a Bee? By Felicity Muth Illustrated by Alexa Lindauer Reno, NV: Baobab Press, 2022. Picture Book. Osmia, a solitary green bee, begins to wonder if she even counts as a bee, since she is not black-and-yellow a...

The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree By Lucille Abendanon Mendota Heights, MN: Jolly Fish Press, 2024. Fiction. 307 pages. At one point, all 11-year-old Emmy dreamed of was studying singing at the Marlborough School in England. But when her acceptance letter arrives, she is desperate to hide it from her father -- she doesn't want to leave her home in Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. Since her mother died, Emmy wants to cling to the familiar -- to her home with Papa and her friendship with Bakti, the son of her Japanese housekeeper. But it's 1942 and change is coming one way or another. With the Japanese invasion of Batavia imminent, Papa secures passage for himself and Emmy back to their native Europe, but Emmy sabotages the evacuation because she's sure there's no danger in Batavia. But the Dutch army surrenders to Japan, and the Japanese army invades. Emmy and Papa are separated and Emmy is sent to Tjideng, a prison camp run by a cruel military leader. In Tjideng, the ...

One of my newer bucket list goals is to see a total solar eclipse.  When I realized that this year's eclipse would be the week after my kids' spring break, I went into chaotic research mode to see if we could find a way to get to a part of the country where we could see the eclipse in totality.   Alas, we can't make it work this time, and I'm still not over it.  Maybe 2026 in Iceland--how cool would that be?!  Whether you can experience the eclipse in person or just wish you could, you can still have the joy of learning more about eclipses with the following informational reads! Casting Shadows: Solar and Lunar Eclipses With the Planetary Society By Bruce Betts Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Pub Group, 2024, Informational. 32 pages. Learn about the different types of eclipses, where and how you can safely see them, why they happen, and cool things that can happen during the different types of eclipses. Beautiful, full-color photographs go along with the wealth of infor...