Provo Library Children's Book Blog

A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...

Preschool Time The Loud Librarian Written by Jenna Beatrice Illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023. Picture Book. When loud-voiced Penelope becomes student-librarian, she is determined to prove she is perfect for the job while staying true to herself. --Editor  Preschool Time Jack the Library Cat By Marietta Apollonio Chicago: Albert Whitman & Company, 2023. Picture Book. When a stray cat keeps turning up for story time at the library, he is always shooed away, but when he meets Pascal, a boy who needs a reading buddy, a friendship forms, and now Pascal along with the other children have Jack the cat to read to. --Editor Toddler Time No Cats in the Library By Lauren Emmons New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. Clarisse, a street cat who loves books, finds a new home in the library as a read-aloud cat. --Editor Book Babies When Your Monkeys Won't Go to Bed Written by Susanna Leonard Hill Illustrated...

  The Wrong Way Home  By Kate O’Shaughnessy  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Fiction. 325 pages.  Fern and her mother live in an isolated community called the Ranch where their community leader, Dr. Ben, tells them to avoid all the things that could ruin their lives and health (cell phones, books that aren’t written by Dr. Ben, sugar, computers, anything from the outside world…) When Fern’s mom sneaks them off the Ranch to go and live in the modern world, Fern's only wish is to go back to the life she has known. As Fern starts to live in a seaside town in California, she begins to realize that maybe the teachings of Dr. Ben aren’t quite true. For example, her science teacher with diabetes would die if he didn’t have medicine. Also, Fern starts to make friends who get her interested in books, the environment, and learning about whales and things. Fern then has to navigate all the mixed-up feelings that come with each new discovery, fighting against the sense of home ...

I know many children who are fascinated by all things creepy and crawly. In fact, my family often has to pause on walks or in the backyard to watch a pill bug or a grasshopper. If you also have a young one who likes to stop and notice the small insects around us, these picture books are for you!  Craft Roach  By Rachel Burke  Illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett  Australia: Bright Light, an imprint of Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 2023. Picture Book.  In this story, a cockroach is all about art and being seen and showing his personality. The other roaches are a little nervous about that… seeing how most bugs who are noticed then are in trouble. When Craft Roach sees the owner of the house leaving, he convinces all the other bugs to get their glitter on.  The Girl Who Loves Bugs  Written by Lily Murray  Illustrated by Jenny Lovlie  Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishing Company Inc., 2023. Picture Book.  This is a story of a young girl who...

  Go and Get With Rex Written by David LaRochelle Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka Somerville, MA Candlewick Press, 2024. Picture Book. Guided by an unseen narrator, Jack, Jill, and Rex the dog are playing a simple game. At the end of a countdown, they must each "go and get" an item that starts with a certain letter. The letters change each round, and while Jack and Jill always come back with a correct answer... Rex the dog just can't seem to get it right. Or just maybe there is more than meets the eye with his choices?  Instantly engaging with its bright gouache illustrations and superb comedic timing, this is sure to be another read-aloud classic produced by the award-winning duo of LaRochelle and Wohnoutka.  Go and Get With Rex is not to be missed!

 I really enjoy reading realistic fiction books. The characters live in a world, maybe a little different than mine, that is full of real life challenges. They can't fix their problems with magic, but instead must figure out a solution to their problems on their own. Here are a few of my favorite realistic fiction books from this year.  Any Way You Look By Maleeha Siddiqui New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 242 pages. Ainy dreams of being a fashion designer, and her dream comes true when her mother agrees to let her work in the family boutique over the summer. She knows she is going to have a great summer working at the shop and spending time with her best friend, Safiya. Everything is pointing to a perfect summer, until she finds that she doesn't have as much free time to spend with her friend. And just when she thinks her summer couldn't get any worse, some boys from school come by the shop and start harassing her. This summer Ainy must find the courage to stand u...

  Some of These Are Snails By Carter Higgins San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2023. Picture Book. Is it a green circle? Or is it a snail? Much like in her previous book, Circle Under Berry , Carter Higgins' singsong words describe how different shapes can be made into animals. These simply colored shapes help teach sorting and comparison by encouraging the reader to identify what makes the different shapes similar to or different from each other. This book is an absolute treat to read out loud. The words dance on your tongue as you describe the different sizes and colors portrayed in this book. But you won't want to read too quickly because kids will want to search the page to answer the questions of "Who's stripiest?" or "Who's spottiest?" Overall, it's a great read aloud for young children that helps teach comparison, colors, and shapes.

  The King Who Banned the Dark By Emily Haworth-Booth New York: Sterling Children's Books, 2019. Picture Book. When a prince becomes a king he decides to ban the dark completely. At first, everyone celebrates. But before long, no one can sleep and the exhausted citizens are ready to revolt. Can the people help the King face his fears, turn off the lights, and see that you can't appreciate the light without having the dark, too? --Editor The Dark and the Light Written by Kerstin Hau Illustrated by Julie Volk and David Henry Wilson Zürich: NorthSouth Books, Inc., 2019. Picture Book. Loveable Shaggy lives in the land of darkness. He is lonely. Softhearted Sparkle lives in the land of light. She is lonely. One day they both go to the gray-blue border between their countries and find that life is light and dark and every color imaginable. --Publisher Dark on Light Written by Dianne White Illustrated by Felicita Sala New York: Beach Lane Books, 2022. Picture Book. As night falls, a t...

  South of Somewhere By Kalena Miller Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 2024. Fiction. 282 pages. This book opens as, Mavis (she would like you to know her name is French), her two siblings, and her father return home from a trip to Hawaii. Her mom says that she's going to take a cab since there isn't room for all of their stuff plus her in the car. When Mavis' car pulls up to their neighborhood, however, they find that the FBI is raiding their house and their mom has skipped town after being accused of embezzlement. With all of their accounts frozen, Mavis and her family have no where to go but the house of her father's long-estranged sister, who has never even met Mavis and her siblings. As Mavis struggles with losing her friends, babysitting her 4-year-old cousin, moving from downtown Chicago to a tiny suburb town, and caring for her pet pineapple, Mavis tries to come to terms with where her mom could be and whether or not she could truly have committed the ...

Code Red By Joy McCullough New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023. Fiction. 233 pages.  Eden was a thirteen-year-old elite gymnast, but after an injury, she's struggling to find her place. Her parents are divorced, her mom is busy being a CEO, and she can't connect with her gymnastics friends anymore. When she and another girl get suspended from school after they stop a boy from harassing them, she meets Maribel, and starts to find her place. Through her new friends and their connections, she becomes an activist for menstruators, and creates reusable pads while petitioning the city. This story is an inspirational and empowering tale of following your passions, activism, and growing up.  I loved this book. The causes were inspirational, and the dynamic between Eden, her family, and her new friends felt realistic and well-balanced. The cast of characters was enjoyable, and inclusive, featuring Will, a trans boy. The tone of this book is a little more serious, but Eden...

 Fairy tales have been loved for centuries throughout the world. But what happens when someone takes one of these old classics and turns it on its head? This list contains some of my favorite picture books that do just that. These protagonists decide to choose a different path forward than the one laid out for them, which makes them potentially chaotic but oh so fun! Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu Written by Ying Chang Compestine Illustrated by Crystal Kung New York: Rocky Ponds Books, 2024. Picture Book. In this twist on the story of Rapunzel, rather than being imprisoned in a tower by a witch, Ra Pu Zel locks herself in a tower after tiring of being told what to do. While in the tower she cultivates her talents, among them cooking and music. After hearing the music and smelling the delicious food, men from near and far arrive to try to coax the princess from the tower. Despite many men trying to win her affections, the princess doesn't leave until smelling the stench of stinky tof...

One of my very favorite things to do is walk around a museum. There's something special about being surrounded by paintings, sculptures, and objects and just getting to wander and take it all in. There are some amazing local museums, including our own Nelson Attic, but if you want to recreate the experience of visiting a museum from the comfort of your own bedroom -- here are some books that will take you there. Mona Lisa and the Others Written by Alice Harman Illustrated by Quentin Blake London: Thames & Hudson, 2023. Informational. 95 pgs. If you're going to visit a museum from your bedroom, you might as well start with the most famous museum in the world -- and home to Da Vinci's Mona Lisa -- Paris' Louvre Museum. Mona Lisa herself is on hand to introduce readers to the Louvre before passing the mic to other masterpieces who are all eager to say why they are the museum's real treasure. The result is an engaging book with lots of facts and crisp reproductions ...

You're Going to Love This Book! Written by Jory John Illustrated by Olivier Tallec New York: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book.  The ultra confident narrator of You're Going to Love This Book! guarantees that you will absolutely love everything about this book, because how could you not?  It's got action! Comedy! Drama!  Homework!  Raisins!  A scraping, grinding trip to the dentist!  Wait...are we really sure we're going to love this? I laughed out loud reading this book.  The raisins as the treat?  It got me real good.  Unexpected twists, chortle worthy jokes, and interactive elements makes this a great read aloud, but I can see individual readers reading this one on repeat.  

 I spent a lot of time watching the Olympics this year. The individual athletes, the collective teamwork, and great sportsmanship were all very refreshing to see and experience. I was feeling melancholy at the end of the closing ceremonies. Then, I was reminded about the Paralympics coming up at the end of August. If you enjoyed the Olympics, but don't know a lot about the Paralympics, or you do know about them and are excited to watch, you may also enjoy these books.  Tenacious Written by Patty Cisneros Prevo  Illustrated by Dion MBD  New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2023. Informational.  The author of this book is a Paralympic gold medalist. In the book, the author highlights different athletes. I enjoyed learning about each one, and my favorite part was definitely the "daily challenges" and "daily joys" listed for each athlete. It felt like little mini biographies for each of them. There is a great list of resources at the end of the book for people who wo...

She Wanted to Be Haunted By Marcus Ewert Illustrated by Susie Ghahremani New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. Picture Book. Clarisa, an adorable pink cottage, wants nothing more than to be haunted, but her attempts only make her cuter until she tries being herself and is pleasantly surprised. --Editor There's a Ghost in this House By Oliver Jeffers New York: Philomel Books, 2021. Picture Book. A young girl lives in a haunted house, but she has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? Step inside and help the girl as she searches under the stairs, behind the sofa, and in the attic for the ghost. --Publisher ABCs at the Haunted House By Jennifer Marino Walters Illustrated by Nathan Y. Jarvis Egremont, MA: Red Chair Press, 2020. Picture Book. A lively illustrated walk through a spooky fun Halloween Haunted House to discover the alphabet along the way. --Publisher Ghost in the House By Ammi-Joan Paquette Illustrated by Adam Record Somerv...

Read at Your Own Risk By Remy Lai New York: Henry Holt Books, 2024. Fiction. 160 pages. Hannah Lee didn't think that skipping assembly with her friends would be a big deal. After all, the rumors that the school's attic is haunted are obviously just rumors, what could possibly happen if they tried to contact ghosts? It turns out, Hannah is now haunted. Not just haunted, cursed. In Biology, a scalpel flies out of her hand and lands in the middle of her forehead; an itchy sensation in her gums turns out to be centipedes; and that's only the beginning. Hannah decides to start keeping a journal to keep record of what is happening to her. Of course, that doesn't mean she is immediately forthcoming with the truth. And it doesn't do anything to stop the evil spirit from inhabiting her journal as well. Hannah thinks that local horror author Leon Star might be able to give her advice, but all he can do is warn her she doesn't have much time left.  This very scary and very...

 If you have a budding animal lover, here are some good picture books geared towards toddlers. These are all about animals, but each one offers something a little more than just pictures. There are books with counting and calls-to-action and so much more. Snakes on the Job By Kathryn Dennis New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2020. Picture Book. These snakes are hard at work! They are operating cranes and working on the road. There are lots of snake noises and easy-to- read words that are perfect for your animal loving toddler. Big Green Crocodile Written by Jane Newberry Illustrated by Carolina Rabei Herefordshire: Otter-Barry Books, 2020. Picture Book. This picture book will have your child moving and grooving with fun rhymes that match different types of animals. This Is a Dog Book! Written by Judith Henderson Illustrated by Julien Chung Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2021. Picture Book. Bunny desperately wants to be in this dog book! So he's come up with a plan to convince a pack of do...