Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Maybe it's because I grew up in Utah -- land of summer Rodeos and Pioneer Day -- but July is a time where I always think a lot about pioneers, homesteaders, cowboys, and westward expansion. Growing up, I loved hearing pioneer stories but as I've grown older, I've wondered about how different groups of people experienced this time period. This list of western and frontier stories have a different perspective than most books I grew up with -- and are all super entertaining reads. One Big Open Sky By Lesa Cline-Ransome New York: Holiday House, 2024. Fiction. 296 pages. In 1879, Lettie Grier's father decides that their family will travel by covered wagon from Natchez, Mississippi to Nebraska to homestead and seek opportunities not offered to Black people in their home. Lettie's mother Sylvia is reluctant to leave, but her father is determined. When the Black families are left behind by steamships taking wagons up the Mississippi river, they band together to form a trave...

  Dive!: The Story of Breathing Underwater By Chris Gall New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2024. Informational.  How do you breathe underwater?  Well, it depends on what year you were attempting it! Follow the history of the tools people have created throughout time to delve into the depths of the ocean and discover its secrets.  If you aren't scared of underwater exploration, you might be after this book!  Some of the early methods people used to breathe underwater were terrifyingly dangerous--I truly couldn't believe the bravery/fooldhardiness of some of the creators and testers of these underwater tools.  Sure to be a hit with STEM adventurers!

En Guard! I'm a big fan of fantasy, which means that I tend to admire characters who can wield a sword. However, lunges, parries, and ripostes are not just for medieval combat, they're also terms used in modern fencing. Fencing can be a fun sport to increase your dexterity and precision, and it's pretty fun to watch. If you also think fencing is interesting, here's four books highlighting this cool sport. It's All or Nothing, Vale By Andrea Beatriz Arango New York: Random House Children's Books, 2025. Fiction. 252 pages. Vale loves fencing, but after a car accident leaves her injured, she has to heal from her injuries while getting back in shape to fence competatively. However, her determination to return to her former capabilities leaves her in pain and frustrated with her friends. A newcomer to the team who performs better than Vale also adds tension, especially as Vale finds herself with a bit of a crush on this teammate. This novel in verse explores Vale com...

  Garvey in the Dark By Nikki Grimes New York: Wordsong, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2022. Fiction. 170 pages. Capturing the shock and reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic through poetry, as Garvey's life goes into lockdown and his father becomes sick, Garvey must find a way to use his newfound musical skills to bring hope to both his father and himself. --Editor A Walk in the Woods Written by Nikki Grimes Illustrated by Brian and Jerry Pinkney New York : Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book. A grieving son follows a treasure map his late father left him through the woods they used to explore together. --Editor Garvey's Choice By Nikki Grimes Honesdale, PA: Wordsong, an imprint of Highlights, 2016. Fiction. 108 pages. Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading--anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend,...

  Cuentos Pinkalicious Por Victoria Kann y Elizabeth Kann New York: Rayo, una rama de HarperCollinsPublishers, 2011. Libro ilustrado. "Una niña obsesionada con el color de rosa se come tantos pastelitos rosados que ella misma se vuelve rosada." --Editor Cuentitos Elena monta en bici Por Juana Medina Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2023. Fácil. "Elena quiere montar en bici. Empieza a monter, empieza a rodar. Ella se mece y se bambolea ¡Cataplam! Elena, aprender a montar en bici es difícil. Pero tú puedes lograrlo. ¡Inténtalo, inténtalo de nuevo!"--Editor

  Stories in the Park Nature Is an Artist Written by Jennifer Lavallee Illustrated by Natalia Colombo Vancouver; Berkeley; London: Greystone Kids, 2022. Picture Book. A celebration of creativity and a child's ability to observe, this playful picture book explores different art forms to be found in the natural world. A group of children follow Nature--the most inspiring of teachers--as they explore a series of colorful landscapes to discover the world's greatest art show hidden in plain sight. Along the way, these young artists create their own fine works of art--from fingerprint bumblebees to sand sculptures and charming paper collages. This story honors the beauty and variety of Nature's art with gentle rhythms and pleasing alliterative language, while instilling confidence in young readers to see themselves as skilled artists too. --Publisher Stories in the Park A Rainbow in Brown By Pavonis Giron New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2024. Picture Book. Jo wants to paint all...

The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever By Sandra Salsbury New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. This story is about the indomitable spirit of a baby who will not sleep. It defies logic! And yet it is all too familiar. Dynamic page spreads show the night slowly creeping by, filled with a baby's adorably aggravating bedtime hobbies (spitting out each of her seventeen pacifiers; singing the song of her people for the downstairs neighbor). Spoiler alert: the title is accurate. Sandra Salsbury got the tone just right. The baby's loving family is too exhausted to be amused, so we get to be amused for them. My two-year-old cracked up at the onomatopeia. We imitated the baby's midnight dance moves. When we closed the book my preschooler said, "Heh. Babies are funny." True! This would be a fun (and validating) gift for new siblings or new parents. 

  Orris and Timble: Lost and Found Written by Kate DiCamillo Illustrated by Carmen Mok Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2025. Intermediate. 66 pages. Orris and Timble are friends. Every night, Timble, the owl, comes to visit Orris, the rat, in the barn where he lives. Orris then tells Timble a story from one of the many books that have been abandoned in his home. Night after night, the rat weaves magical tales for the young owl until one day the owl is not so little anymore. Then, one evening Timble doesn't come, nor the evening after. Orris begins to worry that Timble has forgotten him. Is their friendship over? Though the text in this book is sparse, the emotional gravity that DiCamillo is able to imbue in her words is wonderous. The story is gently complimented by the soft and spare drawings of Mok, really giving young readers the ability to deeply empathize with the plight of the old rat. Lost and Found is perfect for 7 through 9-year-olds who love tales of friendship. Be sur...

Growing Home Written by Beth Ferry Illustrated by The Fan Brothers New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 261 pages. This book has some entertaining characters! We get to read about Toasty, the goldfish who loves to eat cheese puffs, Ivy, a plant with magical powers, and Arthur, the spider who ends up with a broken leg. Jillian is the main human character in the book. She loves Toasty and Ivy, and would probably love Arthur, too, but she doesn't know about him....yet. Her parents own an antique shop, but they are facing some economic hardship.  This charming story is about magic, teamwork, and friendship. I loved that there were all kinds of shenanigans happening. While we are on a journey where the fish, the plant, the spider, and the girl are working to solve one mystery after another, the author beautifully guides us to the realization that words are powerful, friendships can heal hearts, and books have their own magic power to help in all kinds ...

  The Glass Pyramid Written by Jeanne Walker Harvey Illustrated by Khoa Le New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. Biography. Despite discrimination and other challenges, architect I.M. Pei works on a secret mission to redesign the Louvre Museum and transform it into a welcoming place. --Editor The Sunflowers: Vincent Van Gogh's Search for Beauty By Zahra Marwan New York: Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, 2024. Informational. Vincent van Gogh paints what others consider inelegant. But painting those sunflowers bring happiness to his troubled heart. And it isn't until he begins traveling that his world opens up to new friends and new ideas that help his heart and art thrive more than he could have ever imagined. Award-winning author-illustrator Zahra Marwan has depicted a breathtaking passage of Vincent van Gogh's life in The Sunflowers, filled with dreamy watercolor artwork. And while it is based on van Gogh's real life, it als...

  Cuentos ¡Boogie en el Bronx! Escrito por Jackie Azúa Kramer Ilustrado por Jana Glatt Concord, MA : Barefoot Books, 2024. Libro ilustrado. "Izquierda, derecha, los pasos doy. Chasqueo, zapateo, al ritmo voy. Canta con nosotros y mueve los pies. Este libro cuenta con acceso en línea al audio y a la animación-del cuento." --Editor Cuentitos A recoger manzanas Escrito por Candice Ransom Ilustrado por Erika Meza New York : Random House, 2021. Fácil. "Una hermana y un hermano le dan la bienvenida al otoño con una actividad clásica: ¡recogiendo manzanas! Pasean alegremente por un huerto de manzanas, y se apuran para escoger las mejores antes que otros niños se las ganen. La historia de este divertido día está llena de acción. Sus versos con rima son fáciles de entender, lo que asegura una experiencia de lectura exitosa. Este libro es perfecto para el otoño, y para leer en clase o antes de dormir." --Editor

  Stories in the Park My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius Written by Harriet Ziefert Illustrated by Barroux Maplewood, NJ: Blue Apple Books, 2011. Picture Book. A budding artist goes to school after painting a picture with input from his dog Louie, and returns home to find that the dog has some talent, as well. --Editor Stories in the Park Yellow Is My Color Star By Judy Horacek New York: Beach Lane Books, 2014. Picture Book. Celebrates all the colors of the world, especially yellow. --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Lily Wool By Paula Vásquez Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2017. Picture Book.  Lily Wool is a little lamb with a great big imagination who gets tired of all the grazing and resting the herd does. When she finds a strand of loose wool, she puts her great big imagination to work-- and unravels a problem! Will she be able to fix things, and find her place in the herd? --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Hey! A Colorful Mystery By Kate Read Atlanta, GA: Peac...

The Painter and the President Written by Sarah Albee Illustrated by Stacy Innerst New York: Calkins Creek, 2024. Picture Book. This is the true story behind one of the most recognizable portraits in the world, George Washington on the one dollar bill. At the moment in time where our story begins, President Washington is at the end of his presidency. He is feeling weary and old. His wife, Martha, insists on him having his portrait painted by one of the most famous artists of the time, Gilbert Stuart. Despite the artist's natural charismatic cajoling, he could not get the president to smile or talk with him. One day, Stuart looks up to see the face of the president beaming with joy. He follows his gaze to the window and sees a man riding a horse outside. Finally, they have something to talk about that the president enjoys, horses. And the rest is history! Sarah Albee writes this story in the historic present tense, as if it is happening now, George Washington is the president. This ...

I have always been fascinated by the idea of secret rooms and passages. The thought of discovering and exploring a mysterious hidden room sounds so exciting! If secret spaces also interest you, try out these books! The Mystery of Locked Rooms By Lindsay Currie Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 247 pages. Sarah and her two best friends love escape rooms, setting solving records under their team name, The Deltas. But Sarah's family financial crisis has reached the tipping point and they may be forced to move away. Desperate to stay together, when the rumor of a treasure hidden in an abandoned funhouse reaches the group, the trio decides solving the puzzles to find the treasure is their only option. But as the secret passages and locked rooms start to become more dangerous, The Deltas begin to wonder if they've taken on a bigger challenge than they can handle. Boy Underground By Isabelle Marinov Leicester, UK: Clock Tower Publishing, 2024. Fiction. 319 page...

Band Nerd Written by Sarah Clawson Willis Illustrated by Emma Cormarie New York: Harper Alley, 2025. Graphic novel. 258 pages.  12-year-old Lucy Carver has been looking forward to starting at the Windley School of the Arts all summer. She is nervous about the academic challenge of a private school, but is excited to continue improving her flute skills. The flute is one thing that makes Lucy feel special - and distracts her from her challenging home life. Lucy's father is an alcoholic and his increasing arguments with Lucy's mother intensify Lucy's fears that if she isn't the best at the flute then she isn't good enough. Driven to be the best, Lucy fights for first chair flute in her school band, driving a wedge between her newly budding friendships. Lucy's challenges with perfectionism and trying to hide a troubling home life will, unfortunately, ring familiar for many young readers. But, this graphic novel does a lot to approach a challenging and heavy topic wi...

I went to France for the first time at the end of last year and spent the majority of my time there appreciating art--art in museums, in flea markets, in the middle of parks--pretty much everywhere! For art lovers and aspiring artists, check out the list below!   Where Did Van Gogh Go? Written by Satu Hameenhao-Fox Illustrated by Leonie Despres New York: DK Publishing, 2024. Informational. 31 pages. Travel through centuries of history to meet 10 famous artists!  Each artist has a brief paragraph explaining their background and a full two page spread inspired by each artist's art and style, with objects to seek and find.  This Book Will Make You an Artist Written by Ruth Millington Illustrated by Ellen Surrey Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow Inc., 2024. Informational. 61 pages. From ancient cave paintings to contemporary art installations, explore artists and their art through the ages.  And once you've had your fill of learning about and seeing other people's art, pick up...