Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Letters to Never Send Santa Written by David Griswold Illustrated by Luis San Vicente Fresno, CA: Moonshower, an imprint of Bushel & Peck Books, 2024. Picture Book. Most letters to Santa are very polite and full of "pleases" and "thank yous." These are not those letters. This collection of poems in different formats tell the story of children begging for Santa to overlook their misdeeds, elves on strike, disgruntled parents, Vixen quitting, a love letter, and more. These letters that you most definitely should not send to Santa are laugh out loud funny and illustrations are personalized for each letter, some with childish scrawl and some with formal business formatting. This book would make a great family read aloud, especially if you wanted to choose one or two a day to read. With how many different rhyme patterns there were, this would be a great exercise to study rhyme schemes. I really liked how the illustrations are drawn to look like documents, for example...

Wanda Hears the Stars Written by Amy Hansen and Wanda Díaz Merced Illustrated by Rocío Arreola Mendoza Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2025. Biography. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Wanda Díaz Merced wanted to study the stars. But when she lost her sight, she had to find a new way to work. Through the use of sonification, which turns data into sound, she was able to make a path for herself and other scientists with disabilities. --Publisher Zoo in the Sky Written by Jacqueline Mitton Illustrated by Christina Balit Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1998. Informational. Brilliantly colored paintings illustrate this introduction to constellations and the animals which ancient stargazers imagined as they made their observations of the night sky. --Editor A Star Explodes Written by James Gladstone Illustraded by Yaara Eshet Berkeley, CA: Owlkids Books, 2023. Informational. The supernova of 1054 was one of the brightest supernova events recorded in history. And its remnant, the C...

Cabin Head and Tree Head By Scott Campbell New York: McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2025. Comic. 88 pgs. Cabin Head and Tree Head are the very best of friends, in a wacky, silly world filled with other creatures who have things on their head. This graphic novel follows the friends through six short stories where readers get to explore their world and see how deep their friendship bonds go. In the first story, "Hellos" Cabin Head and Tree Head decide to run around sharing "HELLOS" with everyone they encounter - readers will be delighted to meet Pool Head (who is having a party), Mail Truck Head, and Outhouse Head (the only one near construction who can hear them). Like other friendship pairs in the early reader cannon, Cabin Head and Tree Head will win you over with their friendship and charm. Don't let the zany conceit here distract from this charming comic about two best buds. The overall silliness is sure to intrigue readers, who will be rewarded with engaging...

Attending a performance of The Nutcracker ballet is a favorite holiday tradition for many families. Ballet West performs it every year at the Capital Theater in Salt Lake City. It is based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffman that was adapted for the ballet by Alexandre Dumas.  Tchaikovsky composed the music, and it was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1892. The following five stories collectively celebrate the joy of dance, the anticipation of performance, and the delight of participating in a beloved holiday tradition.  The Night Before The Nutcracker Written by John Robert Allman Illustrated by Julianna Swaney New York : Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2022. Picture book The Night Before The Nutcracker offers a playful, behind-the-scenes look at how dancers, musicians, and stage crews prepare for opening night of the beloved holiday ballet. Written in a lively, rhyming style inspired by ’Twas the Night Before Christmas , the book captures the excitement, nerves, and...

Have you ever wondered why it's important for preschoolers and toddlers to learn their shapes? I mean, of course it is. But why? Learning shapes is important for pre-reading and pre-math. As kids are learning to read, their foundational knowledge in shapes will help them to distingush between different letters. Letters are made of shapes and lines, and kids who can distinguish between shapes will be ready to distinguish between letters as well! Here are some great shape books to read with your baby, toddler, or preschooler to work on their skills! Museum of Shapes By Sven Völker London: Cicada Books, Ltd. 2025. Picture book. This interactive picture book invites readers to think about shapes like they never have before -- at the Museum of Shapes! The curator of our shape museum, named Alma, shows us all kinds of shapes starting with the simplest - a single point. As we wander through the museum, the shapes become more complex. The unseen narrator of this book prompts questions abou...

Socks : A Kid's Christmas Lament Written by JD McPherson Illustrated by Anika Orrock Somerville, Mass. : Walker Books US, a division of Candlewick Press, 2024. Picture Book. Based on the song by JD McPherson,  Socks: A Kid’s Christmas Lament  follows a child's angst when they discover their Christmas gifts turn out to be practical socks instead of fun toys and surprises. A little bit naughty and a lot hilarious! As an adult, I love a good pair of socks as a gift!  In fact, a lot of the adults in my life actively ask for socks when Christmas rolls around.  But the kids I know...not so much.  The protagonist in Socks is the embodiment of kids everywhere, if not how they actually act when receiving practical gifts, then at least how they feel in their hearts.  Grown-ups and kids alike will get a kick out this book, but care-givers may want to use it to discuss better ways to handle gift disappointment than by starting revolutions in the streets. 

There are times in life when uncertainty hits, and people and families may be required to endure hardships. Sometimes because of war, natural disasters, or civil unrest, individuals or families have to leave the place they call home. The reasons behind becoming a refugee are often complicated, but deserve understanding and respect. Each of these books helped me learn more about an issue with a lot of nuance, and I hope you will find something meaningful from one or more of them. The Endless Sea Written by Chi Thai Illustrated by Linh Dao Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2025. Picture Book. At the young age of three, Chi Thai's family decide that they need to flee Vietnam. The war has ended, but their family doesn't feel safe because they were on the "losing side." I cannot even imagine the stress of planning to load a young family into a boat, and hoping to traverse the seas safely. The family had to put their trust in strangers and plan their escape for ...

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban By Daniel Miyares New York: Random House, 2025. Comic. 240 pgs. In 1956, 12-year-old Carlos likes his life in Ceiba Mocha, in the Cuban countryside. He spends lots of time with his family and his abuelo is his best friend. Carlos doesn't understand why his papi is always trying to win the lottery to move their family away from Abuelo and Abuela's farm. Almost unbelievably, one day Papi wins the lottery and Carlos' family moves to the city. Everyone keeps telling him this is a good thing, but he doesn't see how. But Carlos' life is due for even more big changes - Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrow the Cuban government and after men with guns seize his business, Papi disappears to set up a life for the family in America.  This fictionalized account of the author's father's experiences as a child in Cuba is a window into a world of political upheaval. The story has a good balance of following Carlos and his perspective on...

  The World Entire: A True Story of an Extraordinary World War II Rescue Written by Elizabeth Brown Illustrated by Melissa Castrillón San Francisco, CA : Chronicle Books, 2025. Informational. This book tells the story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who assisted Jews in fleeing France as Hitler's army invaded. de Sousa Mendes was in charge of overseeing visas to foreigners hoping to move to Portugal. Although Portugal's official stance in the war was to stay neutral, they, like many other countries during that time, refused to take in Jewish refugees. As France was about to fall, de Sousa Mendes saw the sheer number of Jews lined up outside the embassy hoping there would be some way to avoid Hitler's army, and he decided to ignore his orders and take a stand. He spent 23 days in June and July granting passage to as many people as possible, eventually shortening his signature and signing any paper he could get his hands on, even scraps of newspaper, to al...

Dog Man  is a popular graphic novel for middle graders all about the adventures of a half-man, half-dog police officer. With 14 books in the series, many readers can't get enough of these hilarious stories! If your child is looking for more books like Dog Man, here are some great options to try out.  Dex Dingo: World's Best Greatest Ever... Inventor By Greg Foley Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion, 2024. Comic. 157 pages.  Dex Dingo doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up. His classmates all seem to know, but he just doesn't feel like he is the BEST at anything. When a class assignment challenges him to figure out what he wants to be, he decides he wants to become the world's best ever inventor! Filled with beautifully drawn spreads and kid-approved humor, this book is sure to please any Dog Man fan.  Troubling Tonsils Written by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Peter Brown  New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 71 pages.  ...

Ho! Ho! Ho! Someone's on their way! But... it's not Santa. Someone, or something else, has taken up the mantle of the jolly old elf and there's bound to be hijinks involved! Which one will you or your little one think is the most outrageous counterfeit? Here's five books about some of our favorite Claus-impersonators! Santa Claws Written by Bridget Heos Illustrated by Galia Bernstein New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2025. Picture Book. It's a Cretaceous Christmas celebration! With a Tyrannosaurus Rex taking the lead as "Santa Claws," young mosasaurs and gallimimuses are getting ready for the Christmas season and making sure to leave nice slabs of raw meat out for the titular character. Dinosaur loving young ones will love seeing the prehistoric creatures doing similar holiday prep as they are, while older readers will enjoy the informational back matter. All in all, nothing beats a rhyming text packed with Cretaceous vocabulary and seeing a t. rex in a sl...

Floor It! Written by Bex Tobin Fine Illustrated by Federico Fabiani New York: Random House, 2025. Picture book. The racer approaches the starting line, gets set to race and then ... floor it! Baby is on the way! With dynamic text and entrancing illustrations, we see a baby hard at work crawling through their living room. As they race through the room, everyday obstacles become fantastical thanks to illustrations that show the living room as it appears and how it might be imagined during play time. The race finishes with a checkered flag (a sock on baby's parent's foot) and a lift up to a warm embrace and snuggle.  This playful, high energy book is a read aloud of a family at play! Baby's play feels fun and realistic, and shows how littles can explore independently while still within the secure reach of a caregiver. High energy illustrations and naturally rhyming text make a perfect read aloud and gender neutral language used throughout make this a great book for families wi...

The Forest of a Thousand Eyes Written by Frances Hardinge Illustrated by Emily Gravett New York: Amulet Books, 2025. Fantasy. 120 pgs. Feather lives on the edge of The Forest, in a community perched on the top of a stone wall. Her entire life has been a balance of keeping the wild forest and it's dangerous creatures at bay. As a gatherer, Feather is tasked to venture down the Wall and find supplies, but it's obvious to everyone that there is less and less to forage. When a stranger named Merildun offers a map of the known world in exchange for a spyglass, Feather is tricked into giving away her community's most valuable possession. In a frantic race for survival, Feather pursues after Merildun and discovers a series of isolated communities fighting against a hostile nature. This novel is a quick read for many readers, but the excellent illustrations - at times haunting and at others magical - will prompt extra time for close study. The illustrations perfectly support a lavi...

The Memory Tree : A Holiday Grief Book Written by Joanna Rowland Illustrated by Thea Baker Minneapolis, MN : Beaming Books, 2025. Picture book An extremely difficult challenge during the holidays is missing loved ones who have passed away.  The Memory Tree: A Holiday Grief Book  gently addresses the topic of loss during the holidays. Written as a letter to the deceased loved one, a child explains how they get the idea to make ornaments from things that were loved by them. They also collect things that remind them of their lost loved one. The exciting and heart-warming reaction to this idea is that friends from all over also come to the house to bring ornaments they made for the memory tree too! As someone who has lost a child, I am always interested in books about grief and how it is explained to children. The idea for a memory tree wholly validates the child's sense of loss and with it, brings a healing amount of connection. Remembering the fun times and silly times and happy...

It's almost time for the holidays, which means Santa's workshop up in the North Pole is getting very busy! Check out these picture books to find out what life at the North Pole is really like for Santa and the elves, and don't forget to write your letters to Santa in time! Secrets from the North Pole Written by Saskia Gwinn Illustrated by Daria Danilova London, UK: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2025. Picture book. 63 pgs. Get the inside scoop on life at the North Pole! Ivy Everjingle, Santa's Head Elf, takes readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the North Pole, with diagrams of Santa and Mrs. Claus' workshops, explanations of the magic of the post office, information about reindeer training and maneuvers, and more--all while maintaining the secrets of an 1821 elven security act. A visual delight with plenty to explore in both the text and illustrations of the magical location. Through the North Pole Snow Written by Polly Faber Illustrated by Richard Jones ...

The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story By Daniel Nayeri Montclair, NJ: Levine Querido, 2025. Historical fiction. 181 pgs. In 1941 Iran, 13-year-old Babak will do anything to stay with his younger sister Sana, who is 8. After their father is killed during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the siblings are left orphaned and Babak takes over guardianship to prevent the two from being separated. Carrying his father's blackboard on his back, Babak and Sana set off from Isfahan to find the nomadic tribes as they make their yearly trek across the mountains. Along the way, they encounter a suspicious man named Vulf, a friendly Englishman with a name that means cabbage, and a Jewish boy named Ben who has Vulf hot on his heels. As he is known for doing, Daniel Nayeri weaves a highly readable adventure with threads of philosophy about God, the ties of family, and musings about how cultures can reconcile across differences. The setting of this novel is ingeniously unique, and a lengt...

As a kid I was OBSESSED (all caps!) with dragons.  Dragons can be scary, majestic, loyal, greedy, but what they all have in common is how fun they are to read about!  Check out the dragon books below for some fun new reads! Dad Rock Dragon Quest Written by Joan Reardon New York : Aladdin, 2025. Fiction. 342 pgs. Dad Rock Dragon Quest follows 12-year-old aspiring rockstar Zadie Drake, whose summer plans to bond with her super cool, if sometimes absent, daredevil park ranger dad get complicated when her mom’s boring new boyfriend tags along. After they arrive at her dad’s cabin, a poacher kidnaps her dad’s ice-breathing dragon, revealing her dad's secret role protecting magical creatures and thrusting the family into a high-stakes rescue mission. Along the way, Zadie begins to rethink her relationships with both her father and her mom’s boyfriend.  Dragonborn Written by Struan Murrya New York, NY : Dutton Children's Books, 2025. Fiction. 320 pgs. Dragonborn  follows 1...

Fanny's Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born Written by Richard Michelson Illustrated by Alyssa Russell New York, New York : Rocky Pond Books, 2025. Biography. I love when I read a book that makes me stop and think, deeply, about the kind of person I want to be. That is exactly what this book did for me. There are many individual quotes that are inspiring, and the story as a whole is thought-provoking and meaningful. Fanny Goldstein is a young girl of six when her family makes the decision to leave Russia and emigrate to the United States. They do this for their safety, and in search of a better life. Fanny has moments where she misses the life she and her family had to leave behind. One thing that helps make the adjustment to living in a new place better for her, is finding out that at the library she has access to large quantities of books for free. This biography follows Fanny from childhood, through young adulthood, and into her career as a director of a library branch. Her ...