Provo Library Children's Book Blog

How to Save an Otter   Written by Kate Messner  Illustrated by Jennifer Bricking  New York: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2025. 118 pages.  When an otter gets hurt out in the wild, two kids and their family (who happen to be “critter couriers”) safely transport the otter to an animal hospital. There the otter heals and learns to eat so it can be released back into the wild. Ivy, the girl who helped her family take the otter to the hospital, worries over the otter being all alone—due to her cousins moving and Ivy suddenly feeling lonely. Ivy works to help at the hospital as well as holding a drive to get the animal hospital more supplies for injured critters. This is the first book in a new “Wildlife Rescue” intermediate series.  Kids who love animals and want to know how to help them (or help those who can help them) will enjoy reading this series.

There were a lot of great people who helped found the United States of America. There were a lot of people who were instrumental in working to make sure that our country started 250 years ago. There are way too many biographies about these great people to name all of them. But I can give you five picture book biographies that can introduce kids to some of these great heroes. Happy reading!  George Washington’s Spectacular Spectacles: The Glasses that Saved America   Written by Selene Castroville  Illustrated by Jenn Harney  New York: Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture book.  One of the things you never see in portraits is George Washington wearing glasses. Yet he did. And this book goes over how George Washington wearing glasses actually helped save America from some very frustrated continental soldiers. Fascinating, right?  Revolutionary Mary: The True Story of One Woman, the Declaration of Independence, and America’s...

Giant Squid Written by Candace Fleming Illustrated by Eric Rohmann New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2016. Informational. "A nonfiction picture book exploring the mysterious life of the elusive giant squid" --Editor Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic Written by Candace Fleming Illustrated by Deena So'Oteh New York : Anne Schwartz Books, 2024. Informational. "Paired with atmospheric illustrations by a debut illustrator, nonfiction text expertly explores the mysterious and fascinating unicorn of the Arctic, the narwhal, as it avoids predators, hunts for food and plays with other narwhals in its pod." --Editor Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera Written by Candace Fleming Illustrated by Eric Rohmann New York : Holiday House, 2020. Informational. "Describes the life cycle of the hard-working honeybee." --Editor The Family Romanov By Candace Fleming New York : Schwartz & Wade Books, 2014. YA nonfiction. 292 pages. "From the acclaimed author of Amel...

  Cuentos La casita de esperanza Por Terry Catasús Jennings Ilustrado por Raúl Colón New York : Holiday House, 2022. Libro ilustrado. "Para convertir una casita en mal estado en un hogar acogedor, todo lo que se necesita es una familia con un corazón muy grande, decidida a ayudar a los demás, y ... un poquito de esperanza. La casita ofrece un hogar a aquellos que no tienen adonde ir. Es un lugar sin miedo y sin peligro en un país nuevo, y Esperanza siempre es la primera en darles la bienvenida a todos." --Editor Cuentitos El bebé ve animales de granja Por Janna Steagall Sanger, California: Familus LLC, 2026. Pequeño libro ilustrado. "Un libro de carton de alto contraste lleno de animales de granja y disenado por la artista Janna Steagall. Creado para los lectores más jovenes y sus ojos en desarrollo, este libro de cartón de alto contraste presenta a todos tus animales de granja favoritos." --Editor

Stories in the Park Dinosaur Day Written by Diana Murray Illustrated by Luke Flowers Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2025. Picture Book. On Dinosaur Day, dinosaurs love to stomp and chomp. But they like silly singing, rowdy swimming, and yummy desserts too. All this fun makes the baby dinos want to join, but something unexpected pops up. Will the dinos accept this new addition to keep Dino Day going? --Publisher Stories in the Park Red, White, and Boom! Written by Lee Wardlaw Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee New York: Henry Holt, 2012. Picture Book. Parades, beach picnics, and fireworks in the park are some of the ways Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. --Editor  Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time That's What Dinosaurs Do Written by Jory John Illustrations by Pete Oswald New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019. Picture Book. This is William. William is a dinosaur who loves to roar. Because, well, he's a dinosaur. But when William gets a sore thro...

  Houdini's Library: How Books Created the World's Greatest Magician Written by Barb Rosenstock Illustrated by Mar Delmar New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. Biography.  In this illustrated biography, rather than focusing on Houdini's life, the story is told through his love of books. Houdini's love of books began as a child reading from his father's collection—which was eventually sold to pay for rent after the family immigrated to America. His love of magic was also tied to his love of reading—he learned magic from a book that he later considered burning to keep the secrets of his magic tricks safe. Throughout his life, Houdini grew his collection and even travelled with a special folding bookcase the magically housed hundreds of volumes. By the time of his death, his brownstone in New York held 15,000 volumes that were later donated. In addition to the interesting narrative focus on his life, readers will be intrigued by the beautiful gauche and cut paper illustrat...

Junie B. Jones is a modern classic, with a spunky and relatable main character that kids love! If your elementary school reader is looking for books that will strike a similar chord in their reading line up, this list will introduce you to a whole new cast of loveable characters.  Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple Written by Liz Garton Scanlon Illustrated by Dung Ho New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Intermediate. 117 pages.  Bibsy Cross loves her family, her cat, her best friend, and she really loves school! But as the eight-year-old starts a new school year with a new teacher, Mrs. Stumper, things don't go as smoothly as Bibsy is used to. Her teacher thinks she is just a bit too much, especially when it comes to all her talk about the science fair. On a day that things go just a "stone too far," Mrs. Stumper punches a hole in Bibsy's paper apple hung in the classroom, which makes Bibsy worry how she can make the perfect science fair project when feeling so low. This book...

RAAAWR!!! We're in the middle of Summer Reading, and you may have noticed that we're exploring a lot of paleontology with our theme "Unearth a Story." If seeing dinosaur decor and activities around the library is getting your child excited about prehistoric creatures, check out these books about some adorable carnivores! Baby Spinosaurus By Julie Abery and Gavin Scott Mankato, MN: Amicus Ink, 2025. Board Book. Newly hatched Baby Spinosaurus is exploring her new world. Splashing in the river, she finds a fish to catch when she gets stuck among the roots! Luckily, Mama comes by to save the day so Baby Spinosaurus can splash once more. Party Rex By Molly Idle New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Picture Book. Rex is turning 10! What starts as a story about a dino-birthday bash turns into an instruction manual on party etiquette. Watch as the dinosaurs mind their manners to have an excellent party (and try to find the stegosaurus who has *not* o...

Caged Written by Kao Kalia Yang Illustrated by Khou Vue New York: Kokila, 2024. Picture book. A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here. When her family's papers are finally approved, she's uncertain if she's ready to leave everything—and everyone—she's ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite aunt, Golden Flower, sees her off with the words, "Your wings have arrived." — Publisher The Rock in My Throat Written by Kao Kalia Yang Illustrated by Jiemei Lin Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 2024. Biography. In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a Hmong refugee child navigating life at home and school in America while carrying the weight of her selective mutism. — Publisher The Blue House I Loved Written by Kao Kalia Yang Il...

Cuentos Bea en el mar Por Jo Byatt Auburn, Maine : Child's Play Inc, 2021. Libro ilustrado. A Bea le encantan los leones y sabe todo lo que hay que saber acerca de ellos. Ella vive en la playa, ipero no le gusta la arena ni un poquito! Un día, su madre la convence de ir a la playa, donde se encuentra con la escultura de arena de un león que le tiene miedo al agua. La amistad que desarrollan, los ayuda a ambos a superar sus ansiedades, ¡pero al día siguente el león desaparece! ¿Cómo se las arreglará Bea? Un libro gracioso y tierno sobre el apoyo mutuo de la amistad, la aceptación de la perdida y la capacidad de adaptación necesaria para aceptar el cambio. --Tapa Cuentitos Sol   Por Carol Thompson Swindon, UK : Childs Play (International) Ltd, 2023. Pequeño libro ilustrado. ¡A jugar bajo el sol! ¡Hay una gran variedad de vistas, sonidos, olores, sabores y texturas para descubrir y disfrutar! En esta serie de libros de cartón magníficamente ilustrada, Carol Thompson celebra la respue...

Stories in the Park Flower Girls: A Story of Sisters By Jaqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2025. Picture Book. Lily's garden is perfect and precise, while her sister Poppy's garden is eccentric and wild. Now that their youngest sister, Daisy, is old enough to have a garden of her own, the question is what will this flower girl choose to plant, and will her sisters stand back and let her bloom, or will they get in the way in the name of being helpful? --Publisher Stories in the Park Leonardo Grows a Haunted Garden By Mike Ciccotello New York: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2026. Picture Book. A cheerful ghost grows a boo-tiful (and totally not haunted) springtime garden in this laugh-out-loud picture book--the perfect gift for Easter, Halloween, or year-round fun. --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Treasure By Mireille Messier Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Book Publishers, 2019. ...

  Every Space Between Written by Naseem Hrab Illustrated by John Martz Toronto ; Berkeley : Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press, 2026. Picture book. If you are looking for a thoughtful picture book that invites children to slow down and notice the small moments in everyday life, Every Space Between  is a wonderful choice. This reflective yet light-hearted story explores the “in-between” moments that make up so much of childhood — waiting for cake to be served, pausing before a big event, or sitting quietly on an ordinary afternoon. Rather than focusing only on milestones and celebrations, the story encourages readers to appreciate the pauses, transitions, and little stretches of time that are often overlooked. The artwork definitely helps the abstract concepts feel concrete and relatable for children. Young readers will enjoy lingering over the details in each scene, noticing how facial expressions, page turns, and visual pauses contribute to the book’s overall messa...

A Day at the Beach Written by Gary Schmidt and Ron Koertge New York: Clarion Books, 2025. Fiction. 213 pages A single day at the beach brings together a diverse cast of children as they each spend the day at a beach in New Jersey. Told through multiple points of view, each chapter highlights a different young person as they spend time at the beach with their families or by themselves, intersecting with other children’s stories in at times hilarious ways. One boy loses his brand-new phone in the sand, a large family decorate the beach with bright pink umbrellas and put on a circus performance, a girl helps a dog find his person using the magic of imagination, another dog finds a new home, a boy talks to a maybe run-away-bride, and each story is told in a vibrant and hilarious way to showcase what could happen on the beach in a single day. While we are far from the ocean and don’t have beaches with crashing waves, this book isn’t any less relatable as summer has officially hit. With the ...

Grandpere's Ghost Swamp By Rachel M. Marsh New York: Greenwillow Books, 2026. Fiction. 238 pages. 12-year-old Basil Theriot is haunted by the ghost of her grandfather. At his funeral, Grandpere shows up in the back row, and Basil is the only one who can see him. Basil begins to follows G'Pere's instructions to see if she can help him move on. Meanwhile, her family's restaurant is in disarray as Basil's father takes over as head chef and tries to figure out G'Pere's secret ingredient. G'Pere warns Basil that he regrets the restaurant and bringing his family to the city of New Orleans and away from the bayous where their Cajun family originated. This is all fine by Basil, because she secretly hates the family business and resents her parents' dream for her to someday take over. With her school's Career Day looming, Basil and her best friend Tommy, follow G'Pere's ghost on a journey to reconnect with the Theriot's Cajun roots by venturin...

In a world full of screens, it is more important than ever to encourage creativity, imagination, and play!  The following books are bursting with all of the above! Bear for a Day By Corey R. Tabor New York : Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2026. Picture book. An enthusiastic student gives an increasingly chaotic and elaborate report on what he would do if he were a bear for a day.  Their imaginative descriptions of a surprisingly humanlike day (riding motorcycles, hot air balloon rescues, etc.!) gets push back from the rest of the class until finally their creative storytelling gets everyone on board and begging for more!  Bored By Felicita Sala New York: Holiday House, 2026. Picture book. Rita, a very bored little girl, imagines an island for all the bored people in the world to hang out in. As Rita lets her imagination grow, Bored Island becomes more and more fantastical.  The power of sitting in boredom!  Time to go, Sid By Isabel G...

  Little Bones Written by Sandy Bigna  New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026. Fiction. 239 pages. Anyone who has lost a family member knows what a difficult time it can be, especially for young children. I really appreciated this compassionate book for its acknowledgment that family loss, and the grief that follows, affects people in a variety of ways. This book also does a great job recognizing that sometimes friends step in to offer comfort and a solid support system when it is too hard for the family. I think the book also addresses the fact that losses don't happen in a vacuum: people still have to work and provide for their families, children are dealing with friendships and school, and the world doesn't pause while the healing happens. Bones, trying to process the loss of a younger brother, finds some solace in her atypical hobby of collecting animal skulls, bones, and dried leaves. Disgusted by her hobbies, Edie, an unkind girl at school, gives h...

Stories in the Park Pirate & Penguin Written by Mike Allegra Illustrated by Jenn Harney Salem, MA: Page Street Kids, 2023. Picture Book.  What happens when a pirate, hoping for a parrot, stumbles upon a bird of a duller plumage? Pirate doesn't know that Penguin is a penguin. But any bird can sit on a shoulder and squawk 'shiver me timbers' ... right? Laugh along with Pirate and Penguin in this high seas tale of mistaken identity and find out whether they'll find friendship before somebody walks the plank. --Publisher Stories in the Park Dinosaurs Don't Have Bedtimes Written by Timothy Knapman Illustrated by Nikki Dyson Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2016. Picture Book. A little boy tries to persuade his mother that dinosaurs don't have bedtimes. --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Roy Digs Dirt By David Shannon New York: The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2020. Picture Book. Roy is a West Highland terrier who loves to dig in the d...

When Tomorrow Burns By Tae Keller New York, NY : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026. Fiction, 265 pages. When faced with changes around, between, and within themselves, three seventh graders in Seattle revisit a mysterious book they discovered years earlier that seems to foretell the future. Vi tries to reclaim a sense of identity after realizing she has been the subject of her mother's social media account for most of her life. Arthur is confused about his feelings towards Nomi and grapples with how other boys his age treat girls. And Nomi worries about keeping her scholarship to her private school—each step in her plan is necessary for her future wellbeing. She believes solving the mystery of this book of prophecies will prevent calamity. Newbery winner Keller has created unusually relatable twelve-year-old protagonists who are beginning to see what privilege, power, and autonomy look like in a complicated world. She balances their miscommunications and shortcomings with ...