Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Viewfinder By Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2024. Comic. A lonely young space traveler leaves home in search of a distant planet. When she finally lands on the planet, which looks a lot like Earth, she finds an abandoned civilization. Discovering a time capsule buried at an elementary school, the space traveler uncovers a toy stereoscope that has pictures of the last days on earth and clues to what caused humans to leave Earth behind. As she wanders through the planet she encounters abandoned but familiar places like a museum, a library, and a train station all overtaken with bioluminescent fungi; and slowly animals covered in fungi appear as well. Finally arriving at a child's former treehouse, our traveler views space through a telescope and decides it is time for them to return home. This wordless graphic novel is beautifully illustrated and offers poignant ruminations on a post-apocalyptic world. Somewhat melancholy, this book considers a popu

Preschool Time Zero Zebras Written by Bruce Goldstone Illustrated by Julien Chung New York: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic. 2022. Picture Book. Bruce Goldstone takes us on a wild animal safari counting one wallaby, two tuna, three thrushes, four frogs--but absolutely zero zebras. Readers will realize the infinite possibilities of counting what is and isn't on the page. -- Provided by publisher Preschool Time Counting to Bananas Written by Carrie Tillotson Illustrated by Estrela Lourenco New York: Flamingo Books, 2022. Picture Book. A banana wants to be the star of this rhyming counting book, but the narrator has other plans. --Editor Toddler Time 10 Dogs By Emily Gravett New York: Boxer Books, 2023. Picture Book. Bursting with energy and fun, young children will love to count the dogs and the sausages, as well as looking out for all the funny details on each page. The book explores numbers one going up to ten, and ten going down to zero, touching on several simple concepts

 Art is all around us, bringing us happiness and filling our lives with beauty. Whether you are an artist or a spectator, there is so much to learn about art and the artists behind the work. Here are a few picture books that encourage creativity and appreciation for art. Time to Make Art By Jeff Mack New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2024. Picture Book. A little girl is asking artists from all throughout history about what makes something “art.” Not only is she learning to appreciate art of all different kinds, but she is learning that there is nothing really holding her back from being an artist herself. There is always something to create and there is no exact way to create art. Nature is an Artist Written by Jennifer Lavallee Illustrated by Natalia Colombo Vancouver ; Berkeley ; London : Greystone Kids, [2022] Picture Book. Nature is the greatest artist, with all of the beautiful colors, shapes, and creations that come from it. We can also become artists by observing and following

  The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

 Spring, with its abundant rain, is the perfect time to talk about ponds and pond life. From the diverse reptiles, fish, and amphibians who live in the water itself to the vast array of birds, insects, and mammals who depend on them, ponds are an ever-changing and interesting ecosystem to observe and study. What is your favorite thing about ponds?  The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons Written by Linda Booth Sweeney Illustrated by Miki Sato  Toronto: Owlkids Books, 2024. Picture Book. A vernal pool, also known as an ephemeral pond, is a seasonal phenomenon that occurs when rainfall temporarily creates a wetland or pond. This beautifully collaged picture book follows a brother and sister as they observe one such pool through the seasons and how the area and wildlife changes with the weather. The Book of Turtles Written by Sy Montgomery  Illustrated by Matt Patterson New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023. Informational.  While turtles are a we

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San