Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Here Is a Book By Elisha Cooper New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. Young readers may wonder how the book they're holding ended up in their hands, and this story will tell them just how it happened. We start with an artist who constructs a manuscript in her home before it goes to the printer. The printer makes the book, which then goes to libraries, to schools, and to the home of one child who begins to create her own book. Elisha Cooper has one Caldecott Honor under his belt, and this lovely picture book about books will certainly receive award buzz at the end of this year. The illustrations, somehow both expansive and tight, give readers the opportunity to study and ruminate on the meaning of the expressive text. Readers will especially like spying the covers of classic children's books --driving home the message that all books begin in a similar place.

 If you have young readers who thoroughly enjoy reading books, perhaps they would enjoy reading a book about a book. These are five picture books where a book is either the main character or the main subject matter is the book itself.  The Book From Far Away Written by Bruce Handy  Illustrated by Julie Benbassat  East Rutherford, NJ: Minerva, 2023. Picture Book.  In this wordless story, a young child reads a book when a spaceship comes down to Earth. Aliens have a picnic, but then leave something behind --something that is similar to a book. Readers will enjoy seeing what happens when the child “reads” this new kind of book.  How This Book Got Red  Written by Margaret Chiu Greanias  Illustrated by Melissa Iwai  Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023. Picture Book.  In this tale, Red, a red panda, realizes that all the panda books are about black and white pandas. To remedy the situation, Red decides to write her own book about red...

As a librarian, I am paid to hype libraries.  But surprise!  I love them enough to do it for free!  Libraries promote literacy, build community, and are all around fun for everyone.  If you love libraries, too, you will love these books about the awesomeness of libraries.  And if you want to pull a nifty inception situation, try reading these books about libraries in the library! A Library Written by Nikki Giovanni Illustrated by Erin K. Robinson New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 2022. Picture Book.  A tribute to libraries and the knowledge, imagination, and exploration encouraged and found within. The Lost Library By Jess McGeachin New York: Viking, 2022. Picture Book. Two friends return a book to their local library and are transported to an underground "lost library" where each book's story comes true.   Nour's Secret Library Written by Wafa Tarnowska Illustrated by Vali Mintzi Concord, MA: Barefoot Books, 2022. Picture Book. When Syria brea...

  If I Ran The Circus Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss Random House, 1956. Picture book. A young boy imagines the fantastic animals and incredible acts he will have for his greatest of all circuses. Elefantastic: A Story of Magic In 5 Acts Written by Jane Yolen Illustrated by Brett Helquist Chronicle Books, 2022. Picture book. An unlikely-and entirely unforgettable-tale of a most unusual friendship between Flora, an elephant calf stolen from her African home, and David, the circus impresario and magician, who adopts, trains, and ultimately liberates her in a tale freely inspired by actual events. The Circus at the End of the Sea Written by Lori R. Snyder HarperCollins Publishers, 2021. Fiction. A novel about an orphan girl who discovers a magical circus. Maddy Adriana knows that magic is real. All her life, her heart has pulled her towards things too perfect to be ordinary. One day, that tug leads her to a magical street circus, hidden in plain sight among the canals and boardw...

Everyone loves a good whodunit. What's a whodunit? It's a mystery where you don't know who the criminal is until the very end. Usually, there are specific types of characters in a whodunit that make it extra fun to read. So what if we threw some of your favorite children's book characters together into one whodunit mystery? Who would be cast as the criminal? Who would be the detective? Who would be the unsuspecting victim? Here's what I came up with.  The Detective: Nate the Great Obviously, I could have chosen Nancy Drew or Cam Jansen or a myriad of other children's book detectives, but Nate the Great is my choice because he would figure out the case while eating pancakes with his faithful dog Sludge. Every good mystery needs pancakes.  The Unsuspecting Victim: Curious George What can I say? He was just too curious.  The Butler: Waldo Who's more suspicious than a person you can never find? I think Waldo would make the perfect butler.  He's well-mannered...

Don't you love when you're reading a book and a quote jumps out and slaps you in the face?  Or maybe it's less of a slap and more of a warm hug, or a even a "put the book down and ponder" sort of a quote.  For the really great quotes, you might even stop reading to hop on to your computer to print that sucker out and stick it somewhere prominent.  I could fill an entire book with quotes I love, but here's a few of my current faves! “I think that’s how you figure out who you are,” Ricky says. “You do new, brave things, and you find out who you is in not-you situations.” - When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller I just finished listening to this book yesterday and the whole thing is filled with really beautiful writing and thoughts, but I really liked this quote so much.  As an adult I have found myself avoiding a lot of not-me situations because of fear.  I love the idea that doing hard things and going out of my comfort zone can help me discover more about mysel...

Yesterday was National Library Shelfie Day! This fun holiday was created by the New York Public Library in 2014 and has continued ever year since, on the 4th Wednesday in January. What is Library Shelfie Day? Library Shelfie day is a day to take a selfie in front of your favorite library shelf and share it on social media with the hashtag #LibraryShelfieDay. This can either be a shelf at your public library, your own personal home library, or a favorite book store. This is a way to celebrate the importance of libraries in the community and share your love of books! Ways to celebrate National Shelfie Day: 1.) Take a selfie in front of your favorite bookshelf at the Provo Library and share it on social media with the hashtag #LibraryShelfieDay & #ProvoLibrary. 2.) Come to the Provo Library and check out some books or renew your library card if it has been a while. 3.) Reorganize your own personal home library and get reacquainted with the books you own. 4.) Visit a local book store a...

I know, I know, how can we possibly be talking about New Year's resolutions when Christmas is still, at the time of this post being published, just a day or two away? But it is coming and there's not a thing we can do about it!  Sorry. What we CAN do is meet it with resolutions--preferably resolutions we can actually keep! While I'm definitely not the poster child for resolution follow through, I do have a few ideas to hopefully make your New Year's Resolutions more enjoyable and easier to maintain. 1. Make it fun!    I sometimes feel like we wield resolution making as a tool for self-flagellation; why aren't I better at all the things?! Goals don't have to make you miserable and those are the ones that tend to get dropped in a hurry, anyway.  Choosing things you're excited about will make it easier to follow through on them. Ideas might include checking out a museum in your area, planning a monthly get together with friends, finally taking that class about ...

I am one of those librarians that always gives books for gifts. And there have been some pretty good books this past year—okay so there are always good new books—and I have a few that I think are especially good if you are looking for a book to give away this holiday season. Just don’t tell my family what is on this list—or they might not be surprised as to what is coming their way…  Anita and the Dragons   Written by Hannah Carmona  Illustrated by Anna Cunha Oxford, United Kingdom: Lantana Publishing Ltd., 2021. This is a good book to give kids who aspire to being brave. In the story, Anita must face her fear of moving away and flying in an airplane (dragon).  Bear is a Bear   Written by Jonathan Stutzman Illustrated by Dan Santat  New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021. This is a book that I just gave to my newest nephew. It is a sentimental story about how specific treasured toys can impact a child—and be impactful for...

As children's librarians, our very favorite gifts to give and receive are books. If you want to make a librarian's day, ask them what book they should give someone as a gift. Even though you didn't ask, here's a list of new comic books from this year that we think would make great gifts. Super Detectives By Cale Atkinson Toronto, ON: Tundra, 2021. Graphic novel. This early reader graphic novel is the start of a new series about an unlikely pair of best friends -- Chester, a little boy, and Simon, a ghost. In their first comic book adventure, Chester is wanting to play dress up and Simon is more interested in writing his mystery novel, until Chester finds a detective hat and Simon decides they should solve a mystery. Readers will solve the mystery alongside the duo and will appreciate seeing their friendship strain and grow under pressure. This is a delightful graphic novel for young readers. Mayor Good Boy By Dan Schedit Illustrated by Miranda Harmon New York: RH Graphi...

 Today, November 9th, is Go to an Art Museum day. There are thousands of museums around the world that participate in this day so, if you have time, go and explore a museum. Visiting a local museum always makes me feel like a tourist in my own city. It's a little like a staycation that allows me to go and visit a different world, learn some important trivia, or just enjoy a leisurely day that ends with a sense of accomplishment. There are many art museums close by that have some beautiful exhibitions. Here is a list of museums you might want to visit. Brigham Young University Museum of Art The BYU museum of art offers a wide variety of breathtaking, nuanced exhibitions to ensure that everyone who visits will find something to connect with.  Open Monday - Saturday  Springville Museum of Art The Springville Museum of Art is Utah's first museum for the visual fine arts. With over 15 exhibitions annually, the Museum is a key promoter and contributor to the arts in Utah Open T...

From our childhoods we've known and loved these books and the characters in them, but have you ever thought of what these beloved characters might grow up to be?  Here are some ideas of what our favorite characters might be up to as adults! Pigeon from Mo Willem's Pigeon series--Bus Driver.  Obviously.  Okay, I had to do this one.  Out of all the names on this list, Pigeon's future career is the one I'm most confident about.  He WILL be a bus driver. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz --Disaster Relief Worker .  Anyone who survives flying around in a tornado seems destined to be a great disaster relief worker. The Boxcar Children--Own and run a bed and breakfast together.  99% of The Boxcar Children is just a love story to playing house and these kids enjoy nothing more than playing house.  Hopefully they come up with some different meal ideas before they open their bed and breakfast, though--bread and milk for every meal would probably get pretty ...

  Huzzah! Today is National Family Literacy Day. What does this mean? Today is a day to celebrate reading together as a family…and to celebrate how children will learn the importance of reading by having reading moments in their families. Here are ten ideas for how you can celebrate reading today—or all week, or all month!  Read the cereal box, and other random things in your home —for some people reading seems daunting. So go ahead and be willing to show that reading can be celebrated even if it is just reading small sets of words on everyday items at home.  Read as you drive —everything from billboards to street signs are fair game!  Play an alphabet game —see if you can find every letter of the alphabet while doing a daily task.  Play a game of 20 Questions, based on your favorite books —this does mean that those asking the questions may have an advantage based on knowing that the subjects come from books, but it will still be fun!  Make a snack or treat...

  It is the time of the year when it is fun to read spooky books. And while I cannot stand watching scary movies, I tend to love the middle grade fiction realm of spooky stories. There is just something about a good middle grade novel that has a paranormal/horror touch. Maybe it’s the fact that middle grade fiction is the perfect place to blend reality with imagination. Or maybe it’s because the best fiction I read tends to be the middle grade fiction. Either way, I tend to enjoy the spookiness of these books. However, I know that not every reader is ready for all levels of spooky. So, I have sorted these on a scale of Somewhat Spooky to These Books Will Scare the Socks Off of You ! I hope you enjoy these scary tales as much as I did! 

I think everyone who has read The Secret Garden  by Frances Hodgson Burnett can agree that it is a delightful story. It is bright and hopeful with a cast of characters who all grow-- just like a garden!  If you need a sweet recipe to add some extra fun to your Secret Garden reading, you can try one of my very favorite desserts: Flower Cupcakes!  Baking equipment you'll need: Mixing bowl  Whisk (or something to mix with) Spatula Cupcake pan 24 paper baking cups Ingredients: 1 package of cake mix (pick your favorite flavor!) An 8 oz. package of pudding (same flavor as cake mix) 4 eggs 3/4 cup of sour cream  Water or milk (as directed on cake mix package) Oil (as directed on cake mix package) 1 tub of white frosting (or make your favorite homemade recipe!)  1 bag of mini marshmallows Colored sugar sprinkles  Circular candies (such as M&Ms or Skittles) Instructions for cupcakes: Mix together cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, oil, and water (or milk ...

  I love dressing up for Halloween or any occasion that calls for a costume, but I don't like to spend a lot of money on my costumes. Over the years I have discovered that it's the details that really make a costume. If I spend my money on costume details and use something that's already in my closet I can come up with costumes that are fun and unique without breaking the bank. Here are a few ideas for some inexpensive costumes you can make from a simple black outfit. A black dress or black pants and shirt can be used for a myriad of different costumes by simply adding different elements to it. A witch hat and cape along with a broom creates an iconic witch costume or adding white face paint and a long black wig and you have Morticia. A black suit, black tie and black sunglasses and you have Men in Black! One year I got some old black pantyhose stuffed them and tied string in a few places to make spider legs. I attached the legs to a black sweatshirt, put some eyes on a bla...

  Today is National Taco Day! If you are like me, you LOVE to eat tacos! In honor of this fantastic food, I want to share some of the fun books that the library has for taco lovers. Try these tasty stories!  Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin illustrated by Daniel Salmieri  This is a classic taco-lover book. Basically, it is about a whole bunch of dragons who love to eat tacos so much that things tend to get very hot when the spicy salsa gets on a dragon’s dinner plate. Bonus: there is a sequel !  It’s Raining Tacos by Parry Gripp illustrated by Peter Emmerich  This is a song in a book—and if you want to hear the song head over to YouTube to listen. Essentially, this is just a silly song in a book celebrating how fun it is to eat tacos!  Let’s Taco About How Great You Are by Bob Holt  If you want a young reader to find a book filled with puns and uplifting advice and encouragement, this is the book for you. Although it isn’t totally about tacos, the f...