Provo Library Children's Book Blog

  Earmuffs for Everyone by Meghan McCarthy Simon & Schuster, 2015. Biography. Unpaginated Chester Greenwood is considered the inventor of earmuffs.  There is even a Chester Greenwood day that is celebrated every year in his home town of Farmington, Maine.  But did Greenwood really invent earmuffs?  Well, not really.  Other people invented things that were like earmuffs, but Greenwood made an improvement that helped the earmuffs work better and be more popular.   McCarthy includes other examples of inventors who are credited with inventing something, when they really only made critical improvements on someone else's idea.  The book is illustrated with colorful cartoon drawings of people and places mentioned in the text. McCarthy includes a insightful end note about her research journey. This is an interesting picture book biography that gives a real world example of how history is not always clear cut.

Zombie in Love By Kelly DiPucchio When all his efforts to find a sweetheart fail, Mortimer the zombie decides to place an ad in the newspaper. Go Away Big Green Monster By Ed Emberley A scary green monster begins to disappear, piece by piece and page by page, in a die-cut picture book that lets youngsters take control of the monsters in their lives. Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance By Keith Graves Frank the monster indulges his love of dancing by strutting his stuff on stage until his head unzips, his brains flop out, and he continues to lose body parts. Always Listen to Your Monster By Florence Parry Heide When a new neighbor moves in next door, Ernest's mother, who always insists that he obey all the rules, encourages them to play together every day. Even Monsters Need Haircuts By Matthew McElligott At night under a full moon, a child operates a barber shop with a monstrous clientele. I Need My Monster By Amanda Noll When Ethan checks under the bed...

The Black Stars  By Dan Krokos Starscape, 2014. Fiction. 304 p. In his first adventure ( The P lanet Thieves , 2013) Mason Stark and his cadet crew saved earth from a terrible war with the Tremists. Now the Earth Space Command wants Mason to attend the Tremist Rhadgast school as a gesture of peace, but also to act as a spy to check out rumors that someone at the school is developing a weapon to use against Earth. At the school Mason and fellow human cadet, Tom, must overcome prejudice and earn the Tremist's trust.  A threat from the students' common enemy, the Fangborn, unite the teens just in time for them to face their greatest challenge yet. This is a new, fast paced, science fiction series for tweens.  Mason is a likable hero, and the other characters are interesting and well developed. The setting is very like the futurist world of Star Trek.  This is a great book to give to kids who have enjoyed the adventures of Percy Jackson or Alex Rider.

  Firebird by Misty Copeland Illustrated by Christopher Myers G.P. Putnam Sons, 2014. Picture Book Misty Copeland is one of the leading ballerinas at the American Ballet Theater.  She writes this book to encourage young ballerinas to keep working even though they feel that "the space between you and me is longer than forever." She assures her young readers that with practice and time, some day they will be the ones the young dancers look up to. The writing is brief and lyrical as Copeland uses imagery from nature and dance to describe the glory of motion.  Myer's illustrations are a stunning combination of painting and collage. His use of line and color to show both the gracefulness and strength of ballet won him the Coretta Scott King award for illustration last year.  This is a great book to share with any aspiring dancer.

  The Flying Dutchman (Jr. Graphic Ghost Stories) by Jane H. Gould PowerKids Press, 2015. Comics 24 p. This new short graphic novel tells the story of the ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. Captain Vanderdecken wants to sail his cargo ship from India to Europe faster than anyone has before so he makes a deal with the devil.  As he tries to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, the ship is lost in a storm.  Because of Vanderdecken's bargain, the ship is doomed to sail forever, causing disaster to anyone who sees it.  Gould recounts several instances where people, including the prince of England, have claimed to see the ghost ship.  Unfamiliar terms are defined in a glossary in the back of the book.  Gould illustrates the story with full color, but in a graphic novel format.  This is a good choice for a reluctant reader who likes spooky stories.

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat By Emily Jenkins Illustrated by Sophie Blackall Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015. Picture Book Do you want a fun activity to do with your children this weekend?  Check out this book.  It presents four different families and shows how they each make a dessert called Blackberry Fool.  The first family, from 18th century England, picks the berries, milks the cow, whips the cream with a whisk made of twigs, and cools it in an ice house.  The next family are slaves in 19th century America. They use a wire whisk, and have to serve their masters before they eat, but the dessert is the same. The 20th century family has an ice box and a rotary mixer.  The modern family buys their berries at a grocery store, and mixes it with a food processor, but each time the dessert is delicious. The author includes the recipe for Blackberry Fool in the back of the book.  Both author and illustrator have his...

I am Jackie Robinson , I am Rosa Parks (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015.  Biography (unpag.) February is Black History Month.  These new picture book biographies celebrate two famous people who worked for racial equality.  Rosa Parks, a quiet middle-aged black woman, inspired the Montgomery Alabama bus strike when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. Jackie Robinson was an amazing athlete who was able to break through the color barrier in professional baseball.  In these inspirational books, the characters tell their story first person. They talk about the discrimination they suffered as they grew up, and how they stood strong to make a difference. The books are illustrated in a child friendly, comic book style with both linear text and speech bubbles. These are appealing and accessible introductions to the lives of two remarkable people for grade school age rea...