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Yes, any countdown in December must start at 12. Here's our own 12 Days of Christmas picture book countdown:
Ever wonder how librarians hone their recommendation skills? Sometimes, our librarians play a game we call the 6 Degrees of reading. The rules are simple: choose six books, each connected somehow to the book above it, with the last book in the list connecting to the first. Periodically, we like the results enough to share them with you.So, with no further ado, we bring you 6 Degrees of Reading, Princesses and Animals (picture books).
Upon hearing a prince's call, princess Rapunzel throws out what she thinks the prince is asking for—but from clothes to maids, Rapunzel tosses the wrong items out, much to the prince's chagrin.
As Pete the Cat goes about his day, he deals with a constant problem with his clothes—his buttons keep falling off! Can Pete the Cat still keep a smile even while counting and losing his buttons?
Ten little chimps sneak off to dance the cha-cha, and one by one, readers count down as various chimps get distracted by other types of dancing—until Mama Chimp comes to find her wayward children and send them all off to bed.
Told in rhyme, this book features a dog who shows little readers how to dance or wiggle before falling asleep.
A young girl named Lily finds a bear in her garden and assumes it is a dog. The mistaken identity causes loads of mishaps and comedy as she discovers what really makes a "silly doggy."
When a baby princess and a baby pig are accidentally swapped, the pig is raised as a princess and the princess is raised on a farm. Can the princess, pig and the rest of the kingdom ever figure out this case of mistaken identity?
So there are a lot of bunny picture books. Even better there are A LOT of GOOD bunny picture books. There are so many that I can play the 6 Degrees of Reading game just with bunny picture books! So, not only will I tell you how all these books are connected…but just keep in mind that all these books have BUNNIES in them as well.
Lion is a bully. He is mean to all the other animals. One day the animals have decided that they have had enough! So they put out an ad to hopefully find someone who will teach lion a lesson. In comes Rabbit. Lion doesn't think Rabbit is any match for him, so Lion let's Rabbit decide what the contest will be. If Rabbit wins, Lion will need to be nice. Only Lion's plan isn't going so well for Lion. He loses. Then he loses again. Finally he admits defeat to Rabbit and promises to be nice. All the other animals are happy. And while they thank Rabbit for all his hard work they realize that their perception of Rabbit was wrong—for there were really LOTS of Rabbits (not just one Rabbit). And the group effort is what saved the day.
An illustration causes a lot of commotion in this book. Two unseen narrators have conflicting opinions as to whether what they see is a duck or a rabbit. Therefore readers must determine which perception is correct—is the illustration really a duck or a rabbit? With bold black lines and white space readers really will have no other clues as to what the illustration could be and therefore must use their imagination.
A little white rabbit hops along through fields. While hopping along the little white rabbit uses his imagination to think about what life would be like if he was green like the grass or as tall as the fir trees. Each moment of moving through the field sparks another thought as to what life could be like. However, when the little white rabbit notices a cat he hurries and hops back to his family where he feels safe and loved.
Betty Bunny is very sure about a lot of things—and she has no qualms about telling her family her opinions. One day when Betty's mom introduces her to chocolate cake Betty is SURE that she WILL NOT like eating that strange thing. After a lot of cajoling and coaxing Betty tries the cake—and discovers that she LOVES it (enough that she wants to marry the chocolate cake). Eventually Betty learns lots of other lessons about chocolate cake (such as she shouldn't put it in her pocket). But the biggest lesson she learns (maybe, she still is really opinionated) is that she might need to try other food that her mom suggests that she should try.
A great big scary bear stomps into a hollow and yells, "I have a great big jar of delicious honey! And it is ALL mine!" Then Bear sits down to slurp the sweet, sticky food. A mouse, two rabbit brothers, and a mole decide that they want some of the sweet stuff and start to sneak toward Bear to see if they can nip some. With a surprising (and happy) ending, readers will laugh at the conclusion and may want to play their own sort of "bear game." Seriously, little kiddos will want to read this book again and again.
A group of little bunnies are eating cake by a lake when all of the sudden they hear a terrible noise! The scared little creatures hightail it though the forest where they alert other animals (anything from elephants to kangaroos) why they are running for their lives. Just as they are all about to get away a big bear asks what is going on. When he declares that there couldn't be anything that is bigger and scarier than him he bullies the smallest little rabbit to show him the horrible creature. The scared little bunny takes Bear back to the spot where they heard the horrid noise—and once again they hear it. Only this time the bear runs for his life while the little bunny realizes that he really shouldn't be afraid of a "silly old plop."
Precocious Eloise's boring tutor takes her to the dinosaur museum, but she's determined to have an exciting time.
Nancy, a precocious little girl, has picture day at school, and she needs the perfect look. She realizes that her hair-do will be critical for such an important day, so she sets out to curl, style, and trim until it's flawless.
Mr. Moose has more mustache than he can control. It causes all sorts of problems until the day he meets Ms. Moose, a lady with luscious locks to rival his facial hair.
Martha wants a pet, so she orders a moose. When her new pet arrives, they have such a marvelous time together that she throws caution to the wind and begins ordering moose after moose.
Even though a little boy and his sister want every pet in the pet store, they get to choose only one. Told in Dr. Seuss's characteristic rhyming style.
Do you really know why dinosaurs are extinct? Rhyming text reveals it was because of the Mighty Underpants War.
Ever wonder how librarians hone their recommendation skills? Sometimes, our librarians play a game we call the 6 Degrees of reading. The rules are simple: choose six books, each connected somehow to the book above it, with the last book in the list connecting to the first. Periodically, we like the results enough to share them with you.
This week we're turning to picture books to make our way from a duck with an identity crises, through misbehaving objects and pets, and back again!
Duddle Puck, the puddle duck, is one farm animal who seems to be experiencing an identity crisis . Although he doesn't seem to mind the fact that he never quacks, the rest of the farm is bothered by his clucks, oinks, honks, and neighs. Will Duddle Puck ever quack?
It says "Red" on his label, but every time Red tries to color, it comes out blue. He tries his best but he just can't do it and everyone notices. Red is having an identity crisis and wants to act like the other crayons . However, perhaps he needs to learn how to just be himself.
Duncan's crayons are writing him to let him know that they cannot keep working under the current conditions and are, therefore, quitting. Through their letters , they explain their hilarious demands to him and Duncan learns more about his trusty friends.
Ike has been sent to obedience school and he is not happy about it. Through a series of letters to his owner, he makes his feelings about the situation clear. He eventually runs away from school and lives on the lamb but in the end makes his way home under exciting circumstances.
A young boy explains everything you need to know if you want to run away. The boy himself runs away but his memories of home aided by his imagination are making him have second thoughts.
Bonus connection: Two LaRues!
A stick is not a stick. When you use your imagination, a stick can be anything. In fact, this little pig is not just a simple farm animal —it can be an artist or a weightlifter or whatever the pig chooses to be.
So far we've shared some great reads that came out this year for adults (Fiction, More Fiction, Nonfiction), but we can't forget about the kids! Here are a few of the best new picture books for the little readers you love.
Have you ever tried that trick of trying NOT to close your eyes as a way to feel sleepy? This clever picture book is built on that idea. Every time you blink, you have to turn the page, and soon enough, you (and any reading buddies) will be fast asleep.
When tragedy strikes, Taylor's friends have all kinds of suggestions on how to feel better – shouting, hiding, rebuilding – but Taylor doesn't need suggestions. What he needs is company and a listening ear. With sweet illustrations, this picture book is a great primer on helping others (and ourselves) in hard moments.
Barnett and Klassen are a beloved picture book duo, and for good reason. Their spare pictures and text are deceptively simple and always hilarious. SQUARE will have you laughing out loud and wondering what it really means to be an artist.
A young American boy has a hard time relating to his Thai grandfather; they like different shows, eat different food, and can't even speak the same language. When they discover their shared love for drawing, however, a whole new world of communication opens up to them.
Wordy Birdy has lots to say, so much that she doesn't let anyone else get a word in. When there's a bear on the loose, that chattiness gets her in trouble. This picture book's a great reminder that talking is great, as long as we listen too.
You might expect a picture book called LOVE to be saccharine, but this new release is honest as well as touching. De la Peña and Long show that love has a million faces (some expected, others surprising) and that sometimes it's pain that reveals them.
Each year we put together a list of the top 60 best children's books (according to our children's librarians). As we have been whittling down our lists some titles are harder to take off—almost painful because they are great books. These five books are fantastic! Truly amazing! Yet they just didn't make the list. If it was the 65 best children's books, these titles would have been on there.
As we keep you in suspense as to our top 60 books (which we will reveal at our Best Books program next Tuesday), take a look at these books that almost made the cut.
This is a great picture book—and I liked it so much that I even bought it! Really, it is a good book. It tells the story of Rock (who lives in the Kingdom of the Backyard) and is the strongest in the land. No one could beat Rock in any challenge. Then (in the Empire of Mom's Home Office) there lived another warrior named Paper. Once again in this empire there was none who could best Paper. In a third place (the Kitchen Realm) there lived a warrior named Scissors who could not be beaten in all of her challenges. Daywalt and Rex put together a hilarious tale as to why these three warriors battle together (and thus explains the rock, paper, scissors game that children all over the world play). Seriously, this is a pretty funny book.
It is not often that you find a Juvenile Fiction title as divisive as this one, or one that can get as many people talking. Orphan Island tells the story of Jinny, a girl who has grown up on a secluded island populated only by nine orphans. Each year, a boat arrives to deliver a new child and the oldest is expected to leave without knowing what awaits them on the boat. But when Jinny's boat comes, she doesn't leave and the island – once a perfect, nurturing home – begins to change. This book is in many ways a classic "coming of age" story, but also it isn't. This book, its setting and its plot are wildly imaginative and are bolstered by truly skillful writing – providing lots of opportunities for discussion. It's hard to discount the buzz surrounding this book – it's a National Book Award Longlist Title and it's on the Mock Newbery list of anyone who has such a list – but it's also incredible divisive with vocal people arguing about it either way. While this wasn't one of our favorite books of the year, it's been discussed too much to leave off our list completely.
Shannon Hale joins up with LeUyen Pham (who also illustrates Shannon's PRINCESS IN BLACK series) in this graphic novel memoir about making and keeping friends. Shannon and her best friend Adrienne have been best friends since they were little, but when Adrienne becomes friends with the most popular girl in school, things begin to change between them and Shannon questions whether or not she and Adrienne will be able to stay friends. This story is one that most readers will be able to identify with – whether they've been bullied by the popular kids or not. Also, since Shannon Hale is a local author, it's set in Salt Lake City which is sort of extra fun for kids from Utah. This story is honest and a little heartwarming, and though it didn't make our final list is a great choice for Raina Telgemeir or Cece Bell fans.
This is a great nonfiction title (which follows up the brilliant book Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth). Bang and Chisholm explain how water moves around the world thanks to the heat of the sun—both through the sun's part of the water cycle and due to the sun heating various currents in the oceans. This is a book full of information and facts presented in a picture book format so even the younger scientists can understand how water works and how the sun plays a major part to what happens to the water.
Most juvenile intermediate books are formula books—ones where they are part of a series and you can predict that the book will (re)introduce the characters in chapter one, throw in a bit of conflict (usually of the same variety as previous books in the series) in chapter two, etc. Not Harry Miller's Run. This book is a stand-alone story that is beautifully written AND happens to be a juvenile intermediate book. Liam needs to train for an upcoming race and so he talks to his older neighbor (Harry Miller) who happens to have run the same race when he was younger. This is a great story about something seemingly insignificant (like talking to an elderly neighbor) can actually be interesting, fun, and helpful. Plus, the way Harry Miller tells his tale, readers will almost feel like going out for a jog themselves. Almond has written yet another great story—and lucky for us this one is an intermediate book!
Provo Library has a good collection of Spanish materials, and quite a few bilingual dictionaries in a variety of languages, but it does not really collect other foreign language materials. There are, however a number of picture books that just happen to be bilingual. The language most often represented is Chinese. Since there are a lot of people in Provo with an interest in Chinese, especially through the dual emersion program at Wasatch Elementary, and since Chinese New Year is coming up, I thought I might post a list of Chinese/English picture books.
May 4th would have been Audrey Hepburn's 90th birthday, so now's the perfect time to celebrate her remarkable life. (When isn't it, really?) We all know Audrey for her classic movie roles (ROMAN HOLIDAY, MY FAIR LADY, WAIT UNTIL DARK, CHARADE) and iconic fashion moments (the little black dresses in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, the post-Paris ball gown in SABRINA, The lace eye mask and sparkly eyeshadow in HOW TO STEAL OF MILLION, the entirety of FUNNY FACE), but she was so much more than that.
Though she never thought much of herself, Audrey Hepburn was a woman of compassion, courage, humility, selflessness, intelligence and gentleness. She enjoyed her acting career, but throughout her life she was most passionate about children – both her own two sons and the impoverished children she advocated for through her work with UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund). Audrey spent the last years of her life tirelessly traveling the globe to meet with, serve, and fight on behalf of suffering children.
Because I loved MY FAIR LADY, I wrote a report on Audrey my sophomore year of high school, and I was blown away by her goodness. Ever since, I've been joking that I'll find a way to become her best friend in the afterlife. In addition to watching her films, I've read a number of books about her inspiring life over the years. Here are a few of my favorites:
This biography, written by Audrey's son Sean, is the one I most often recommend. It features personal memories and gorgeous family photographs that reveal her love for gardening, ballet, animals (she adored her dogs), motherhood, and a quiet life at her home in Switzerland. It also discusses her insecurities and the heartache she experienced when her father left the family and when she experienced miscarriages as an adult. Ferrer makes a special point to emphasize his mother's work as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in her later life, and he donated proceeds from the book to the Audrey Hepburn's Children Fund.
Audrey's younger son, Luca, compiled this collection of memories, recipes, letters, and hundreds of previously unpublished photographs. It feels more like a scrapbook than a biography, which is why I recommend starting with Ferrer's book first if you only know Audrey from a movie or two. If you're already familiar with her backstory, though, AUDREY AT HOME is charming. I love how intimate it feels, particularly in sharing Audrey's favorite recipes like Penna alla Vodka. I'm grateful that Audrey's sons have been so generous in sharing their private memories with the loving fans who miss her.
Though other biographies discuss Hepburn's experiences living through the Nazi occupation of Holland as a teen, this is the first book to cover those years of her life in depth. Though her father and initially her mother were Nazi sympathizers, an uncle helped lead the resistance in the Netherlands, and as a teen Audrey carried messages for the underground movement and raised funds through secret ballet performances. Matzen reveals that Audrey and her mother even sheltered a downed English pilot for a time. Later in life, the memory of food and medical relief at the end of the war fueled Audrey's passionate work on behalf of children. Matzen's new book offers a fascinating glimpse at this formative time in Audrey's life.
If you idolize Audrey for her fashion sense, it's important to know the man behind many of her most iconic looks: Hubert de Givenchy. When Audrey, a Hollywood newcomer, first went to meet the young designer in the 1950s, he famously expected a different Miss Hepburn at the appointment. That mishap led to a forty-year friendship and collaborative working relationship, however. AUDREY AND GIVENCHY provides wonderful insight into their personal bond and the designs they made famous.
This sweet picture book provides a lovely overview of Audrey's life, career, and charity work, and the beautiful illustrations by Julia Denos perfectly capture Hepburn's personality and charm. Readers of all ages are sure to draw inspiration from JUST BEING AUDREY.
This emmy-winning documentary series helped make Audrey one of only fifteen EGOT winners in history. She was a passionate gardener, in part because of the deprivation she experienced during World War II; her son Luca said "Her garden in Switzerland which has fruit trees was proof of this – it was beauty in the form of protecting your family." GARDENS OF THE WORLD reflects her love for the topic. Beautiful shots of roses, tulips, and famous gardens combine with Audrey's lilting voice for a very relaxing viewing experience. It's practically ASMR.
According to Jen Bryant, the most important skills an author can have are patience, perseverance, a love of language, good observational skills, and self-discipline. This is reflected in what and how she writes. Jen Bryant's many published books cover a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction, including poetry books and over a dozen biographies. She likes to find a subject that has been written about for adults and try to make that subject into something younger audiences would enjoy. In interviews Jen has said that she loves the researching process. It's like a scavenger hunt to find the most interesting details about something true. When she researches a topic for one of her books, it is an extensive and exciting process that involves reading books and articles, watching movies, videos, and plays, giving interviews, and visiting museums, archives, special collections, and small towns where historic events occurred. Jen then takes all of this information and crafts beautiful, detailed, and personal picture books, biographies, and poems.
We are thrilled to host Jen Bryant at BYU's Symposium on Books for Young Readers. Before she comes, check out some of her books.
An inspiring picture-book biography of Louis Braille--a blind boy so determined to read that he invented his own alphabet.
This picture book biography of William Carlos Williams traces childhood events that lead him to become a doctor and a poet.
An accessible novel in poems, Pieces of Georgia offers an endearing protagonist-an aspiring artist, a grieving daughter, a struggling student, a genuine friend-and the poignant story of a broken family coming together.
The year is 1925, and the students of Dayton, Tennessee, are ready for a summer of fishing, swimming, and drinking root beer floats at Robinson's Drugstore. But when their science teacher, J. T. Scopes, is arrested for having taught Darwin's theory of evolution, it seems it won't be an ordinary summer in Dayton.
Presents an illustrated introduction to the life and work of artist Horace Pippin, describing his childhood love for drawing and the World War I injury that challenged his career.
Inspired by the novella and opera Carmen, Jen Bryant creates a strong-minded and alluring heroine in this contemporary tale of tragic love
It's time for another child brain development blog! Today we'll cover preschool-age children, or those 3-5 years of age. If you are new to this series, check out our other posts on infants and toddlers. If you've been following along, you are probably tired of hearing this, but:
What are the best things we can do for our children's brain development?
Read, sing, and talk to them!
Where's a great place to get help with that?
The library!
I probably sound like a broken record, but here at the library we have a great program called Story Time where our fantastic storytellers do all three of our favorite activities with your children: read, sing, and talk. They also get your children moving and interacting, which is great for their social development.
During the school year we have a special Story Time for preschoolers in the Story Room, which looks like a castle and has a special child-sized entrance. Children are locked in for their safety and get some time with other children without their parents. During the summer we instead have Story Time on the lawn and at various parks around Provo, so they can get some fresh air.
As you might expect from the name, our Preschool Play time is specifically geared towards children this age. We bring out different age-appropriate toys from dress up clothes to wooden trucks for your children to play with. We also have puzzles available all day long which are a great resource for stimulating child brain development at this age.
For library resources you can use at home, look for books with repetition and rhyming, which is beneficial for your child's language development. As you read, ask open ended and who/what/where/why questions to stimulate your child's engagement with the books. Here are some classic options:
This children's classic is beautifully illustrated and filled with rhyming.
Dr. Seuss is one of the most recognizable children's book authors for a reason! His repetitive rhymes are a great way to get your child learning and reading at a higher level.
All of Shel Silverstein's poetry books are whacky and fun – which is just what kids love! Along the way, they are interacting with valuable literary elements to help them learn, too.
You can also check out our Discovery Kits (the full size ones, now), which include books, toys, and activities to explore a specific topic. Some great ones are Shapes, which has great puzzles; Multicultural, which has memory matching; and All About Me, which teaches children to recognize emotions.
For more information on how to help with your preschooler's brain development, see the book below. If you have older children, be sure to follow along with the blog for upcoming brain development posts!
This book offers much more than I can say on the topic of child brain development and how to guide them in their growth.
Over the past two years, I've checked in periodically to share my son's favorite books. It's been fun to look back on his past favorites (as a one-year-old and then as a toddler), and to see his interests growing up and diversifying as he gets older. It's possible that as his parent, I find these posts more interesting than anyone else, but I feel like it's worth checking in on the blog every year, because whether you're reading to a baby or a toddler or a threenager, you always need good books.
Now that Calvin is three, he's a little bit more interested in reading lots of different kinds of books rather than the same books over and over. As you'll see, he spends a lot of time in the 500's (nonfiction animal books), but he also loves Dr. Seuss and Mo Willems.
It's getting harder to pick his favorites; what I've chosen to highlight here are the books that Calvin keeps asking us to get every time he comes to the library (which is often). There's also a strong bent toward books that I enjoy reading out loud, because if you are also someone who spends a lot of time reading to children, you will know that not all books are created equal in this regard. I want Calvin to have books he's interested in, but our reading is a shared experience, and it's nice if I can enjoy it too.
Calvin is obsessed with bugs and creepy crawly things. When we go to the aquarium, he runs to see the bird-eating tarantula; when we play outside, much time is devoted to catching and attempting to feed various insects (Calvin is always dismayed that Box Elder Bugs don't seem interested in sticking around for the feast he's created out of grass and twigs). I credit a lot of this interest to a copy of SPIDERS by Nic Bishop that I brought home from our Used Book Store.
If you have small people living in your house and haven't checked out Nic Bishop's books yet, repent immediately and get them. Nic Bishop is a photographer first, and it shows. However, one of my favorite things about his books is that they offer a lot of information but remain easy to read aloud (a surprisingly difficult balance to strike!). Calvin's favorites so far are SPIDERS, BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS, and SNAKES, but we haven't really met a Nic Bishop book we haven't liked.
This book is cool and gross. Calvin loved it so much we exhausted our renewal options from the library. For the first week we had it, Calvin asked for this book by saying, "Can we read that book that has that worm coming out of that girl's leg?" Great bedtime book or stuff of nightmares? You decide…
ZOMBIE MAKERS is about parasitic organisms that cause involuntary reactions in their hosts' bodies. From a fungus that makes a fly stop flying (does that mean it's called a walk?) to a virus that makes rats attracted to cats, this book makes you realize how bizarre the world can be. It also makes me realize that wasps are the biggest jerks in the animal kingdom. You'll have to read more to find out why!
It's hard to choose which Mo Willems book is Calvin's favorite; between the Elephant and Piggie books and the Pigeon books, there's usually at least one of them in the bedtime lineup. But THE PIGEON NEEDS A BATH was our first, and I credit it for teaching my toddler the phrase "That is a matter of opinion!", so it gets the feature here.
I love voicing the pigeon. He is witty; he is funny; he is easily exasperated. I laugh every time when he complains that the bath water is "too reflective." The pigeon is, really, an eloquent toddler, incredibly stubborn until he's forced to try something new and discovers that it's his new favorite thing. I think the character of the pigeon hits on the sometimes absurdity of these small people that share our houses, and helps us all laugh a little at those times when someone refuses to bathe or asks again and again to do something that they aren't allowed to do.
I said I only wanted to share books that I enjoyed reading, but I lied a little bit. Maybe you are more Dr. Seuss savvy than I, but the thing that surprised me when we first read this book together is that it does not rhyme! I try not to be bothered by it, but it's a bit strange read a Dr. Seuss book without that Dr. Seuss signature cadence.
BARTHOLOMEW AND THE OOBLECK is the story of a king's disastrous decision to try to rule the sky as well. In his hubris, he asks for his magicians to create something to fall from the sky other than the standard sun, rain, and snow his kingdom is used to. What he gets is oobleck, a sticky green goo that mucks everything up. I don't know why Calvin loves this book, but he asked to check it out every time we came to the library, even if we already had it checked out (at one point we had two copies from two different libraries). My only thought is that he really likes the look of various people and livestock covered in green goop.
Calvin really likes all the Ballet Cat books, but I think that THE TOTALLY SECRET SECRET is his favorite favorite. Like many easy readers, this one's done all in dialogue, and is especially fun if you can have two readers to voice the different characters. We love the simple art; we love the different colored pages; we love this story about friends learning that it's important to listen to each other. Our only complaint about the Ballet Cat books is that there aren't more of them!
I am the parent of a toddler. Right now, he's pretty well obsessed with three things: dogs (Paw Patrol specifically, though he likes dogs generally), cats, and construction vehicles. Lucky for us, it's not hard to find books to satisfy all these obsessions, especially since our children's department has a "Things that Go" hot topic section.
Before I get to my list of favorite books from the "Things that Go" section, let me gush a little about Hot Topics. Before I became a parent, it seemed like a good idea to reorganize a large number of our picture books by topic rather than by author. Now that I'm a parent, I realize it's genius. Kids tend to go through phases of intense interest, and it's SO NICE to be able to go to one place to find all the construction vehicle picture books instead of having to hunt them down in the stacks with a toddler in tow. We've found books we probably never would have checked out and they've become some of our favorites. I can reliably walk out with a stack of 10-15 books and know my son will be interested in all of them. With topics like ABCs, Colors, Princesses, Super Heroes, Potty Training, and more, the Hot Topics section is one of my favorite library parenting hacks.
That said, here are some of our favorite books we've found during our many visits to the "Things that Go" section that are sure to please your construction-loving toddler.
Construction is a book about—you guessed it—construction! This great read-aloud has illustrations that I find interesting, great rhymes and rhythm, and sound effects that you get to decide how to pronounce! These are Calvin's favorite part, though he's at an age where he's asking what every unfamiliar word means and I don't really know what to say when he asks me what "Thwock" means.
This is the second book in the Sutton/Lovelock construction trilogy (the first is actually ROADWORK, which is great but not quite as much of a favorite), and the things I said about CONSTRUCTION pretty much apply here too. One thing I appreciate about these books is that I feel like I learn things too. Did you know that old concrete gets crushed up and recycled into new concrete? Also, these two books are the only two books my son has actively protested returning to the library.
This one follows a sort of "day in the life" of a dog at a construction site (where dogs are fully capable workers and not just tag-a-longs). It's another good read-aloud, and it's got dogs and constructions vehicles and a DINOSAUR BONE, so it's right up Calvin's alley.
I've already written about GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE (which we still read often), so I thought I'd share the sequel, MIGHTY MIGHTY CONSTRUCTION SITE. Every bit as charming as its predecessor, this volume introduces some new friends to help build a building! I loved the emphasis on partnership, I love the introduction of the new trucks, and I love the way the two books complement and frame one another.
I'm going to be honest: this one was not my favorite, but Calvin LOVED it. This reminds me a lot of DIG, DOGS, DIG!, from the "day in the life" aspect to the actual thing they're building (spoiler alert: it's a park. In at least half of the kids' books about construction, they build parks). But there are cats, and there are construction vehicles, and sometimes that's all you need. He'll sometimes end the book by asking, "Can we be construction kitties?" which, of course, we can. If you need me, I'll be meowing and driving a backhoe loader.
Cooking and libraries are friends. It may not seem like it due to the fact that libraries don't have kitchens where people can come and cook. But they do have shelves and shelves of cookbooks. Seriously, there are so many books that people can check out that teaches them how to make so many scrumptious things. And every month one of our staff members blogs about a recipe she has made from one of our cookbooks. Seriously. Check out her last Cooking the Books post. Once you read it you will know that the library loves cooking!
Since I work in the Children's Department, I am interested in the cooking books we have for kids. We also have some shelves with kid cookbooks. And I know a lot of kids who like to cook. They love being "helpers" that measure, dump in, or mix ingredients (although really they specialize in making messes…). Then I got to thinking about what picture books there are that deal with cooking. These aren't the cookbooks that have recipes to make things, but more of the stories where characters actually do some cooking.
Turns out there are A LOT of picture books that talk about cooking. And in looking at my favorites of these books I realized that there are quite a few specifically about making soup. Who knew?!? So next time you make soup, let the little ones dump stuff in, stir it around a bit, and then pull out one of these fun soup making books and read while dinner simmers.
In this book three kiddos are visiting their grandpa. It is raining so Grandpa suggests that they make rainbow stew. This means they tromp outside in their raincoats and pick all sorts of colors from Grandpa's garden. Then they come inside and get cooking. While the soup is simmering, Grandpa reads books to the kiddos. (See, totally a good idea, eh?) Plus as a bonus there is a recipe for the rainbow stew at the end of the book.
This is another book where a kid is cooking soup (I did warn you about that, right?). In this case it is gazpacho soup for a kid named Nacho. Nacho is a kid that is super picky. He doesn't want to eat anything other than gazpacho—so his mom teaches him how to cook. Then Nacho realizes that he likes cooking and just maybe he should eat more than just his favorite soup. And just like RAINBOW STEW there is the bonus of a recipe at the end of the book.
This book is a classic! It is a tale about three soldiers who are on their way home from war. They stop in a village and try to get something to eat. Only, not many people are willing to help—until they trick them all into making stone soup! So, not only does the whole town make soup together, but this book could be a catalyst to talk to kiddos about what being nice and neighborly means to you.
This is a retelling of the classic tale STONE SOUP (see above). The twist in here is that the characters and the setting have a Wild, Wild West flare as well as some Spanish words sprinkled in the text. Anyway, the grandpa and grandson in this story help the people of the town of Skinflint realize that being generous is just as important as anything else. And there are cowboy hats. Imagine cooking soup with cowboy hats! Wouldn't that be fun?
In this silly story Cow, Mouse, and Pig are making soup. (But you probably figured that out since all of these books have been about soup, right?) Cow and Mouse add sensible ingredients (like vegetables). But Pig is silly and tries to add things like galoshes. This book is especially fun since little kiddos will giggle at the fact that they know not to add umbrellas to soup and Pig doesn't! Seriously. This is hilarious! If you only read one making soup book with toddlers…then this is the book you should choose to read.
So, this is a bonus book for you. It is a book about making a soup for dinner—only there is a secret ingredient that might not be 100% something that you would add to your soup dinners. So, please read this. And laugh. (Just don't blame me if the kiddos wonder if the secret ingredient is in your soup…)
Hopefully you and the kiddos in your life will love making soup and reading these books. What type of soup is popular in your households?
Book illustration has always been a great love of mine. As I child, I was always taken in by these drawings, especially in the fairy tales I read. As I got older, and the books I read had less and less pictures, but I was still fascinated by the pictures found on the covers of the books I read. To this day, I definitely have a weakness for "judging a book by its cover." Part of that weakness is because some of my favorite books had covers illustrated by the same artists who created the picture books I read as a child. In celebration of these books, I have compiled a list of the best illustrators whose work is enjoyed by readers of all ages.
Also known professionally as K.Y. Craft, Kinuko studied fine arts in Ishikawa, Japan. After graduating in 1962, she moved to Chicago, studying and working at local design studios. Her work is heavily influenced by traditional European masters, as well as 19th century Romanticism and Symbolism. In addition to being published in magazines like Time, her work has also been displayed at the The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
One of the most applauded illustrators of her generation, Trina was awarded the Caldecott medal in 1984, the highest achievement for illustration in the U.S. She would go on to win three additional Caldecott awards for her work. Though she would also study at institutes in Boston and Stockholm, she was originally born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sadly, she passed away in 2004, but not without leaving a legacy of revered work.
This husband and wife have worked together to create award-winning illustrations. Also awarded the Caldecott, they have the distinction of being the only consecutive winners — in 1976 and 1977. Each of their works is a collaboration between their styles. Occasionally, Lee Dillon, their son, a gifted sculptor, painter and craftsman, is also featured in their works.
I have always loved alphabet books. My grandparents had a Sesame Street book where Grover forms his body into each letter of the alphabet. I remember trying to shape myself into the letters by watching how Grover did it. ABC books span from beginner to advanced. The library has alphabet books about every subject you can imagine. When you read you begin with ABC, when you write it seems as though you do too. When I think of ABC books, though, I generally think of picture books that I read to children to help them develop their early literacy skills. Reading is fun, of course, but reading to a child also helps them gain the skills necessary to be ready to read.
We currently have an alphabet book section in our Hot Topics area of the Children's Department. Early literacy is important at the library and ABC books are an important element of early literacy. They are also just plain fun to read. The reader feels a sense of completion when the author's subject utilizes every letter of the alphabet (even if I secretly come to "x" in every book wondering, what creative word the author was able to stretch to fit their subject). Here are some of my favorites:
This is my favorite ABC book of all time. The rhyming is classic Dr. Seuss. It makes reading fun and enjoyable for the caregiver and the child. I ended up memorizing some parts because we read it so many times. It includes a lot of alliteration helping children hear the beginning sounds of the letters over and over again.
This Caldecott Honor book is another classic I remember being read while I was in elementary school. The character in the book goes to the market and the pages are items from the market designed as a person for each letter of the alphabet. The illustrations are incredibly detailed and imaginative.
Children need to be exposed to different foods sometimes before they are willing to try them. This is a perfect book with different fruits and vegetables for every letter of the alphabet!
Silly books make for the best books to read aloud to children. Bad Kitty is pretty particular about the food she eats. When the food runs out and there is no time to go to the grocery store, bad kitty gets pretty upset and does a mean thing for every letter of the alphabet. When a trip to the grocery store happens, there is a list including a type of food for each letter of the alphabet, crazy concoctions you will have never heard of that Bad Kitty absolutely loves. She is so happy she does one thing for every letter of the alphabet to make up for the bad behavior.
Children have a fascination with garbage trucks. They are pretty interesting if you think about it. When my kids were really little we would run like the wind when we heard the garbage truck coming. They loved watching it pick up the big dumpster and empty the trash into the incredible truck. Of course, this has been a favorite of ours to read together. It mentions a type of trash for each letter of the alphabet.
Bedtime can be a challenge. There are baths to take, teeth to brush, and pajamas to get on. Add to that the fact that kids are often bouncing off the walls because they are too wound up or are too tired to understand that they should want to sleep. I totally get it! I have had my fair share of times I couldn't get a small kiddo to go to sleep. So here are my five favorite books to help with those bedtime blues.
The idea behind this book is that every time you blink, you have to turn a page. But if you don't blink, you won't get to the end of the book—and thus you won't have to go to bed! This is a hilarious bedtime book that just dares kids to not blink and to try to stay awake. As the adult reader, I have to watch to see when the child blinks (and thus to turn the page). And if the kid stares for a while, we just sit on that page for a bit. It is totally a good way to try to get kiddos to close their eyes and keep them shut until morning—or at least to get them to try!
This is a great picture book. Owl wakes up and is excited to play—only it is nighttime and all his friends are sleeping (or trying to sleep). This is a good book to read to help little ones realize that sleep is important for all sorts of animals (and people) and they shouldn't keep others awake. This is also a good book to start a discussion about day or night.
Jane Yolen is a master at helping kids understand the right and wrong ways to act at certain times—such as bedtime. By showing dinosaurs doing the wrong (and then the right) ways to go to bed, kids can learn how good little dinosaurs (and children) should approach bedtime. And if a youngster loves dinosaurs, then bonus! Teague shows a plethora of dinosaurs and has names for the little aspiring paleontologists.
This is one of my all-time favorite bedtime books. It is a classic! This book was first published in 1996, and it is still one of the best! In this story a mother keeps telling all sorts of animals to be quiet since baby is sleeping—only she doesn't see that baby is actually awake and moving around. Kids will like seeing where baby goes and will potentially be lulled to a calmer state due to the soothing cadence of the rhythms and rhymes.
In this book jaguar is very hot and tired in the jungle—so he decides that he wants to take a nap, a siesta. Only he wants to wake up in 10 minutes so that he can get up and go about his day. So he asks coati to wake him up. Coati agrees, then gets tired and wants to take a nap as well so he asks cockatiel to wake him up (and so on and so on down the animal alarm-clock chain). This is a fun book that shows kids how naps (which are often similar to bedtimes) are a happy thing that animals (and people) should be excited about.
Provo Library carries quite a few Spanish materials. On the children's side, we often get parents wanting bilingual books in Spanish and English to help younger patrons learn a second language while they're small. Like our patrons, our Spanish collection isn't the biggest, but we're growing! We even have bilingual board books to start breaking language barriers early. Here are five bilingual board books you can find in the children's Spanish section.
This adorable board book taught me that "duckling" in Spanish is "patito." Cute in both languages! This board book keeps it simple: each page has one baby animal with both its English and Spanish name.
Another by Say and Play Bilingual, but this book takes it to the next level. Each page still features one animal, but it's focused on the animal sounds. Learn that the frog says Ribbit! in English, but la rana dice ¡Croac! en Espanol. It's a great intellectual exercise to realize that even animal sounds are portrayed differently in different languages and countries.
This simple board book introduces readers to numeros uno a diez. As a bonus, each number corresponds with an everyday object. Five carrots becomes cinco zanahorias and seven stars becomes siete estrellas.
The Chameleon realizes every animal and plant can claim a color except him. He feels pretty lonely without a color to call his own until the day he meets another chameleon who explains that they can change color together! This classic story is told in English with Spanish translations on each page.
These BabyLit classics crack me up! In board book format, each "classic" uses a notable literary work to explain a simple concept. Some focus on counting or opposites; this one highlights Spanish. You'll learn that Don Quixote is a man or el hombre, that windmills are also los molinos de viento, and that the faithful Sancho Panza is Don Quixote's friend or amigo. The illustrations in this series are some of my favorite.
Working at a library as a grown-up, I'm often really jealous of kids who get to read books I would have loved when I was their age but which didn't exist yet. These days, kids interested in fashion have a bevy of books to choose from—something I will always be jealous of. Here are my favorite books for fashionable kids.
This dual biography of Hubert de Givenchy (who passed away just last week) and his most famous client, Audrey Hepburn, is a beautiful, fashionable, and colorful story of two best friends. Young readers may not appreciate the depictions of a fish-out-of-water Audrey in famous movie costumes yet, but will still enjoy the water colors of beautiful dresses.
This new picture book biography is about Elsa Schiaparelli, a fashion designer known for creating innovative dresses that were works of art. This book is inspiring—reminding young readers that they can accomplish great things and "bloom" into something beautiful—and filled with illustrations of flowers and dresses in Elsa's signature shade of hot pink.
In this fashionable and "mod" retelling of Cinderella, the titular character is transformed into haute couture by a fairy godfather who looks suspiciously like Karl Lagerfeld. Fashion aficionados will love the references to some recognizable styles of the 20th century (the end pages will help you identify them) and little fashionistas will love the bright and unique illustrations.
This ABC book takes kids on a simple tour through the history of fashion mentioning ruffs, chopines, flappers, and more. The swirly, often silly, illustrations enhance the goofy (and true) stories about high fashion through time. This book is a must for fashionable readers and the pink cover definitely adds to the kid appeal.
This is the only book on my list that isn't a picture book, but it is still filled with illustrations of fashionable ladies and the clothes that made them famous. This book tells the story of famous women who made history because they were well-dressed and not in spite of it. Slightly older readers with an interest in celebrity and fashion will love this in-depth look at the power of clothes.
It's Mother's Day month and the library has a lot of books that focus on the relationship of mother and child. I can't help but reflect on my relationship with my children and feel nostalgic about when they were really little. There are little mothering moments that I remember and cherish. Reading, of course, happens to be my favorite. These days instead of picture books, my children have the attention span to listen to a chapter from a longer novel, and it is still my favorite thing in the world. Nothing really compares to snuggling on the couch and reading all together. Right after having my first child we created a nightly ritual. It makes all the hard moments worthwhile, even though it turns "getting ready for bed" into a marathon-long nightly routine. Every so often we pick a book about the relationship of mother and child, and as the pages continue to turn, tears eventually come to my eyes because the story is that touching. With all the adorable mother-child relationship books I see, I decided to share my favorites.
A mother looks back and describes to her child all the experiences she had while she was pregnant, and how they helped create who she is today. The strong relationship shared between her and the child is perfectly experienced by the reader.
This simple story has always been one of my favorites. The board book version is perfect for reading with babies. It goes through the experience of babies from different parts of the world. Even though they come from different places, they are all similar in so many ways, but of course, each baby has their own special mama.
Mcghee and Reynolds have captured the memorable, special mothering moments and combined them with the hopes and dreams every mother has for her own children. This sweet, simple story can be shared with children and treasured by mothers.
This story is perfect for the beginning of the school year, especially for a child who is nervous about the experience. I still give my daughter a kissing hand every night before she goes to bed, and she says, "Mama loves me." We first read this book together a few years ago, but she has carried on the nightly tradition. Penn also perfectly describes a mother's feelings in sending a child to school for the first time. Sometimes it is just as hard as it is for the child.
This timeless classic continues to be a staple of every reading collection. Brown captures the lengths a mother will go to be with her child, and Hurd's pictures perfectly accompany the story. Every other spread contains illustrations with no words, which provides time to have the children tell the story and describe what is happening along with the reader. This story is perfect for a child of any age, especially the youngest listeners.
I absolutely, definitely judge books by their covers. I'm always scanning the shelves (and the floor, and patron's hands) for covers that are unique in design and childlike in sensibility. When a book's cover catches my eye, I pick it up. That is how I choose the books I want to read. It's not a perfect approach. But I have found that form usually follows function and more often than not, an interesting book cover contains an interesting story inside.
Here are five books I simply happened across in the children's section: books I'd never heard of before, but which had graphically bold or visually detailed covers that I was drawn to. Once I opened up these books, I found stories and illustrations inside that confirmed what the covers suggested. Not all books should be judged by their covers, but it's working out pretty well for me so far.
(Interestingly, all five of these books are by Japanese authors and illustrators.)
Issun Boshi is the first book I checked out as a librarian. I was sucked in by the cover illustration boldly rendered in orange, teal, yellow, and black with stark negative space. I picked it up partially because I couldn't tell how old it was from looking at the cover. Like a lot of less familiar folktales, ISSUN BOSHI feels at once fresh and ancient. It is the story of a one-inch tall boy who leaves home to find adventure, armed with a rice bowl and a needle. The words and images create a striking picture book of unusual peril but also unusual subtlety.
This cover is densely patterned, boldly colored, and full of glaring dinosaurs—which makes its sweet title intriguing. Inside, we get the story of a destructive and violent Tyrannosaurus who learns about gratitude and friendship when the Elasmosaurus saves his life. I like that YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND is extremely aware of its audience, both in word and image. It feels like a story a child would tell accompanied by drawings a child would draw, but with the finesse and sophistication of a hugely talented adult author/illustrator.
I liked the careful little scene on the cover of Anno's Counting Book and was rewarded with an exceptional presentation of natural mathematics inside. The development of a village and its countryside is depicted only with pictures and numbers. The landscape and its inhabitants change and expand and multiply in patterns and sequences throughout seasons of the year. Anno's delicate little drawings are full of life and detail. Every plant, animal, person, and building is worth discovering because each countable feature (windows, branches, petals) is significant in relation to everything else.
Sometimes just the color of a book jacket or the typeface of the title or even the size of a book is enough to make me want to pick it up. This slim little pale pink book fit so nicely in my hands - how could I resist? KUMA KUMA CHAN'S HOME is a tiny book, sweetly and simply rendered, about an imperfect but ultimately nice visit between friends. The story, like the cover art, is understated, gentle, and minimal.
The childlike drawing style featured on the cover of HOW TO DRAW ALMOST EVERYTHING feels similar to Anno's, which is probably why this book caught my attention. Invitingly simple but engagingly specific, this "Illustrated Sourcebook" teaches the reader how to doodle just about anything you might need to doodle. The step-by-step illustrations are encouraging and accessible and the book really does cover a huge breadth of subjects: animals, plants, faces, clothing, foods, vehicles, emotions, actions.
Whenever someone learns that I work at a library, they usually ask one of three questions:
1. What's your favorite book? 2. What are you reading? 3. What do you recommend?
The last two are usually more enjoyable to answer than the first question, but lately those questions have been very difficult for me. I'm going to be honest here. Yes, I work at a library, but I am not a librarian. I'm also the parent of a one-year-old, and so right now between working full time and parenting that little fellow, the answer is that I read a lot of the same five books. Over, and over, and over again. I hope that some time in the next year I will learn how to get dinner on the table before 8:30 at night; I hope that I will find time and space to read for myself again; I hope that maybe Calvin will learn to like more books (he will). But for now, it's these five. So I present to you Calvin's (the one-year-old) favorite five books, which I somehow still don't hate even though I read them each at least five times a day.
The premise of this book is simple: four words, combined in varied ways, create new pictures. I don't want to spoil the jokes, so I'll leave the description there. Calvin loves to be asked, "Where's the bear?"; the bear looks slightly different on every page, so it feels like a challenge. Plus, I roar when he finds it, so there's that.
This was the first book Calvin actually listened to in its entirety. And then asked to hear again. And again. In Calvin's eyes, this book has three real strengths: first, it's not too long. Second, it's filled with a variety of animals. Third, as each animal represents a different emotion, the opportunities for silly and changing voices abound. This one's a great read-aloud for little ones, and I'm still amused by the book's final insistence that "A difficult mood is not here to stay. Unless you're that duck. He's always this way."
It's always satisfying when your child loves a book that you loved as a child, so when Calvin willingly sat in my lap and listened as we read about all these variously positioned, colored, and tempered feet, we both felt as fuzzy inside as "fuzzy fur feet". This book is fun for all the usual reasons that a Dr. Seuss book is fun: delightfully silly rhymes, that signature art style, the way that something so ordinary becomes whimsical. After we're done reading, Calvin loves to open up to either the very front or very back pages (which have tons of images of the main character) and we just keep saying, "Feet! Feet! Feet! Feet!" This is a part of the story his Dad invented, and it's his favorite.
This is probably the book we spend the most time with. Our copy is a large board book that we picked up at the Library's Used Book Store, and Calvin loves to carry it around because his first love is carrying objects that seem much too large for him (at grandma's house, his favorite thing to play with is her steam mop. But I digress…). This one is great for especially young kids; lots of animals, each isolated on a bright colored background (making it easy to distinguish them from one another and point to your favorites). Calvin's favorite is the bunny. The chicken and the giraffe are close seconds.
I fully expect Calvin to move on from a few of these books before he can really comprehend their message, but this is one I hope he sustains interest in long enough to really understand the story. In I LOVE YOU, STINKY FACE, a child prolongs his bedtime routine by posing an escalating series of "what if?" scenarios to his patient, patient mother. "What if I smelled so bad my name was Stinky Face? What if I was a terrible meat-eating dinosaur? Would you still love me?" The book is silly and playful, but reinforces maybe the best lesson: that no amount of bad breath, big teeth, or bug-eating can stop a parent from loving their child.
Last year I shared my son Calvin's favorite books. He was one at the time, and was just barely at a place where he enjoyed being read to. The last year of parenting has had its ups and downs, but one thing we've done right is to continue to read to him. It's now a several-times-daily activity. Calvin is branching out and learning to like new books, but he does have some tried and true favorites that he keeps coming back to.
Though we've done our best to expose Calvin to lots of possible interests, he is obsessed with trucks, trains, and construction vehicles right now. You'll notice a strong bias in that direction.
This is the book Calvin asks for every. single. night. The text has a great rhyme scheme, Lichtenheld's illustrations are just the right blend of cutesy and beautiful, but really it's the trucks that interest Calvin. After a hard day's work, a variety of large vehicles are tucked safely away to rest. I credit this book for my son's ability to correctly identify an "excavator." Side note: before I had a child, there were basically two kinds of construction vehicles to me: cranes and bulldozers. I have now seen the error of my ways, and can tell you the difference between a front-end loader, a grader, an excavator, and a bulldozer.
The library doesn't actually have a copy of this book, but we do have several by Fujikawa so you can get a sense of her illustration style. I don't quite know what it is about this book that fascinates Calvin. The book talks about all the different things babies do (which is basically eat, sleep, repeat). He does like seeing the babies learn things like putting on shoes and eating with a spoon. Plus there are puppies and kitties and small children romping through fields of flowers. It's a bit cutesy for my taste, but I guess this list isn't about me.
The love that Calvin has for Curious George knows virtually no bounds. He has seen every episode of the show at least 7 times (I don't know what that says about us as parents. Probably nothing good…also, I'm lying. It's probably at least 12 times). He clapped when we finally decorated his room and put up some Curious George art; my mother gave him a Curious George blanket that he wants to take on every car ride even though he's historically been a blanket-hater. Though I prefer the Curious George books written by Margaret and H.A. Rey (rather than the new series inspired by them), this one is pretty short and has a train, so it wins for Calvin.
I was surprised and a little sad that the library doesn't own a stand-alone copy of this book, though the compilation linked here is definitely worth your time. I first became interested in I AM A BUNNY when we had some of Scarry's original art on display in The Attic. I typically think of Scarry as the illustrator who created the worm with the bowtie, but the art in I AM A BUNNY is gorgeous. The text that follows a bunny throughout the seasons is simple; in fact, Calvin has it memorized, and I'll usually have him complete the sentences. I challenge you to find something more adorable than a two-year-old saying, "Butterflies chase me!" in a sing-song voice. It's the cutest thing ever.
With so much available for kids to read and watch, I'm sometimes baffled by the things that Calvin likes. "This?!? Out of all that is good and beautiful for you to love in the world, you like THIS?!?" Happily, FREIGHT TRAIN is not like that. The art is interesting and graphic and beautiful, but it's also really accessible to very young readers. FREIGHT TRAIN names all the cars of the train (each a different color), and then has the train go until it's going, going, gone! At the end of the book, Cal always asks, "Where'd the train go?", which isn't the cutest thing EVER but is amusing every time.
Also, I'm only talking about books here, but if you have a small person in your life that is obsessed with vehicles and construction equipment, you've probably got to share MIGHTY MACHINES with them. MIGHTY MACHINES features live action footage of large vehicles doing what they do with narration that is both informative and silly (why does the small crane have a terrible Italian accent? We'll never know…). We stream it in Netflix, but the library has several compilations that will surprise and delight again and again (and again. And again. And again…).
Possible side effect: Your child may ask to "watch garbage" every day for a month. And you will let him, because that garbage episode is gross and fascinating and one of the bulldozers randomly sings about crushing garbage and going to the disco, which sounds like a great way to live.
Caldecott Award-winning author and illustrator Dan Santat is coming to the Provo City Library! (I just did another happy dance!) If you haven't had the wonderful opportunity to read any books by or illustrated by Dan Santat then you are missing out! He is amazing! How many exclamation marks can I add to this introductory paragraph? I mean, this is happiness on epic proportions for me!! (Was that bad that I just added two exclamation marks to the end of one sentence? Does this help you understand just how amazing this is?)
Anyway, in honor of such a great force in children's literature coming to our library, I am going to tell you about five of my favorite books that he wrote/illustrated. (I know, you are asking yourself the same question: How could you just pick five? And I cheated. There are a couple where I picked certain books so I could sneak a few more your way. I had to. Dan Santat has written and illustrated SO MANY good books that really five is just too few to share just how amazing he is.)
This is a great book. Basically this girl gets first place on her science project…only just as she is accepting her first place blue ribbon she realizes that the robot is headed out on a rampage into the city. She has to go and stop her robot! Of course she forgot to give the robot ears so it can't hear her tell him to stop (or teach him to read for the same reason). Basically, she has to create a giant monster that can then stop the robot. (Only creating a giant monster that can take care of a giant robot comes with its own set of problems.) One of the things I really like about this book is that it is a girl scientist. There aren't that many books that showcase just how smart girls are (not just can be) in the science fields. And the end pages are just funny. Dan Santat totally nailed these illustrations—which is why this book is on the list. [And as an added bonus there is a sequel! OH NO! NOT AGAIN! (OR HOW I BUILT A TIME MACHINE TO SAVE HISTORY) (OR AT LEAST MY HISTORY GRADE) is also written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Dan Santat.]
This book is fun on so many levels. In this story a kid and his parents are headed to a birthday party for Grandma. Of course while on the long drive to grandma's house there is a lot of "Are we there yet?" questions. And then the kid's imagination starts to take over. The book's pages are turned upside-down and the adventures are bigger and better than any road trip I have ever taken. Then eventually the family gets to grandma's house and the party. Which means that the question soon becomes, "Can we go now?" when too many relatives start pinching cheeks.
Dan Santat received the Caldecott Award for this book. It is amazing! Basically in the book Beekle was born where all imaginary friends are created. He waited and waited (and waited) for someone to imagine him. Only nobody ever did. So Beekle decided to take matters into his own hands. Off he goes to the real world where he is in search of his friend—which he finds! And there is much happiness!
Captain Amazing is in need of a new sidekick to help him fight crime. There are a couple of candidates that really want the job—including some of Captain Amazing's pets. Basically there is a lot of fun superhero bits to this story along with a lot of figuring out who you are (as a sidekick pet especially). I love the depth of this book. I love that it is a whole graphic novel of amazingness. I love that the solution to who the new sidekick(s) is/are. And I can't tell you much more than that…because it will spoil the ending. Just know I love this book. And I will be asking Dan Santat to sign my copy—which will induce yet another dance of joy.
This is my favorite book that Dan Santat has illustrated. Ever. Possibly because I like ninjas. But also because the illustrations are just plain awesome. This is a fractured fairy tale of the three little pigs (if you couldn't guess by the title)—only with NINJAS! Basically the three siblings (two brothers and a sister) set off to learn martial arts so they can defeat the Big Bad Wolf who is quite a bully. Only the sister sticks with her training enough to inspire fear in the wolf when he learns of her power and skill. And if it wasn't cool enough that this book existed, there are also two others in this series. NINJA RED RIDING HOOD and HENSEL AND GRETEL: NINJA CHICKS are also spectacular—though the first book will always be my most favorite! (And do you like how by telling you about this series I get to talk about three books for the price of one Friday Fave?)
So my friends, if this round of Friday Faves hasn't inspired you to come to the Children's Book Festival and meet the AMAZING Dan Santat, then you need to come to the library to check out these books. Because I know that once you read them, you will love Mr. Santat's work just as much as I do!
As you may or may not know, the winner of the Caldecott medal (given to the most distinguished picture book of the year) will be announced this weekend during the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference. Our Library Director, Gene Nelson, has served on the Caldecott committee in the past, and this Friday we've asked him to pick his five favorites to win the medal or to be named honor books. Here are his picks; we'll see how close he gets!
Drum Dream Girlwritten by Margarita Engel, illustrated by Rafael Lopez (2015; acrylic )
Based on the true story of young girl breaking down the gender barrier in drum playing in Cuba, this bright surrealistic picture book is eye catching
Waitingwritten and illustrated by Kevin Henkes(2015; ink, watercolors, colored pencil)
Previous Caldecott winner Henkes assembles an unlikely group of very patient characters waiting, but for what?
If You Plant a Seed written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2015; oil)
Coretta Scott King winner deftly uses oils in creating a colorful fableish tale of planting seeds.
Lenny and Lucy written by Philip Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead(2015; mixed media)
The 2011 Caldecott Winner is back with a story about apprehension and friendship.
The Whisper written and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski(2015; mixed media)
Magical and whimsical in color and style, Zagarenski does it again with a heart-warming story about story.
I have memories from when I was about two or three of my grandpa reading me MR. BROWN CAN MOO by Dr. Seuss. I vividly remember him doing all the fun noises Mr. Brown does when the book itself poses the question, "Can you?" A child can't help themselves: They have to make the noises too. The words in this book are multi-colored, enlarged, and enticing. Words like "M-O-O-O-O-O" are drawn out to make the sounds come alive on the page. When it's time to "whisper, whisper" like a butterfly, the letters are light and tiny, visually signifying how to make the noise. I've made these sounds once again as an adult while reading "Mr. Brown" to my children, and I hope they cherish the memories as I have.
Picture books are often about more than just reading—and sometimes about even more than just the pictures and the story. Children learn with all their senses. This is what makes interactive picture books so much fun for them. They involve touching, listening, seeing, moving and experiencing all at the same time. They facilitate play on many different levels: some are even specifically meant to be a game. My kids love when I bring home interactive picture books. They make sure they each get a turn reading and playing.
These are some of our favorite Interactive picture books:
This classic continues to live on. I remember this book being read to me when I was little and feeling torn as to whether we should really turn the page, since Grover pleads so adamantly not to. Grover remains his lovable self throughout and, although intense in the middle, it turns out ok in the end.
Tullet has created a fun, interactive experience that requires no screens! The reader is empowered to change what happens as they touch the dots. Each page gives instructions of when and how to touch the dots and it is exciting to see what happens.
Although I believe reading is always magic, a child can become a true magician as the pages instruct the reader to "wave their hand" and recite specific magic words. As each page turns the magic is revealed!
It begins with a tree that has no leaves. The reader is instructed to tap a certain amount to give the tree different qualities. The tree and its leaves then change through the season, each phase having its own beauty.
You get to help the bunny go on a ski trip. You are required to turn the book at certain points to make sure the bunny goes where she is supposed to. Children and adults alike will enjoy becoming an integral part of the character's experience.
I love reading books to little kiddos. And I love libraries. So it will probably come as no surprise that I have some favorite books that I read to little ones that are about libraries and books. If you like reading about reading or libraries, you may enjoy these as well.
Elizabeth Brown loves to read. She reads and reads and reads. But as she continues to collect books to read, she realizes that she has an overwhelming collection and she must do something! Find out what Elizabeth Brown does in this charming picture book.
Something is a little different in this particular library—they have a lion! Not just a pretend lion, a real lion that likes to listen to story time and read books. Only, when the lion breaks a library rule in order to help a friend, he knows he must face the consequences. What is the lion (or the library) to do?
When all of the children go off to school the animals on the farm are bored. Finally a chicken comes up with an idea to head to town. While there the animals discover a library. However, the librarian can't understand the animals so doesn't know quite how to help them—until the chicken figures out the perfect way to ask for help.
Mimi is an adorable little pig who spends the day going to the library, the park, and back home. She loves all the things she does…but she is also thinking about her pet roly-poly bug that has been missing. This is a sweet story that mimics everyday life for little ones. And little ones will enjoy recognizing the similarities between Mimi's day and their own.
Of course I couldn't make a list of library-related books without talking about this one. The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians was written by a Provo City Library librarian! This book talks about a boy who felt like the library was his home-away-from-home. In fact, he was at the library so much it seemed that he was raised by librarians. This book explains the joy that comes when a youngster discovers the joy of feeling at home in his neighborhood library. This is one library book you don't want to miss—especially since it was based on a story that happened here in Provo!
One of the joys of being a Children's Librarian is sharing both new and classic picture books with kids during our programs. Even in our Library Kids, Jr (ages 5-8) craft program and our Lego Crew (ages 5-8) program, we always start by reading a picture book aloud.
Over the years I've gotten a lot of laughs, a lot of "awwws," and a lot of funny or deep questions from my audience. I've had to learn which books appeal to adults but not necessarily to kids, and vice versa. I've been surprised by the children's comprehension of subtle humor and their ability to recall specific details of stories we read weeks before.
While each child, of course, has their own individual tastes in reading, and while both boys and girls enjoy the following books, I have found that the following five picture books have a special appeal for young boys. They feature epic battles, outrageous humor, over-the-top situations, exaggerated technical and imaginative details, and funny voices.
Jack describes the house of his dreams that he plans to build, complete with self-cooking kitchen, indoor racetrack, and a scuba diving room.
This shark is not afraid of anything! Not the dark, not giant squids, not big mean bears. But the reader begins to suspect that there is one thing that Shark is scared of.
Baby Billy is born with a mustache. The doctor says that only time will tell if it's a good-guy mustache or a bad-guy mustache. At first Billy's cowboy mustache and cop mustache help him bring justice and order. But soon his mustache starts curling at the ends…
Inspired by the childhood game of rock, paper, scissor, this is an outrageous and hilarious depiction of the original epic battle between the three mighty warriors.
Shark and Train pit themselves against each other in one competition after another, including swimming, bowling, pie eating and more. Who will win?
It's exciting when a movie is announced that's about a book you have read. Often, people are eager to criticize a movie for not being "as good as" a book. My husband has a film degree and loves movies, so in our family there is less of a debate between which is better. He brings up the fact that each is a different art form; so instead of debating, we discuss how the story was portrayed differently. What had to be changed for the story to make sense in a new medium? What details had to be described in the book in detail, but were easily portrayed in film? Either way, it's possible to enjoy both formats, book and movie, no matter who you are. It's fun to see how someone else interpreted the book you enjoyed.
In our family, even the youngest loves watching movies that were made from books. Young children can have a picture book read to them, and then enjoy a family-friendly movie. You can easily make a family activity out of reading the book, watching the movie, then discussing which elements were the same or different. Even though a full-length movie can only be inspired by a picture book, it's fun to see what elements are still present. Here are a few of our favorites . . .
This is the Caldecott winner for 1982. The illustrations have amazing precision and detail. They look like black and white photos. The idea is so clever and imaginative, a game where the creatures and plants appear in real life when it falls on your turn.
I grew up watching this movie and have always enjoyed it. We recently watched it as a family and it's nice to find a movie that the parents enjoy watching as much as the kids. It does involve action an adventure, with some intense jungle scenes, but it also has a lot of comedy weaved throughout.
Larry is excited for his new job as a night guard at the Natural History Museum. His first night on the job his duties end up being different than he expected! This story is fun with cartoon drawings and geared for even the youngest children.
This is a movie I didn't realize was inspired by the book! There are so many fun characters and lots of fun and adventure. Again, it is fun to watch with the whole family and the kids will laugh out loud.
Shrek is an ugly, fire-breathing ogre, who encounters a witch who predicts he will go on a journey and find a princess who is even uglier than he, and he will marry her. There is poetry throughout his epic journey. The story is funny, but more suited to older children who will understand the humorous situation.
This will forever be my sister's favorite movie! Some of the jokes will go above the heads of children, but the message in the end is positive, and it's fun that it is different than the normal "happily ever after".
I have linked to the library's copy of a collector's edition printed from H. A. Rey's original watercolors, with an introduction that discusses the life and experiences of H. A. and Margaret Rey. They had to escape During World War II and come to the United States where they were able to publish the classic Curious George books.
The whole family can go on an adventure with fun, lovable George.
A grandfather tells a tall tale to his grandchildren that involves a world filled with food that falls from the sky instead of rain. It works at first, but it starts to be overwhelming and the people of the town eventually have to leave their town of food.
Inspired by the book there is a town that has food come from the sky, but it is because one of an inventor's many machines gets stuck up in the clouds and drops food from the sky. This is exciting at first, until the machine starts malfunctioning and has to be stopped! This one is definitely more fun for the kids, lots of silliness and jokes meant for them.
Every once in a while you hear about one of those totally random but strangely intriguing national celebration days, yes? Well, did you know that October 26th is National Howl at the Moon Day? Unfortunately, this year there won't be a full moon for the lupine celebration (did you catch that awesomely huge Harvest Moon a couple of weeks ago though?), but here are five fun picture books about wolves to help you get your howl on:
When Mama and Papa Bunny find a baby – a wolf baby – they're so excited to add another child to their family. But their bunny daughter Dot freaks out just a bit, convinced that "HE'S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!" This highly rated, award-winning picture book offers a comical look at new baby angst and sibling rivalry (and at having each other's back). A perfect treat for families that are expanding!
I wanted to go to Space Camp as a kid. Like really, really wanted to go to Space Camp. Who could blame me, what with growing up in Houston in the 80s and watching the movie SPACE CAMP? So it's not that unreasonable to think that a dog might want to go to Wolf Camp, right? This canine twist on summer camp had me giggling at the reference desk as Homer and his friends attempt to connect with their primeval roots. And Homer's letter home is just too, too good.
This poor wolf. His parents taught him impeccable manners, so he always asks for an animal's last wish before he eats him. And he has to respect the last wish! However, because his prey do not have impeccable manners, they consistently use the opportunity as a chance for escape. But, no matter what, the young wolf always respects the last wish! Bright illustrations and a surprise karmic ending make for an amusing adventure in the forest.
This brand new offering from the Barnett-Klassen picture book dream team is a riot! Seriously, it's so fabulous that when it arrived in our library director's box, he immediately came down to the Children's Department office and read it aloud to three of us librarians. And suddenly there were four adults cracking up over a tale about…well, you guessed it…a wolf, a duck, and a mouse. Your kids are going to love it too. These guys are geniuses.
If you have a child who's a little older and loves a delightfully creepy tale, this oldie but goodie doesn't disappoint. Lucy hears lots of noises in the walls of her big, old house – creeking and clawing and rustling and thumping. She's convinced that there are wolves in the walls, but her family dismisses her concerns. Imagine their surprise when wolves do come out of the walls! You won't want to miss this Neil Gaiman classic.
I have a tree. It's the tree that influenced my childhood. The tree provided fruit that stained my mouth and fingers. The tree scraped my hands and knees with its bark. The tree made the perfect amount of shade for my family's Sunday picnics.
Do you have a tree?
We're not alone. Many book characters have trees too. Here are a few of my favorites:
Edward and Adelia are best friends, but Adelia will move away soon. Adelia promises Edward that she will teach him to climb her tree before she leaves. This story of friendship and letting go is beautifully illustrated by more than just pictures in this read. I'm convinced Adelia's tree is the perfect climbing tree and I wish to climb it myself.
A boy receives the love and generosity of a beautiful tree. She gives him her apples, leaves, branches, shade and more. The tree is a stalwart companion for the boy throughout his life. I adore this tree. She is kind and generous with no thought of reward. THE GIVING TREE is a symbol of true friendship and love. This book is a must for any reader.
This tree is loved by animals, humans, the young, and the old. It provides food, enjoyment, shade, and fond memories. One spring day, the tree doesn't wake up and the animals and humans need to figure out a way to save it. This book stimulates out of the box thinking and shows that trees are important to everyone.
Tess is sad when her beloved tree is cut down. She doesn't know what to do, but then she gets an idea. She decides to invite friends and family to celebrate the life of her tree and finds out how influential her tree was. This book is a good starter book for developing emotional intelligence. It shows Tess's process of grief and reveals happiness is on the other side of sadness.
If you are a fan of beautiful art and song, then this book is for you. THERE WAS A TREE takes the song The Green Grass Grows All Around and sets it in Africa. Isadora's art style and chosen setting pair well together to bring this story to life. A few added features of this book include: written music and pictures sprinkled throughout the text to ensure any child can sing along.
Want to feel that holiday feeling with your little one? Here are some laugh-out-loud Christmas books parodying the ubiquitous "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Find them in the catalog:
You may notice a theme here...David Wiesner will be here this weekend! If you like award-winning picture books, not only should you try these books, but you should get yourself down to the Library on Friday or Saturday to meet David Wiesner himself!
If you are the type that likes to sing "Home on the Range" while rustlin' up some Texas chili with extra hot peppers, then you also might be the type that enjoys a tall tale or two that have to do with cowboys. These tall tales are sure to get you into a cowboy mood that may even warrant saddling' up a horse and rounding up some cattle…or a bad guy or two.
Find them in the Catalog:
Do you find yourself daydreaming about becoming a ninja? Or perhaps others have noticed (or, rather, not noticed...) that you are as sneaky as a ninja? Or perhaps…you just really like ninjas? Well, these books just might be for you! Here are three great books that all ninja fanatics will enjoy!
Our juvenile Spanish collection has a great selection and is always growing. Whether you want authentic literature, a translation of your favorite English title, or more bilingual books, come check out our materiales en Español.
Full of food puns and anthropomorphic ingredients, kids and adults will get a kick out of these witty breakfast adventures.
I listen to a lot of music. I always have. I grew up listening to music on road trips with my family, I listen to music when I am with friends, and I almost always listen to music when I am alone. Even though I am not really musical, I love music and I love listening to music because I love the lyrics. I love to sing along with songs even when I don't know them very well. The lyrics are the best part of a song for me, and I often feel like if people would only read songs and not hear them they would still like them just as much – maybe more.
One trend in picture books that I really like are books that do just that – illustrated song lyrics, just for reading. These can be a good way to introduce kids to classic songs, and a good way to really appreciate some of your favorites. There are dozens in our picture book section but here are some favorites.
Plus, you can always use Freegal to listen to and download any of the new songs you discover for yourself!
I love children's books and dressing up, so what could be more fun than dressing up as a character from a book?
Every year when I went to the store to pick out a costume for Halloween I was always disappointed. I never liked the choices that I found. I also didn't like seeing my costume again and again on everyone else. I love having a costume that is unique to me and my personality. But I also didn't want to spend a bunch of money on something I was only going to wear one day out of the year. Another frustration in picking a costume was what to be and what person to dress up as.
Then one year I discovered literary characters. I love books so why not choose my favorite book character and dress up as that particular character! For the last 5 years or so I have had some really fun costumes and most of the time people know who I am. I get lots of comments like, "That is one of my favorite books", which makes me happy.
Usually a book character costume doesn't require much. I was surprised at how many things I had at home to use for my costume. Sometimes I would have to hunt for an accessory that I needed or make an item or two for my costume but usually it was just hanging in my closet waiting to be put together. I have over the years added to my wig collection but that is something that can be used again and again. I also bought a latex witch nose and I have used that many times to change the look of my face.
This year because I have so many ideas and options to choose from my struggle is deciding which character I want to be. I thought it would be fun to share five of my favorite literary costumes and hopefully inspire you to also dress up as a literary character.
Dan Santat is coming to the library for Children's Book Festival on April 28th & 29th!
If you're like me, it's easy to rattle off a long list of fiction authors. Unfortunately, the names of picture book authors and illustrators are often more elusive. I think the pictures distract me. However, Dan Santat is one name worth remembering.
A bit of research uncovered that Santat's parents originally hoped he'd become a doctor. With this goal in mind, Santat attended the University of California, San Diego where he graduated with a degree in Biology. Fortunately for us, he decided to embrace a different passion. He went on to study illustration at the Art Center College for Design and graduated with honors.
Santat is widely known as one of the most hardworking in his field, churning out an incredible number of illustrations yearly. He has revealed on several occasions that one of the factors that helped him work so tirelessly was trying to support a family on an artist's paycheck. At one point, Santat was offered a position as a google doodler—a dream job. This would have finally given him financial stability, but he also knew it would take all of his time away from illustration. Incredibly, he turned the offer down.
Santat's work ethic pushed him to his emotional, physical, and creative limits. THE ADVENTURES OF BEEKLE was the book that changed everything for him. It is one of the few books that Santat both authored and illustrated, and its tone is a little more simple and sweet than his usual style. In fact, even the main character's adorable name, Beekle, has an adorable story: it was how his son first learned to say "bicycle." When Santat heard the Caldecott committee was looking at Beekle, he couldn't believe it. When the Caldecott medal was officially awarded to him in 2015, he admits that he broke down in tears.
We can't wait to hear from this amazing artist! Here's just a couple of the titles we have by him that you can check out before his visit:
The Provo City Library has a tradition of hosting a Mock Caldecott every January before the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) picks the real 2017 Caldecott Award winner. We narrowed down what books we would be talking about to 39 books. Then we looked at the books, had some discussion as to what makes a "distinguished" picture book, and then we voted. It took many, many rounds of voting (and a lot of discussion) but we finally came out with one winner and four honors for our Mock Caldecott.
This is a clever book. The concept is that a cat goes through the book and different people/animals see the cat—only since each creature has a different perspective the different things see the animals in a different way. For example, a mouse that might be very frightened of a cat sees a fierce creature. The illustrations then show a lot of red and sharp edges (with the exception of the mouse who is rounded and quite afraid of the cat).
In contrast when readers turn the page they see the cat from a bee's perspective which is more of a pointillism style which goes along with the type of eyes a bee would have—except for the bee, which is not depicted in pointillism since the reader is looking at the bee and the bee's perspective of the cat.
Like I said, this is a clever book. And hopefully you all can see why our Mock Caldecott committee picked this for our winner.
In this stylized portrayal of the insect world (complete with their own insect language) readers will watch insects discover a plant and what it grows into. With the brilliant use of white space the growth of the plant and dramatic entry of the bird will wow readers as they view this glimpse into a microscopic world.
Henry loves his stuffed toy lion named Leo. One day Henry and his family go for a walk in the woods and Henry loses Leo. The layered textures of the illustrations show the magical way that Leo finds his way back to Henry despite the family's lack of belief in how real toys—and best friends—can be.
A young boy watches a night gardener change the atmosphere of a small town when he creates topiaries overnight. The subtle shift of colors from the beginning to the end of the story heightens the magic and drama of the amazing gardening and this enchanting tale.
This graphic novel is a fairy tale retelling set in 1928 New York City of Snow White. The colors and style of the illustrations add to the ambiance of the setting (and the subtle addition of color(s) heightens the tension of the climax and happiness of the denouement).
By now, most people are probably aware that 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. Many moments in history are forgotten or their anniversaries are overhyped. Other moments, like the moon landing, really are a Big Fat Deal – even fifty years later. As we celebrate this lunar anniversary, here are some books all about the moon landings for even the youngest readers.
This nonfiction comic book tells the story of the Apollo 11 mission, and not just the story of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. This well-illustrated book is more than an introduction to lunar travel – it takes readers on a journey through the history of rockets and fleshes out the story with less-known details of the famous mission. All of this rolled into a bite-sized graphic novel good for kids or older readers.
This book is a little different, because it isn't about Apollo 11 – the mission that resulted in the first lunar landing. Instead, this is the story of Apollo 8 the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit and circle the moon. With a good overview of the Cold War and space race, this book gives historical context to the lunar missions that young readers may not know. This book is also filled with full-color photographs including the famous Earthrise.
Another nonfiction comic book, this very small little number focuses almost entirely on the third member of Apollo 11's crew – Michael Collins, the one who never set foot on the moon. He doesn't always get a lot of credit, but this book honors his essential role in the mission; orbiting the moon, keeping the command module functioning, and getting everyone home safely. In a limited palette of black, white, and deep purple we see the details of the moon landing play out with stark reality.
We might forget, fifty years later, that the world was watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take their first steps on the moon. We might forget that for so long this had seemed completely impossible – it was a moment that changed the world. The photograph of Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit on the moon was called one of the 100 photographs that changed the world by Time magazine. This book is all about the legacy of that picture and just what it took to get there. A totally unique lens through which to view the past.
Written in first person by Buzz Aldrin, this book has a personal touch that few books about the lunar landing can offer. This picture book autobiography is an unusual look at space travel told with lots of personal detail and heart. Illustrations throughout offer new vantages on an iconic moment in history, all culminating with the words left by Aldrin and Armstrong on the moon:
"Here men from the planet earthFirst set foot upon the moonJuly 1969. A.D.We came in peace for all mankind."
Let's face it. The world isn't always a wonderful place. No matter how much you look at it there are just some events that are awful. But how can grownups help little ones understand what is going on without scaring them or shocking them with too much information? Enter these two new picture books that portray refugees fleeing their home countries—yet deal with the events in such a sensitive way that little readers are not too upset after having read the book.
This book tells the tale of a family who used to love to spend weekends together at the beach. But then war came and the "war took my father." Life gets darker. The illustrations get darker (as in more black and dark colors, not in gruesome details). The mother decides to flee with her two children. Thus the title's "journey" begins.
At the beginning of their travels the people that are helping the family look very detailed. Then later when the family encounters soldiers or "a man we have never seen" the details are more generic or downright basic (the soldiers all look the same, the "man" is depicted as just a shadow). This gives a sense that the story is building to a crescendo (will they be able to leave and is this story bigger than just this one family?). There is also one picture that melts my heart. At one point the children are being comforted by their mother. Eventually the kids go to sleep and "mother is with us and she is never scared." However, the illustration of the mother is of her with tears streaming down her face while she holds her sleeping children. The power of the mother's hopefulness for her children just touches me.
With a hopeful ending and darkness in color rather than disturbing imagery, this is a powerful story that can help young readers understand what is happening in other parts of the world.
In this biographical story, readers learn about Tuan and his journey out of Vietnam with his mother and two sisters. Tuan's father and oldest sister had already left Vietnam and had made it safely to Canada. Now Tuan, his mother, and two more sisters start their journey to have a better life (and how heartbreaking that they had to leave the youngest sister because she was too little to travel yet). The family along with an aunt and some cousins sneak away in a truck. Then they must run to a skiff amid a volley of bullets from soldiers in the distance. There is the long period of drifting on a boat and hoping that they will be found and rescued. Finally, there is an American ship that rescues them and helps them survive.
This is a powerful story about a family's courage. Topics such as soldiers shooting at them, hunger, and survival are interwoven into the story; however, it is done in such a way that some of the sensitive readers will still be able to handle reading the book. The book also includes photographs and extra information to explain what happened to this real family (and don't worry—it is a happy conclusion).
So, if you know children who are concerned about what is happening around the world, these are two excellent books that can help start a conversation about what is going on. These books don't explain everything that is going on and they don't touch on the humanitarian horrors that are happening. But it is a good starting place to open a conversation and help a child understand the importance of some journeys. And with a little touch of hope at the end, the stories also remind us that there still is good in the world—even amidst some of the darkness.
Every year the Provo Library gets together to try to guess what books will become the winners of the coveted Caldecott Award and the Newbery Award both given by the American Library Association's ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) division. The Caldecott Award is given for the best illustrations in a children's book for the year. The Newbery is given for the best writing in a children's book for the year. There was a lot of discussion (and passion) for different books; however, these are the books that rose to the top. What are your picks for the best children's book or children's book illustrations?
In this patriotic book Naberhaus compares the United States flag to the country—both the people and the land. The blue sky and white stars could be a part of the flag—or it could be the blue sky full of white stars above the Statue of Liberty. There are "sea waves" that lap against our shores or we can "see waves" of the flag as it flutters in the breeze. Each page depicts a different part of patriotic zeal associated both with the symbols of the United States and with the parts and people of the country. And of course we have to talk about the illustrations! These illustrations are quite stunning. Nelson has managed to depict scenes that one Mock Caldecott attendee described as a "modern day Norman Rockwell type of illustrations." Needless to say many in our group were quite enamored with the details and expressions in the pictures.
This is one of my favorite books of the year. In it Chin talks about the different parts of the Grand Canyon—one of the most iconic landscapes in North America. Not only does it tell about how the canyon was formed, but it also goes into detail about the geological layers, the flora within the different regions of the canyon, and what fauna can be found there. Also, this information all comes about through the well-written text. But the true star of the book is in the illustrations. The main illustrations depict a story all on their own of a girl and her father as they camp and hike through the Grand Canyon. Plus those illustrations look like they are placed on top of animal or nature field guides that showcase the various wildlife and plant life and habitats within the area. If that wasn't enough, the illustrations also have some cut outs—which help to show readers the past life of fossils or rocks that the characters see while on their trip. The illustrations give a life and purpose to knowing all the facts and details listed in the text—and it increases a reader's desire to visit that great National Park!
This is a tale of two shapes that are friends. Triangle lives in a triangle house among shapes that are triangles for a landscape. Square lives in a square house in a place with square shapes all around. One day Triangle goes out on a quest to play a "sneaky trick" on Square. And he succeeds in scaring Square—which in turn causes Square to want to retaliate by playing a trick on Triangle. The beauty of the illustrations of this book are most prominent in the shapes themselves—specifically the expressiveness in their eyes. These little oval spheres with black dots convey such emotion! How in the world Klassen can indicate what each shape is thinking just through the eyes is remarkable. And one of the main reasons as to why this was one of our Mock Caldecott Honor picks.
Sheinkin tells the story of how Jim Thorpe, Pop Warner, and many others changed the way football is played today. Most people know about Jim Thorpe as a football player, but the background of where he came from, the atrocities that he and his classmates endured, and those other teammates that shaped the game of football are less known. The beauty of this book is that even though this is a book full of facts and bits of history it doesn't read like a boring textbook. In fact, many of the Mock Newbery participates don't even like football—yet they really liked this book! With phenomenal writing and a good story it isn't a surprise that this book was a strong contender.
This is the story of Blue (who no matter what loses at anything he tries) and Tumble (a girl who more than anything wants to be a hero to save the day). When Blue is dropped off at his grandmother's house just before a magical chance to change their fates—if they figure out how to meet a crocodile with magical abilities—he is hopeful that this will be the beginning of good things. Tumble does not believe in all the fate/destiny talk that Blue's family is certain of, yet she does believe in helping Blue navigate his bad luck. This magical realism story is well-written for the intended audience. The discussion, comments, and love that we had for this book made it quite a strong contender. Some of the strengths that we especially liked were: the characters, the setting, the pace, the dialog—well, just about everything! It was refreshing to see not only the main characters grow throughout the story, but the minor characters seemed well-developed as well.
Crow is uncertain where she comes from. She knows that Osh rescued and has raised her—and she loves him. Only, she can't stop wondering about her past. When Crow starts looking into the history of an island that housed a leper colony she finds more mysteries and danger than answers. We not only knew Crow and Osh and Miss Maggie, but we knew the Elizabeth Islands and the historical setting when the story takes place. Along with the characters and the story, particular phrases and sentences stuck with us long after we read the book. Wolk is a master wordsmith. And this book received quite a bit of love at our Mock Newbery event.
The Provo City Library is excited to announce our new collection of Read Along Books! Each Read Along Book comes with an attached audio player—that way young listeners can hear the audio recording of the book, complete with page turn signals, as they read. We were so excited about our new collection that we wanted to show you what Read Alongs are, where they are located in the library, and how you can find them in our catalog.
Be aware that some of the book covers for these Read Alongs may look different from what you are used to with regular library books. For example, the dust jacket (that paper that covers the hard bit of the book) for COME HOME ALREADY looks like this:
While GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE looks like this:
The Read Alongs look a little bit different, like this:
or this:
This is different from the regular book covers in that they have either this Vox Books sticker:
Or a Wonder Book sticker:
Vox Books and Wonder Books are two different companies that create Read Along books. Just like there are different book publishers for regular books, there are different publishers for Read Along books.
The Vox Books player that produces the audio for the book looks like this:
On the side of the Vox player is where you can turn on the device.
You can press play on the top part of a Vox Book here:
The Wonder Books are similar; here is what a Wonder Books device looks like:
Here is the power button for a Wonder Book:
And this is where you would press "play" for a Wonder Book:
These fabulous Read Alongs are located in the Children's Department on our Audio/Visual shelves.
just above the hanging book/cd collection.
As you can see, there aren't that many books on the shelf right now—most of them are all checked out! So, you can find out which read alongs are available in the library catalog by:
1. Pulling up the library's website.
2. Looking in the upper right hand corner of our website to find the catalog search box. Then type "jrp" (which stands for "Juvenile Read Along Picture Books") and hit enter.
3. Once you hit enter, a search results page will open. Scroll down. On the left hand side there is a string of ways to "Limit Search Results". The very last (on the bottom) of these is the way you can limit by "collection". Check the box that is by the "JRP" as a collection type.
4. Press the "Include" button.
The second type of Read Alongs that we have are the Juvenile Read Along Easy Readers, like DINOTRUX GO TO SCHOOL.
To find these in the catalog you would do the exact same thing that I described above, only you would:
1. Enter "jre" in the catalog search box (instead of "jrp").
2. Down at the bottom of the "Limit Search Results" boxes you would find the limit by "collection" box and check the box by "JRE" as a collection type.
3. Then press the "Include" button.
There is a limit of two Read Alongs that can be checked out on a library card at any given time. So just remember that if you have multiple holds come in all at once you are still limited to only checking out two Read Alongs at a time. Like other library materials, this collection can be checked out for three weeks.
There you go. Hopefully now you know more about the brand new Read Along collection, a little bit about how they work, and how to find them in the library and in the catalog. We hope you enjoy this fun new way of interacting with books!
Forgive me for such a long blog post! I just want to make sure I give you all the information about this fun new collection! If you still have questions after this lengthy post, please feel free to talk to a Children's Librarian about the Read Alongs.
Everybody knows Lemony Snicket, the pen name of author Daniel Handler, but few people can name any of his books outside of A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. I was certainly in this boat until a few months ago when I came across his ALL THE WRONG QUESTIONS series when finding another book for a patron. Intrigued, I did a quick google search and was surprised at how many titles he's written beyond his most famous series. I was especially delighted to find that the library owns a handful of his picture books.
That day I quickly checked out the following three picture books and discovered that the Lemony Snicket wit is perfectly suited to such a short, fun format.
THE DARK by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2013)
Are you afraid of the dark? Laszlo is; but unfortunately, the dark lives in his big, creaky old house with him. Sometimes it hides in the closet or behind the shower curtain. But mostly the dark stays in the basement where it belongs. One night, however, the lightbulb on Laszlo's nightlight burns out and the dark comes to visit his bedroom. Fortunately, the dark is very helpful when it comes to finding a replacement bulb. The way the dark is imagined in this book is so clever! It's a fun way to think about this "dark" that children are often so afraid of.
13 WORDS by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Maira Kalman (2010)
Admittedly this book is a little off the wall. But kids will laugh at the funny situations and adults can appreciate the absurdity. I think it's great. At first glance it seems as if Snicket has created a picture book to help children learn new words and place them inside sentences, a common children's book theme. However, the words he chooses, such as haberdashery and goat, create a chaotic tale that just makes me laugh every time. Kalman's illustrations are bright and fun and a perfect addition to the meandering text.
THE COMPOSER IS DEAD by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Carson Ellis music by Nathaniel Stookey and the San Francisco Symphony(2008)
This is one of my FAVORITE picture books. Although I'll admit that it doesn't hurt that I'm a bit of a band/orchestra nerd. This book has an accompanying CD with a narration by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) himself. The voice performance is awesome and is accompanied (literally) by some orchestral music that is pretty crucial to loving this story.
The book opens with a dead Bach-esque composer who is "De-composing." The very handsome and intelligent inspector must question each section in the orchestra to determine who did it and chaos ensues. I think it's a wonderful way to teach children a little about orchestral music while having a great time.
I have a confession. I am not always the most thorough reader—I'm a bit of a skimmer. I've actually found myself on so many occasions having to go back in books because I missed a crucial detail that I had decided wasn't worth paying attention to at the time. It's a horrible habit, and I don't recommend it.
However, if I am reading a book out loud to someone, it's then that I am able to take in the full extent of the story. This is especially poignant in picture books. There are fantastic illustrations that narrate far more than you might realize that I have a habit of skipping over. For a long time, wordless picture books were particularly difficult for me because I wanted to skim them like I do everything else. And then I discovered why I love wordless picture books:
This book is about a lonely boy wandering in New York City. A bluebird follows him and becomes his friend. When the boy is bullied by some kids in the park, the bluebird goes to protect him but is struck with a stick and dies. Saddened by the loss of his new friend, the boy is soon joined by a flock of birds that lift him to the sky while he lets the bluebird float away. I love this book. It handles many issues beautifully: loneliness, friendship, bullying, and loss.
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a boy that builds a snowman who comes to life. The snowman comes into the house, tries on the father's clothes, creates some disaster in the kitchen, and then goes flying off into the night with his creator on an adventure around the world. They return home, and the next morning the boy runs outside to find the snowman melted on the ground. Another great book about friendship, imagination, adventure, and loss.
This story is the first of a trilogy about a lonely girl that draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and escapes into a world of wonder, adventure, and danger. With her red marker, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carries her on her journey. It's a wonderfully illustrated story full of imagination and adventure. I accidentally read the third one first and was so impressed with the expanse of story without text that I immediately found the rest. It has such a strong visual narrative that it can appeal to a wider age range.
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