Provo Library Children's Book Blog

It's that eerie time of year, and you may have started wondering about all the whys and hows behind our spookiest traditions. Well then, non-fiction readers, celebrate—because this is the list for you! Here are some of the latest publications covering everything from ghoulicious cooking to haunting locales to spooky global celebrations and stories for this bone-chilling season! Spooky Celebrations Around the World Written by Matt Ralphs Illustrated by Veronika Kotyk  New York; London: Phaidon, 2024. Informational. 47 pages.  Dive into a global tour of fascinating festivals in Spooky Celebrations Around the World . Beyond familiar favorites like Halloween and Día de Muertos, this vibrant book introduces young readers to 21 unique celebrations honoring spirits across every continent. With playful, yet respectful text and stunning artwork, it's a brilliant, year-round read that will spark curiosity about cultural traditions and the world. Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious ...

  Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book Written by María Dolores Águila Illustrated by Erika Meza New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. Sunday just got even sweeter with the heartwarming, Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book.  Join a joyful Latinx family as they gather for their traditional menudo feast, with grinning abuelitos, playful cousins, and even mischievous perritos filling the pages. This vibrant and fun story isn't just about counting from uno to quince in both English and Spanish; it's a celebration of love, togetherness, and learning to work as a team --especially when a menudo mishap occurs. With charming illustrations that capture the warmth of this Mexican American home, and helpful extras like a glossary and tips for hosting your own menudo Sunday, this book is a treasure for every family library.

  Preschool Time Edmund the Elephant Who Forgot Written by Kate Dalgleish Illustrated by Isobel Lundie Brighton, England: Scribblers, a Salariya imprint, 2021. Picture Book. Edmund is a very forgetful elephant. When he's sent to the shops to fetch some things for a birthday party, he finds that he can't remember what he was meant to buy. His purchases soon become sillier and sillier. Can his friend Colin the Cricket help him to remember? --Publisher Preschool Time Elephant's Music By Monika Filipina Washington, D.C.: Magination Press, 2021. Picture Book. Unable to play an instrument, Edward the elephant resigns himself to being a good audience for the jungle band, but when he is running late for a concert one day, his musical talent is revealed. --Editor Toddler Time An Elephant in Our City By Friederike Dammermann New York: Clavis, 2025. Picture Book. It's always peaceful in our city. Except for today. Because today, an elephant has suddenly appeared. Just like that. O...

  Preschool Time Molly, Olive, and Dexter Play Hide and Seek By Catherine Rayner  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Meet Molly the hare, Olive the owl, and Dexter the fox, three friends who live near the oak tree at the edge of the meadow. Hide-and-seek is Molly's favorite game, but things aren't going her way. For starters, Olive and Dexter don't seem to know the rules. And when Molly shows her friends how to play properly, they hide a little too well. Set in a delicately rendered pastoral world of soft color and shimmering line, here is a picture book that tackles outsize toddler emotions with sensitivity and whimsy. Make way for the singular Molly, Olive, and Dexter--ready or not, here they come! --Publisher Preschool Time This Is Not a Dinosaur Written by Barry Timms  Illustrated by Ged Adamson Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow Inc., 2024. Picture Book. Join the fun and discover that having a dinosaur for a friend is one BIG, hilarious adventure! This fabulou...

Elena Camps By Juana Medina Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2025. Easy Reader.  In a second installment featuring Elena the elephant, we find her and her bird friend preparing to go camping. She's got her Tent-O-Matic, and is absolutely confident she'll have it set up in no time. But after several charmingly comedic failures, Elena is frustrated! What can she do? What has she missed? With some breathing techniques and help from a friend, this sweet tale of perseverance has a satisfying conclusion. Juana Medina has done it again with this excellent follow-up to Elena Rides . Onomatopoeia-laden, yet simple text enhances the dynamic and funny illustrations, making this book perfect for the beginning reader crowd.   

  Preschool Time Jungle Cat Written by Andrew Larsen Illustrated by Udayana Lugo Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 2023. Picture Book.  In this playfully illustrated picture book, a group of neighbors come together to help their much-loved apartment cat when his outside adventure goes awry. --Publisher Preschool Time Cookie Time By Jessie Sima New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. Eager to eat their cookies, siblings Kat and Ari decide to build a time machine, but they soon discover some things are worth waiting for. --Editor Toddler Time  Bookie & Cookie By Blanca Gómez New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2024. Picture Book. When their usual routine is disrupted, Bookie and Cookie, best friends who live on opposite pages, learn to bridge their differences and explore new experiences together. --Editor Book Babies The Greatest Gift By Emma Dodd Somerville, MA: Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2025. Picture Book. Rhymi...

Preschool Time B Is for Bananas Written by Carrie Tillotson Illustrated by Estrela Lourenco New York: Flamingo Books, 2023. Picture Book. A is for Awake . . . but B is for Bedtime. When the narrator of this alphabet book tries to make it a bedtime book, Banana objects. Bedtime is BORING! And Banana is the star of this book, so it should really be called B Is for Bananas instead. It shouldn't be about bedtime at all. Journey through all the letters of the alphabet in this laugh-out-loud story from Carrie Tillotson and Estrela Loureṅo about a banana who is NOT ready to go to bed. --Publisher Preschool Time Where Is Bina Bear? By Mike Curato New York: Godwin Books/Henry Holt and Company, 2022. Picture Book. Tiny is having a party, but Bina Bear is nowhere to be found. Is that Bina hiding under a lampshade? It looks like Bina . . . but it must be a lamp. Is that Bina beneath the fruit bowl? It could be . . . but it's probably just a table. Searching for Bina, Tiny realizes somethin...

School has started, and soon we'll start seeing the weather shift to cooler days and crisp nights --which to many signals the beginning of fall sports. In the US, this typically means football and soccer are going full speed ahead. So whether you love football, soccer, or both, here are some books to read in your downtime to keep that gameday spirit (and its challenges) alive... everyday! Slug Fest By Gordon Korman New York: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024. Fiction. 292 pages.   In this underdog story, middle school sports star Yash is forced to take summer school PE—or "Slugfest." He finds himself among a ragtag group of misfits, including: a clumsy genius, a pair of feuding twins, a practical jokester, and a former athlete held back because of an injury. Led by a retired second-grade teacher with a love for baking, this unlikely team of "slugs" must come together to win a city-wide flag football tournament. Full of witty dialogue and...

Preschool Time Astronaut Sisters By Julie Fortenberry New York: Margaret Ferguson Books / Holiday House, 2025. Picture Book. Two sisters love to play astronaut while they wait for a very special astronaut to return home from space. --Publisher Preschool Time There's an Alien in Your Book Written by Tom Fletcher Illustrated by Greg Abbott New York: Random House Children's Books, 2020. Picture Book. Encourages the reader to shake, tilt, and wiggle the book in an effort to launch the alien back into space, because aliens do not belong on Earth--or maybe they do. -- Editor Toddler Time Sour Apple By Linda Liu New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2024. Picture Book. A . . . picture book about an apple who learns the importance of self-acceptance and patience after being left behind during picking season. --Publisher Book Babies The Pelican Can By Toni Yuly New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2024. Picture Book. An exuberant celebration of the remarkable things that a pelican can do. -...

Preschool Time Hooray for Books! By Brian Won Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. Picture Book. While Turtle seeks his favorite book, each of his friends offers his or her favorite to thank him for sharing. --Editor Preschool Time A Love Letter to My Library Written by Lisa Katzenberger Illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks eXplore, 2024. Picture Book.  Children in the community express gratitude for their local library's fun activities and inclusive space. --Editor Toddler Time The New LiBEARian Written by Alison Donald Illustrated by Alex Willmore Boston; New York: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. Picture Book. When the children discover a bear at the librarian's desk at story time, they think he's the new librarian. He's not! --Publisher Book Babies Sigh Like a Sloth By Nicole LaRue Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2022. Board Book. This board book introduces toddlers to simple breathing exercises perfect for encouraging focu...

Whether your reader is going to school for the first time or returning for another busy year, these new picture books are a great way to get in the school year mindset! Scarecited on the First Day of School Written by Alliah L. Agostini Illustrated by Lala Watkins  New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025. Picture Book.  Have you ever felt more than one way about something? Of course you have! This delightful picture book perfectly encapsulates that phenomenon --because it's Afua's first day of school, and she's feeling so many things!  The Tour at School! Written by Katie Clapham Illustrated by Nadia Shireen Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2025. Picture Book. Get ready to smile until your face hurts at the antics of this young new tour guide! Our tour guide is very self-assured, and reminds readers that when you're assigned to show a new student around there are some things you absolutely must remember to do, like: Sound very excited, locate the echo-ey bathroom fi...

  The Tunneler Tunnels in the Tunnel By Michael Rex New York: Simon Spotlight, 2025. Easy Reader. In a world full of penguins, this particular bird is tunneling. Where is he going, you might ask? Why is he handing out star-stamped papers along the way? The gardener who gardens in the garden, the banker who banks at the bank, along with many others all recieve one, leading readers to wonder.. what will happen at the end of this tale? Repeative, simple text paired with engaging illustrations that become more interesting the longer you look, make this easy reader a funny and educational must-read. In particular, pay attention to the tunneler's facial expressions, as well as, the various scattered items surrounding his tunnel which provide a fun oppurtunity to seek-and-find. 

  Stories in the Park Oh, Olive! By Lian Cho New York: Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023. Picture Book. Presenting Olive Chen! The most magnificent and brilliant artist in the whole wide world! Her parents are also artists--serious artists--who paint prim, proper, perfect shapes. They know Olive has the talent to follow in their footsteps. But Olive likes to smear, splatter, splash, and even lick. With a brush in each hand, Olive cascades through town with her friends in tow, painting what she wants to, what she feels--until she reaches her parents' pristine art museum... --Publisher Stories in the Park I Feel Teal Written by Lauren Rille Illustrated by Aimee Sicuro New York: Beach Lane Books, 2018. Picture Book. Encourages the reader to enjoy all of the colors, representing feelings, that may be experienced in the course of a day. --Editor Canopy Capers Have You Ever Seen a Flower? By Shawn Harris San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2021. Picture Book....

In the modern classic, The Day the Crayons Quit , we are introduced to Duncan's Crayons. Each Crayon has a grievance to bring to Duncan's attention in the form of a written letter. From being used too much,  to having exclusive rights over the color of the sun, these are grave complaints! Serious to the Crayons, but humorous to the reader, this book has become beloved by many.  So... Crayons (and Duncan,) listen up! Here are a few books that might give you some new ideas on conflict resolution, as well as some other creative outlets to bring to Duncan's attention. Still Life Written by Alex London Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky New York: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2024. Picture Book.  Crayons, you'll recognize that these illustrated characters are also having a rough time of it. There is a poor dragon who needs rescuing, but this is supposed to be a still life painting... where nothing moves...  ever!  They aren't even supposed t...