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Children's Picture Book Database
at Miami University
https://dlp.lib.miamioh.edu/picturebook/
A collection of picture book abstracts searchable by topics, concepts, and skills for building content area literacy across all academic subjects
Recognized by the International Society for Technology in Education (2006) as one of the "101 Best Web Sites for Elementary Teachers"


Welcome to the Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University, which is a collection of picture book abstracts searchable by topics, concepts, and skills for building content area literacy across all academic subjects. The collection contains abstracts of over 5900 picture books for children, preschool to grade three. Search over 1100 keywords (topics, concepts, and skills) to locate books with storylines adaptable to your curriculum or program. The Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University is also a useful collection for English Language Learners and adult literacy programs. Click on the tabs above to browse our database by alphabet A-Z or by academic subjects.

Topics

are subjects to be learned within an area of study, profession, or discipline. Ideas that are organized for learning are usually understood as topics. Topics are one type of declarative knowledge. When there are many facts collected together to describe something, we usually call that type of thing "topical". Examples of topics include:
  • Apple
  • Beach
  • Bicycle
  • Chinese
  • Forest
  • Lion
  • Newspaper
  • Opera
  • Picnic
  • Vision
  • Winter
  • Wrestling

Concepts

are categories of ideas that are abstract and more general than topics. Concepts are able to bridge across disciplines, because there are multiple ways to know and understand information in different fields or careers. When there are many types of topics organized into one concept, that concept is a bigger more abstract idea than the many types of topics that it describes. Examples of concepts include:
  • Fruit
  • Location
  • Transportation
  • Multicultural
  • Biome
  • Animals
  • Media
  • Music
  • Event
  • Five Senses
  • Season
  • Sport

Skills

are a type of procedural knowledge that requires action, practice, and proficiency. There are cognitive skills, motor skills, and cognitive motor skills. Skills are also called verbs, which give action to sentences. Skills work together with topics and concepts so ideas are put into action. A person, a character, or an animal will do the skilled action. Examples of skills include:
  • Dancing
  • Decision Making
  • Drawing
  • Goal Setting
  • Hopping
  • Painting
  • Playing
  • Reading
  • Skipping
  • Stress Management
  • Running
  • Walking