Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The bunyans | by Wood, Audrey

A storyteller explains how Paul Bunyan and his family are responsible for Niagara Falls, Bryce Canyon, the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, and other natural wonders.

Keywords: author's note, fable, family, geography, mythical, nonverbal communication, parents, self esteem, siblings, storytelling, verbal communication

Rumpelstiltskin's daughter | by Stanley, Diane

When Rumpelstiltskin's daughter is ordered by the King to spin straw into gold, she tricks him instead by telling him that sharing his gold with the townspeople is the way to increase his wealth.

Keywords: conflict resolution, critical thinking, fable, family, feelings, goal setting, greed, magic, parents, refusal skills, royalty, self esteem, sharing, stress management, verbal communication

I'll be you and you be me | by Krauss, Ruth

Would you and your friends like to read the poems, plays, fairy tales, and songs in this book?Which parts will you pantomime?

Keywords: acting, animals, fable, friendship, monkey, poetry, song

The devil and mother crump | by Carey, Valerie Scho

Mother Crump was meaner than the devil. The devil came to get her and take her to hell, but she outsmarted him. When she died, neither heaven or hell would have her, so she went to the sky. This is where heat lightning comes from.

Keywords: aggression, decision making, devils, fable, goal setting, nature, self esteem, verbal communication

Grandfather twilight | by Berger, Barbara Helen

Grandfather Twilight takes a pearl from his chest every night, and walks to the sea where he puts it in the sky. It is the moon.

Keywords: fable, imagination, moon, nature, nonverbal communication

The cat and the cook and other fables of krylov | by Heins, Ethel

Twelve fables from Ivan Krylov of Russia are presented. Some of the fables include The Cat and the Cook, The Swan, the Pike, and the Crab, and The Miser. Many of these fables feature animals with a valuable moral built in.

Keywords: animals, author's note, bear, birds, butterfly, cat, conflict resolution, crab, critical thinking, crustaceans, decision making, donkey, eagle, fable, fish, food, goal setting, goat, goblins, insects, monkey, nutrition, spider, swan, verbal communication, wolf

Once in a wood: Ten tales from aesop | by Rice, Eve

Follow the Fox, the Lion, and other animals through the various lessons of life. Aesop's Fables teach many lessons about being clever and playing the fool.

Keywords: aggression, amphibians, animals, assertiveness, birds, cat, conflict resolution, cow, critical thinking, crow, deception, decision making, deer, dog, duck, fable, fear, feelings, fox, friendship, frog, goal setting, goat, helping, horse, lion, mischief, mouse, music, pig, pride, problem solving, refusal skills, sizes, song, storks, stress management, teaching, verbal communication

The gingerbread boy | by Egielski, Richard

A woman makes a gingerbread boy who escapes into the city. He crosses the paths of many people, all of whom want to eat him. The gingerbread boy is too fast to be caught until he encounters a smart fox.

Keywords: animals, critical thinking, escape, fable, fox, rhyme, running away

Joshua's masai mask | by Hru, Dakari

When Joshua is pressured by his parents to play his African instrument in the school talent show, he is embarrassed because it is not as cool as the rap his friends will do. His uncle then gives him a magical mask which makes Joshua seem cool to other people. When he realizes he would rather make music with his Kalimmba, he is a hit at the talent show.

Keywords: african american, competition, embarrassment, empathy, fable, family, instruments, magic, music, parents, performance, school

A good knight for dragons | by Bradfield, Roger

A nice, good-hearted prince named Cedric is in for a predicament. His father, the King, wants Cedric to sword the Dragon to proved that he can rule the kingdom. However, Cedric hates to fight and hates violence. At the end, Cedric humorously gets out of the situation while still earning respect and the kingdom.

Keywords: conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, dragons, fable, family, fight, nonverbal communication, parents, peer resistance, refusal skills, royalty, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Dinorella: A prehistoric fairy tale | by Edwards, Pamela Duncan//Cole, Henry

Do you remember what happened to Cinderella?Well, Dinorella not only goes to the ball, but she defends the duke against a hungry deinonychus. The dinosaur dames, Dora and Doris, want the jewels but Dinorella has but one dazzling jewel.

Keywords: assertiveness, courage, critical thinking, decision making, dinosaur, empathy, fable, fantasy, happiness, heroism, laziness, love, nonverbal communication, party, peer resistance, selfishness

Cornelius | by Lionni, Leo

Cornelius the crocodile is able to walk upright by standing on his head. The other crocodiles become jealous when Cornelius brags about his skill.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, crocodile, envy, fable, feelings, goal setting, hard work, jealousy, learning, monkey, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, reptiles, self esteem, teaching, uniqueness, verbal communication

Sam and the tigers: A new telling of little black sambo | by Lester, Julius

A boy named Sam picks out bright clothes for his first day of school. On his way to school he runs into some tigers who want to eat him but he trades his bright clothes for his life. His bright clothes cause such a ruckus among the tigers that they fight each other and Sam gets his clothes back.

Keywords: adventures, african american, anger, animals, art, author's note, clothing, colors, conflict resolution, elephant, fable, family, feelings, fight, food, fox, giraffe, hunger, lion, monkey, multicultural, numbers, nutrition, school, tiger, umbrella, wolf

Wind child | by Murphy, Shirley Rousseau

Resshie is a child of the wind. She is a talented weaver and is known across the country, and beyond. However, she's not happy. All she wants is a husband to keep her company. She meets the men in the villages, she even tries weaving one, but she is still not happy. Then a stranger comes who is everything she's dreamed. Through her wonderful weaving, they can spend forever together.

Keywords: baby, clothing, creativity, dreams, fable, family, feelings, flowers, goal setting, loneliness, love, nature, parents, spiritual, weather, wind, work

A frog prince | by Berenzy, Alix

This is a life lesson concerning love is in the eyes of the beholder. This story show how love turned a common frog into a prince.

Keywords: amphibians, assertiveness, beauty, body image, conflict resolution, decision making, fable, fantasy, frog, goal setting, love, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, refusal skills, self esteem, verbal communication

Ouch! | by Babbit, Natalie

A baby born with the destiny of marrying a princess is brought by the King and thrown into the river to prevent a possible marriage with his newborn daughter. Rescued by a loving couple, the boy grows up and meets the King once again. The Kings plan to kill the young man backfires again and the young man marries the princess. As a test, the King sends the new prince to steal the golden hairs off the devil's head. In a surprise ending, the prince prevails, but the King is not so lucky.

Keywords: anger, architecture, baby, boat, bodies of water, bridge, confidence, correspondence, dancing, death, devils, dreams, fable, family, feelings, food, forest, happiness, lost, magic, marriage, nonverbal communication, river, royalty, secrets, sleep, transportation, trick, wedding

The sleeping lady | by Dixon, Ann

Nekatla and Susitha are a young couple preparing to wed. THe wedding is put on hold when war breaks out, and Nekatla must travel to another village to try to restore peace. Susitha waits on a grassy hill for Nekatla to return, and she falls asleep. Nekatla is killed in war, and Susitha never awakens and is now known as the sleeping lady.

Keywords: adventures, anger, author's note, bravery, celebration, communication, conflict resolution, culture, death, decision making, dreams, fable, feelings, happiness, history, hope, loss, love, nonverbal communication, relationship, sleep, snow, teamwork, verbal communication, violence, war, weather, wedding, worry

Beware of the storybook wolves | by Child, Lauren

Herb loves being read storybooks by his mother, as long as she takes the books out of his room when she is done. Tonight though, his mother gets distracted and forgets the book. As Herb is just about to fall asleep, two wolves jump out of the book with the intention of eating him. Herb must now find a way to keep them from eating him. With the help of a fairy godmother (from another book!), Herb escapes the hungry wolves.

Keywords: animals, bedtime, books, caterpillar, critical thinking, dreams, fable, fear, feelings, five senses, food, godmother, magic, peer resistance, smell, storytelling, stress management, telephone, witches, wolf

Wait!No paint! | by Whatley, Bruce

The three little pigs move out to build their own homes. But when the big, bad wolf comes, the first two pigs escape to the brick house. Throughout the ordeal, the pigs hear a mysterious voice that turns out to be the illustrator. The illustrator runs out of paint while finishing the story and finally saves the pigs by changing them and the wolf into Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Keywords: anger, animals, art, bear, body parts, change, clowns, colors, conflict resolution, decision making, embarrassment, fable, feelings, happiness, hunger, mystery, noise, pig, refusal skills, safety, storytelling, surprises, verbal communication, wolf

Geraldine, the music mouse | by Lionni, Leo

Geraldine the mouse finds a large chunk of cheese. She gnaws the cheese into a statue that plays music. She then learns that she has music in her too.

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