Browse Items · Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Tags: helping

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Ella sets the stage

Amico, Carmela

Ella wants so badly to be in the school talent show, but she has no talent. She decides instead to join the talent show committee and helps make the show the best it can be. During the show, something unexpected happens and Ella comes to the rescue, finding her true talent: helping others.

Tags

animals, arabian, art, cooking, dancing, discovery, elephant, exercise, feelings, happiness, helping, heroism, identity, instruments, juggling, jumping, magic, music, performance, poetry, practice, puppets, sadness, school, shyness, song, sounds, support, writing

Leo in the library

Mkatshaw, Dumazile

Leo was in the class watching ants crawl on the wall when his teacher asked on what animal he would be doing his project. He could only think of ants, about which he knew nothing. Leo goes to the library looking for a book and causes a terrible mess. Leo must find his book about ants, but he doesnﾒt know what it would look like.

Amelia bedelia and the surprise shower

Parish, Peggy

Amelia Bedelia always seems to take everything literally. This only leads to chaos as well as laughter as Amelia Bedelia helps prepare for a surprise bridal shower. From pruning the hedges by placing prunes on the hedges, to icing the fish by covering them in chocolate icing, well-intentioned Amelia causes quite a commotion. After hosing down the guest of honor as part of the shower, Amelia turns the entire party into a disaster, but at least all of the guests leave in laughter.

Tags

accidents, adventures, anger, celebration, conflict resolution, confusion, emotions, helping, humor, imagination, literal interpretation, misunderstanding, nonverbal communication, self esteem, stress management, surprises

Waiting for Sipho

Herbert, Barbara

Two young brothers can hardly wait for the return of their beloved older brother, Sipho, from university. Everything seems in place until the goat to be prepared for dinner escapes! The boys find themselves on quite an adventure as they await Siphoﾒs return.

Tags

adventures, africa, animals, anticipation, careers, conflict resolution, cooking, escape, excitement, goat, helping, love, maps, multicultural, relationship, school, siblings

Monster at school

Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster goes to school with a little boy one day. Once he arrives, he is a great help and loves to play with all of the children. One child, however, feels sad because Monster is not playing with him. What will Monster do to cheer up his sad friend?

Tags

allergies, boredom, feelings, fun, happiness, health, helping, monsters, nonverbal communication, playing, reading, sadness, school, self esteem, verbal communication, walking

Louanne pig in the talent show

Carlson, Nancy

Louanne's school is putting on a talent show. There's only one problem though: Louanne doesn't have a talent. When an unexpected turn of events causes Louanne to step up to the plate, she discovers her hidden talent: saving the day!

Tags

acrobat, acting, animals, bear, books, dancing, feelings, happiness, helping, instruments, performance, pig, practice, rabbit, reading, sadness, success, telephone

Monster and the toy sale

Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy see an ad in the newspaper that reads ﾓTOY SALE TODAY!ﾔ Together, they bicycle to the store. On their journey, they are very helpful to others. Monster and the little boy serve as policemen to direct traffic, and as mangers at the toy store. They are so busy that they run out of time to shop for their own toys. Everyone is grateful for their unselfish behavior.

Sometimes my mommy gets angry

Campbell, Bebe Moore

When Annie wakes up in the morning, she is relieved to find her euphoric mother in the kitchen. They share a healthy breakfast, then her mother helps her get ready for school. After a fun day at school, Annie comes home to an angry and yelling mother. Annie copes by calling her grandmother to talk about her feelings. She takes care of herself and maintains a positive attitude with happy thoughts. She uses effective strategies to accept her motherﾒs bipolar disorder.

Sumi's first day of school ever

Pak, Soyung

On Sumiﾒs first day of school, she experiences loneliness because she doesnﾒt know anyone and doesnﾒt understand the language of the other children. She also thinks school is a scary and mean place because the other children are loud and one boy even sticks his tongue out at her! Eventually, Sumiﾒs nice teacher makes her feel comfortable in her new environment. After meeting a new friend at recess, Sumi recognizes that school is not as lonely, scary, or mean as she originally thought.

My teacher for president

Winters, Kay

Oliver writes a letter to the local news station to nominate his teacher for president in the next election. He thinks she meets the requirements because she signs important papers, likes white houses, goes to meetings, acts quickly in a crisis, is used to being followed around, wants peace, cares for people and the environment, goes on trips, and deals with the media. The only downfall is he doesnﾒt want her to leave before the end of the year.

The biggest soap

Shaefer, Carole

Kessy loved to listen to stories told by his Mama and his cousins on laundry days. One laundry day, Kessy is asked to go to the store and bring back the biggest piece of laundry soap. Kessy returns and tells his story about the biggest soap.

Tags

accidents, assertiveness, beach, cleanliness, clothing, colors, decision making, exercise, family, feelings, happiness, helping, injury, kindness, monsters, parents, peer resistance, play, running, sadness, storytelling, verbal communication, water

The balloon sailors

Swanson, Diana

When bickering princes take the throne, the kingdom is split in two by a wall so that each brother rules half. The kingdom is divided and it is illegal for people to cross the wall. Since Tamala and Abalon are forbidden to see their grandmother and cousin on the other side of the wall, they decide to float over it in a hot air balloon. They work with their parents to collect materials, build the balloon, and wait for the perfect weather conditions. The family departs during the night, escapes military fire from soldiers, and surprises their relatives in the morning. This adventure is loosely based on the true story of two East German families sailing over the Berlin Wall in their own hot air balloon in 1979.

Tags

accomplishment, argument, balloon, barn, bodies of water, bravery, challenges, church, clothing, conflict resolution, cooperation, correspondence, cow, creativity, crisis, dog, emotions, family, germany, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, helping, history, love, multicultural, parents, patience, pets, politics, pond, prison, quilt, reunion, royalty, rules, sadness, separation, sewing, spy, teamwork, train, transportation, verbal communication, weather, wind, writing

Monster and the surprise cookie

Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy decide to throw a party! They travel to the supermarket to find refreshments for their guests. They pack their shopping cart full of cookies, but when they go through the line, they realize that they donﾒt have enough money! Instead, they buy a few ingredients, so they can make cookies at home. Using a recipe book, they make a variety of shaped cookies. Surprisingly, these cookies take the shape of Monster when placed together. The cookies are delicious and everyone is pleased!

The day gogo went to vote: South africa, 1994

Batezat Sisulu, Elinor

Thembi and her beloved great-grandmother, who has not left the house for many years, go together to vote on the momentous day when black South Africans are allowed to vote for the first time.

Tags

africa, aging, celebration, critical thinking, dancing, determination, election, family, grandparents, helping, history, holidays, illness, parents, politics, pride, song, storytelling

Bashi, elephant baby

Radcliffe, Theresa

As the sun rises over the African plain, the mother elephant and her newborn calf, Bashi, follow the herd down to the watering hole. But they are not alone, for the water has drawn some lionesses to the edge to drink and they are looking hungrily at Bashi.

Tags

africa, african, animals, baby, bodies of water, caring, elephant, family, helping, hunting, lion, nature, protection, sun

My great-grandmother's gourd

Kessler, Cristina

Residents of a Sudanese village rejoice when a traditional water storage method is replaced by modern technology, but Fatima's grandmother knows there is no substitute for the reliability of the baobab tree.

Tags

africa, african, celebration, community, dancing, family, feelings, grandparents, hard work, helping, language, progress, rain, sadness, teamwork, technology, traditions, tree, village, water, wisdom

The first bear in africa

Ichikawa, Satomi

The animals of the African savanna help Meto as he tries to return the toy bear left behind by a young tourist.

Tags

africa, african, animals, bear, discovery, elephant, exploration, family, giraffe, goat, helping, hippopotamus, language, lion, love, multicultural, parents, photography, thanksgiving, travel, verbal communication, village

Supersister

Cadena, Beth

Supersister is always thinking of ways she can help her pregnant mother. In the morning on the way to school, she forgets two things: to tie her mother's shoes and to give her mother a kiss. Throughout the day, she does all her chores and thinks of new ways to help her mother. At the end of the day she forgets the same two things, but when she remembers her mother says, Like I always say, you're going to be a super sister.

Tags

assertiveness, baby, bedtime, books, critical thinking, exercise, family, five senses, goal setting, helping, nonverbal communication, numbers, pets, playground, pregnancy, reading, school, self esteem, siblings, sounds, teacher

The hunter

Geraghty, Paul

Jamina goes looking for honey in the bush with her grandfather. She hopes to see an elephant, but her grandfather tells her that it is not likely since the hunters have come. Jamina tells her grandfather that she wants to be a hunter. When she helps a little elephant whose mother was shot by hunters, she realizes she never wants to be a hunter.

Tags

african, animals, community, elephant, family, grandparents, helping, hunting, lion, lost, multicultural, nature, recreation, rescue, rhinoceros, village, violence

Carolina's story: Sea turtles get sick too!

Rathmell, Donna

Follow the photo journal of Carolina, a critically ill loggerhead sea turtle, as she is cared for and nursed back to health at the Sea Turtle Hospital of the South Carolina Aquarium. \r\n\r\nJust like hospitalized children, Carolina goes through a variety of emotions and procedures during her care and recovery process. When she first arrives at the hospital, she is too sick, weak, and confused to understand what is happening. She has blood drawn, x-rays taken, gets shots, and is fed through an IV...just as ill children may be! As she gains strength, she begins to interact with her caregivers and begrudgingly, understands that they are really trying to help. Join her as she interacts with her many caregivers and her sick or injured roommate turtles.

Tags

bath, bodies of water, confusion, excitement, fear, feelings, food, friendship, helping, home, hospital, nonfiction, ocean, reptiles, turtle

Big al and shrimpy

Clements, Andrew

Shrimpy learns that he is special in his own way, despite being different. He gets involved in a social activity then contributes his idea to solve a problem to help a friend in need.

Tags

adventures, bodies of water, companion, decision making, differences, fish, friendship, helping, individuality, ocean, sea, self confidence, self esteem, teamwork, uniqueness

Ruth and naomi

Marzollo, Jean

After their husbands sadly pass away, Ruth moves to Bethlehem with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. With no money and no sense of hope, the two women are unsure as to what will happen. A kind farmer known as Boaz, however shows his kindness and restores their happiness so that they can begin anew.

Tags

anger, bravery, courage, critical thinking, faith, feelings, food, friendship, god, happiness, hard work, helping, Jewish, kindness, law, loneliness, love, loyalty, marriage, moving, nutrition, sadness, song, spiritual, stress management, unselfish

Bertie the ghost

Neale, Richard

Bertie the ghost wants a new place to live and new friends. He crosses through each page of the story then arrives at an old farmhouse and finds friends and a home.

Our community garden

Pollak, Barbara

Neighborhood children plant a garden together and each contribute by helping to take care of the garden. They set goals, work hard, and build healthy friendship. After harvesting their crops, everyone from the community comes together for a special meal made from vegetables grown in the garden. What a nutritious, heart-warming treat!

Tags

ant, bee, beetle, bug, celebration, community, cooking, counting, dancing, decision making, diversity, dragonfly, flowers, food, friendship, garden, goal setting, hard work, harvest, helping, insects, ladybug, learning, multicultural, nature, neighbors, nonverbal communication, numbers, nutrition, plants, playing, recipe, responsibilities, teamwork, tools, variety, vegetables, worm

Candy shop

Wahl, Jan

A young boy, Daniel, and his aunt Thelma take a trip to the market with money that he has earned. The boy is looking forward to visiting the candy shop but when they arrive they see a crowd and are faced with prejudice acts toward the owner of the store. Daniel and his aunt help comfort the owner and show true friendship.

Tags

african american, asian, challenges, conflict, conflict resolution, coping, culture, discrimination, feelings, helping, kindness, market, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, problem solving, racism, respect, sadness

Lady monster helps out

Blance, Ellen & Cook, Ann

Monster gets a bike for his birthday. Monster doesn't know how to ride a bike. He is discouraged. The little boy and his friends try to help him, but he is too big. Lady monster comes to help and encourages him. Monster learns how to ride his bike just like all the others in the park.

Tags

accomplishment, bicycle, birthday, critical thinking, encouragement, feelings, friendship, goal setting, happiness, helping, insecurity, kindness, monsters, nonverbal communication, park, practice, self esteem

Cork and fuzz: Short and tall

Chaconas, Dori

Cork and Fuzz are best friends, but there's one problem, and it's not that one is an opossum and the other is a muskrat. The problem is that Cork is older than Fuzz, but shorter than him. Bothered by this difference, the pair try to make Fuzz shrink and Cork grow. Fortunately, they realize that friendship is more important than a difference in height.

Tags

acceptance, animals, comparisons, conflict resolution, critical thinking, differences, food, friendship, frustration, height, helping, individuality, muskrat, opossum, self esteem, similarities

Cock-a-doodle-moo!

Most, Bernard

When a rooster can only whisper cock-a-doodle-doo, he must get help from the cow to wake everyone up on the farm. Unfortunately, the cow has trouble making the right sound. Eventually, the cow learns how to make a sound that will wake up the farm and she and the rooster work together.

Tags

animals, cat, cow, dog, duck, farm, five senses, friendship, hearing, helping, learning, noise, pig, sleep, sounds, stress management, teamwork, verbal communication

The golden rule

Cooper, Ilene

A boy and his grandfather are standing on a city sidewalk when they see a billboard starting Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The boy asks his grandpa what it says and the grandpa reads it and explains the Golden Rule. The boy is intrigued by the rule and starts asking questions. The grandpa explains that each religion has their own version of the Golden Rule. They discuss what the world would be like if everyone followed the Golden Rule. The boy starts to understand the Golden Rule and the grandpa reminds him that the Golden Rule starts with one person: You. It beings with you.

Tiny and Bigman

Gershater, Phillis

Challenging stereotypical gender roles, Tiny and Bigman illustrate the unique people skills people have to help the world go around and to make a happy family. Tiny learns to use her large size, strength, and booming voice to help people in her community. Tiny falls in love with a small man who is hard of hearing. She builds their house, and he cooks and cleans.

Pemba Sherpa

Cossi, Olga

Perma, a nyuny pa,or old man, tells a story from when he had to gather firewood for school as young boy. One morning his sister Yang Ki says she wants to go with him. Yang Ki wants to be a Sherpa but girls aren't allowed. That morning she disobeys her brother and follows him, but when Pemba falls in a landslide, Yang Ki becomes the heroine and proves that girls can be brave and strong.

Tags

assertiveness, climbing, courage, critical thinking, family, gender, goal setting, helping, heroism, injury, mountains, multicultural, obedience, problem solving, safety, siblings, village, walking

Namaste!

Cohn, Diana

Nima Sherpa lives next to Mount Everest, and her father guides people to the top of the mountains once a year. Before he leaves, he tells Nima that he will have a story for her when he returns and asks Nima if she will have a story for him. As Nima walks around the village thinking of what her story could be, she greets everyone with Namaste, just as her mom taught her. She struggles with her story until she realizes that she spreads sweetness everytime she says Namaste.

Tags

animals, author's note, cooking, critical thinking, culture, family, flag, flood, food, glossary, goddess, helping, indian, language, light, monk, mountains, multicultural, nepali, nonverbal communication, parents, prayer, school, storytelling, tiger, trading, travel, verbal communication, walking, yak

Making room

Taylor, Joanne

John William Smith dedicated his life to helping others, especially people in need by inviting them into his very own home! His dedication to family is heart-warming and his marriage is strong. Readers will find a unique meaning of home in this story.

Mama Elizabeti

Strure-Bodeen, Stephanie

Elizabeti has been taking care of her rock doll, Eva, and is not worried when it comes time for her to take care of Obedi, her younger brother. Throughout the day, Elizabeti quickly finds out Obedi is a handful compared to her rock doll Eva, but is rewarded with Obedi's love at the end of a difficult day.

Tags

african, baby, change, child care, critical thinking, culture, dolls, family, helping, love, multicultural, parents, siblings, stress management, toys

Gorilla doctors: Saving endangered great apes

Turner, Pamela

African mountain gorillas are fascinating creatures that have been studied for many years. African gorillas are presently endangered due to disease and human interaction. Join the journey as scientists race against time to save these gentle giants.

Recycle every day!

Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth

Through a poster contest at school, Minna and her family discover many ways they can recycle. Many of the other contestants' posters demonstrate ways to recycle, however Minna ultimately wins the contest through her poster that reminds everyone to re-re-remember, re-re-recycle every day.

Creativity

Steptoe, John

Charles speaks English and Hector speaks Spanish. They learn that even though they speak different languages, they both come from African ancestors. Charles helps Hector adjust to life in the U.S. through fun activities.

Tags

africa, african american, basketball, clothing, cooking, creativity, culture, curiosity, english, family, fishing, friendship, helping, home, identity, immigrants, language, learning, moving, multicultural, parents, puerto rican, relationship, school, slavery, spanish, sports

Jamela's dress

Daly, Niki

Jamela's mama has just bought some beautiful fabric for a new dress. While she's watching it dry outside in the South African air, Jamela wraps it around herself and starts parading down the street. Everyone is watching her, she is so proud. When she gets home, Jamela finds her mama very upset because her fabric is ruined. With the help of a friend, Jamela buys her mama more fabric. At this South African wedding, both Jamela and her mama are beautiful in their new dresses.

Tags

african, animals, birds, celebration, chicken, clothing, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dog, forgiveness, friendship, games, helping, language, love, market, money, multicultural, parents, photograph, pretend, sewing, shopping, verbal communication, wedding

Daisy's taxi

Young, Ruth

Daisy ferries to and from the island all day in her water taxi. Throughout the day, Daisy takes passengers and their valuables to the island and back to shore no matter what kind of weather. After a long day, Daisy wants to go for a row with her husband.

Tags

assertiveness, careers, critical thinking, decision making, dedication, family, goal setting, helping, island, responsibilities, self esteem, stress management, transportation, verbal communication, weather

The alligator's toothache

Dorian, Marguerite

Alli, the alligator has a toothache, but does not want to go to the dentist. His friends and the zoo director decide that his toothache will not go away with their home remedies, so he should see a dentist.

Tags

alligator, conflict resolution, decision making, dentist, fear, feelings, friendship, helping, illness, lost, reptiles, responsibilities, stress management, teeth, zoo

The tooth witch

Karlin, Nurit

The tooth witch is bored with her job after 600 years. One night she gets sloppy and drops the bag of teeth, so her friends get her a helper, Abra Cadabra. Abra Cadabra decides to leave gifts for children whose teeth she takes. She scatters the teeth across the sky to make stars and becomes the tooth fairy.

Tags

assertiveness, giving, helping, mythical, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, self esteem, teeth, tooth fairy, witches

Poppleton everyday

Rylant, Cynthia

Poppleton has several adventures. First, he looks at the stars at night with his friend, Hudson. Next Poppleton buys a new bed to replace the one he has had since he was a boy. Then Fillmore takes Poppleton sailing for the first time.

Tags

accidents, adventures, animals, boat, books, fear, feelings, friendship, helping, pig, planet, relaxation, shopping, sky, sleep, stars, storm, technology, television, transportation, verbal communication, weather

All the cats in the world

Levitin, Sonia

Mikila, a poor old woman, goes down to the seaside cliffs each day to feed scraps to many hungry cats. She encounters harassment from the old man who controls the lighthouse. The man taunts her, claiming she will never feed all the cats in the world. But Mikila's faithfulness and determination teach the man a lesson.

Tags

aging, animals, beach, bodies of water, cat, companion, food, friendship, geography, giving, helping, hunger, kindness, sea, teaching

Gullible's troubles

Shannon, Margaret

Gullible believes everything he hears when his aunt, uncle, or cousin tells him stories. For example, he believes that there are monsters in the basement. When his family tries to trick him again, the joke ends up being on them.

Tags

animals, beliefs, clothing, critical thinking, deception, family, garden, gerbil, helping, monsters, relationship, shadows, soccer, sports, storytelling, trick

Something queer at the ball park

Levy, Elizabeth

When Jill's lucky baseball bat is stolen at practice, her best friend Gwen uses her detective skills to help her recover the bat.

Tags

baseball, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, friendship, helping, robbery, self esteem, sports, teamwork

The bell ringer and the pirates

Coerr, Eleanor

Pio is a young Indian who lives on a mission. The people at the mission discover that pirates will arrive in two days so they hide in the hills. Pio stays behind to ring the bells so his friends and family know when the pirates come and leave.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, family, friendship, helping, multicultural, native american, pirates, refusal skills, sounds

Beep beep, vroom vroom!

Murphy, Stuart J.

Molly wants to play with her big brother's brightly colored toy cars just like him. But her family thinks she is too little to share Kevin's cars and besides, he likes to keep them in a special order. Each family member catches Molly playing with Kevin's cars and they help her put them back the way Kevin likes them. In the end, Molly gets a surprise of her own!

Tags

animals, author's note, birthday, car, colors, disobedience, dog, family, fun, helping, parents, playing, sequence, siblings, sizes, sounds, transportation

Grandpa's song

Johnston, Tony

Grandpa is the loudest, happiest singer there is. But when he forgets the words to his favorite song, his granddaughter helps him to remember it.

Tags

aging, conflict resolution, depression, family, feelings, grandparents, helping, memory, music, self esteem, senility, song, verbal communication

Molly and the strawberry day

Conrad, Pam

Molly and her parents pick strawberries at a farm early in the morning. For the rest of the day, Molly's thoughts are only on strawberries. She puts strawberries on her cereal for breakfast, helps her mother make strawberry jelly and jam, has a strawberry and bologna sandwich for lunch, and even dreams about them during her nap.

Tags

excitement, family, farm, feelings, food, happiness, helping, nutrition, parents, plants, sleep

Bear and mrs. duck

Winthrop, Elizabeth

Nora loves Bear. They eat lunch, read stories, and sleep next to each other. Bear gets sick so Mrs. Duck comes to babysit. Bear and Mrs. Duck become friends.

Tags

animals, bear, birds, caring, child care, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, duck, food, friendship, helping, illness, nutrition, reading, sharing, sleep, verbal communication

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