Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The beach before breakfast | by Kumin, Maxine W.

At the beach before breakfast, a relationship is formed between an adult and child. The book is written so that the reader becomes the child. The reader ends up exploring a beach for clams and riding a boat in the ocean to look at lobster traps.

Keywords: beach, boat, bodies of water, critical thinking, crustaceans, decision making, exploration, food, goal setting, lobster, mollusks, nonverbal communication, nutrition, ocean, relationship, stress management, transportation, verbal communication

Waiting for mr. goose | by Lears, Laurie

When you are a child, waiting can be a very difficult task. Stephen finds a reason to wait in order to rescue a goose from a metal trap. Stephen's persistence with nature brings him a special moment.

Keywords: attention, author's note, behavior, birds, bodies of water, exploration, family, feelings, goal setting, goose, gymnastics, helping, moods, parents, persistence, pond, school, sports

How we learned the earth is round | by Lauber, Patricia

How was the earth determined to be round?Let's see how the early Greeks determined it to be and how explorers actually proved it.

Keywords: astronomy, bodies of water, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, discovery, exploration, goal setting, history, ocean, shapes, travel

Harold and the purple crayon | by Johnson, Crockett

A little boy creates his own adventure by drawing with purple crayon. He explores forests, oceans and cities by drawing pictures and putting himself in those pictures. After all the adventures, he finally follows the moon back home.

Keywords: adventures, art, assertiveness, bodies of water, colors, conflict resolution, creativity, critical thinking, decision making, exploration, imagination, moon, nature, ocean, spelling, woods

The story of the four little children who went round the world | by Lear, Edward

Four children decide to take an adventure around the world on a boat. They come to find many different lands with strange scenery.

Keywords: adventures, apathy, boat, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, exploration, family, nonverbal communication, numbers, siblings, transportation, verbal communication

Rikki-tikki-tavi | by Pinkney, Jerry

A young boy and his family befriend a mongoose named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. In return, he tries to protect the family from some mean cobras who live in the garden. When he succeeds and saves the family, everyone celebrates.

Keywords: animals, celebration, conflict resolution, exploration, family, fight, garden, nonverbal communication, parents, protection, snake

Mouse's first christmas | by Thompson, Lauren

Upon the arrival of his first Christmas Eve, a little mouse explores his house which is full of Christmas surprises. His Christmas discoveries culminate in the appearance of the one and only Santa!

Keywords: angel, animals, christmas, discovery, exploration, five senses, food, holidays, illusion, love, mouse, music, nonverbal communication, nutrition, presents, santa, surprises, traditions, tree

Bad day at riverbend | by Van Allsburg, Chris

Riverbend is a quiet little Western town where nothing ever happens. One fateful day, a stagecoach covered with a strange greasy slime pulls into town. THe slime continues to devastate the town everytime there is a flash of light. Sheriff Hardy and a group of cowboys investigate, but they are frozen in the mysterious light that fills the sky.

Keywords: adventures, anger, animals, bravery, change, colors, creativity, crime, destruction, exploration, feelings, happiness, horse, imagination, neighbors, nonverbal communication, transportation, verbal communication, wagon

The secret hiding place | by Bennett, Rainey

Little Hippo loves his family-they would do anything for him and watch closely over him every day. Sometimes though, Little Hippo wants to be alone...and he has a tough time escaping them!It is only when he runs away to a secret hiding place, though, that he discovers how much he really loves them!!

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, exploration, family, hippopotamus, nature

Angus lost | by Flack, Marjorie

Angus, the dog, becomes bored with all his familiar surroundings. One day, he leaves the yard in search for something different. Realizing he cannot communicate with many things, he is happy to return home.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, boredom, conflict resolution, dog, exploration, feelings, verbal communication

I swapped my dog | by Ziefert, Harriet

In an effort to find the perfect pet which he believes he should be able to ride, a countryman exchanges his dog for a mare. However he soon finds that the mare is not what he expected which begins a long series of unsuccessful pet exchanges, including a goat, a sheep, a cow, and a rooster among others. In the end, however, the countryman makes a successful exchange, in which he acquires his dog who is always by his side.

Keywords: animals, cat, companion, cow, dog, exploration, forgiveness, friendship, goat, horse, market, mistake, mule, neighbors, nonverbal communication, pig, rat, relationship, rhyme, security, selfishness, sheep, uniqueness

Story in the sand | by Myrus, Donald//Squillace, Albert

Jeff and his mother go to the beach for a day. Jeff runs around collecting things and drawing pictures in the sand. He meets a little girl, Jenny, and spends the day teaching her about art in the sand.

Keywords: animals, art, assertiveness, beach, birds, boat, bodies of water, collection, creativity, dog, exploration, family, fear, feelings, fish, ocean, parents, play, seagull, transportation, verbal communication

Good morning, granny rose | by Ludwig, Warren

Granny Rose and her dog, Henry, go for a walk in the woods and get stuck in a blizzard. Henry finds a cave for shelter, where the two run into a bear.

Keywords: animals, bear, discovery, dog, exercise, exploration, hibernation, nature, shelter, storm, walking, weather, woods

Tillie and the wall | by Lionni, Leo

Unlike the other mice, Tillie has always been curious about the wall they live next to. She imagines what could be on the other side of the wall and is determined to find out .

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, curiosity, decision making, determination, exploration, goal setting, imagination, mouse, problem solving, shelter

Mrs. potter's pig | by Root, Phyllis

Mrs. Potter loves to keep everything clean but her baby Ermajean always gets dirty. One day while Mrs. Potter is cleaning in the yard, Ermajean crawls over to a big mud puddle in a pig pen andhas a wonderful time getting messy. In the meantime, a pig finds its way into Ermajean's buggy and when Mrs. Potter comes back, she thinks her daughter has actually turned into a pig.

Keywords: animals, appearance, baby, chicken, cleanliness, dancing, exercise, exploration, food, nutrition, pig, play, responsibilities, sounds, worry

Black cat | by Myers, Christopher

Black cat creeps through the city streets looking for a home. He encounters many things on his journey including chain-link fences, children playing and jeeps passing in the streets. Observe the sights and sounds of the city while discovering where black cat calls home.

Keywords: animals, art, basketball, car, cat, community, exploration, homeless, noise, observation, photograph, playground, playing, poetry, sports, subway, sun

Cinnamon, mint, & mothballs | by Tiller, Ruth

For this young girl, a trip to grandmother's house is an adventure. There are all kinds of things for her to explore--a kitchen, bedrooms, parlors, and a dark cellar. It is the perfect place for a child's imagination to grow.

Keywords: adventures, amphibians, animals, autumn, cat, exploration, family, frog, grandparents, imagination, seasons, shelter

Love, your bear pete | by Sheldon, Dyan

Brenda loses her teddy bear, Pete, on a bus. She thinks he's gone forever, but soon starts to receive postcards from him. Pete is traveling all over the world and having many adventures. He soon realizes he misses Brenda too much and returns home.

Keywords: adventures, animals, bear, coping, correspondence, exploration, friendship, homesickness, loneliness, lost, multicultural, sadness, separation, travel, vacation

Cat heaven | by Rylant, Cynthia

Past the stars, the moon, and the sun is where cat heaven is, and every cat knows the way there. With trees to climb, toys to play with, angel laps to purr in, and food to eat, all cats love going to cat heaven and God loves having them there too!

Keywords: acceptance, activities, affection, angel, animals, cat, celebration, climbing, community, death, exploration, family, food, garden, god, kindness, moon, nature, pets, sky, stars, sun, tree

The rooster who set out to see the world | by Carle, Eric

Rooster wants to take a trip around the world. Many friends join him along the way. It gets dark, and everyone begins to worry about where they will sleep and what they will eat. Rooster decides he did not plan his trip very well. Everyone decides to go home. Rooster goes home, also. He falls asleep and dreams about his trip around the world.

Keywords: amphibians, animals, cat, companion, critical thinking, decision making, exploration, fish, frog, moon, reptiles, travel, turtle, verbal communication

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