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

Tags: writing

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A cake for herbie

Mathers, Petra

Lottie's friend Herbie loves to use words in a poetic and unique way, but it takes special friends to understand how special he is. Will Herbie come up with the prize winning poem in the contest in order to win a delicious cake?

Tags

alphabet, challenges, competition, cooking, encouragement, food, friendship, goal setting, market, poetry, rhyme, shopping, spelling, writing

A fine, fine school

Creech, Sharon

Mr. Keeene knows he has a fine school with great teachers and students. Since everyone is learning so much, he decides to have school on Saturdays, then Sundays, and then eventually all summer. Eventually, one student named Tillie tells Mr. Keene that they are not learning anything outside of school. Everyone is relieved when Mr. Keene announces the return of a normal school year.

Tags

careers, colors, Days of The Week, decision making, dog, family, happiness, holidays, learning, loneliness, play, pride, reading, repetition, school, shapes, siblings, skipping, summer, surprises, teaching, tree, worry, writing

Abel's moon

Hughes, Shirley

Abel Grable returns from his work greeted by his family. When he tells them all about his adventures, his children only want to hear more. Before he sets out on his next outing for work, he writes his stories down. As he is away, his children take his writing table and create a certain machine that lets them be with their dad all the time while he's gone.

Anna's corn

Santucci, Barbara

Anna visits Grandpa's cornfield. She can hear the corn making beautiful music as the wind blows. Grandpa gets Anna corn kernels to plant next autumn, and the two agree that Anna will grow corn on her own. That winter, Grandpa dies. Anna wants to hold onto the seeds to remember Grandpa. She decides to plant them instead so she can hear the corn make music again. By next fall, the corn grows, Anna hears the music, and she collects kernels to plant corn for next year.

Tags

conflict resolution, coping, death, decision making, family, farm, farmer, feelings, five senses, food, garden, grandparents, hearing, illness, loss, month, nutrition, rain, reading, rhythm, role model, sadness, seasons, signs, song, stress management, vegetables, weather, writing

Annushka's voyage

Tarbescu, Edith

When Tanya and Annushka's mother dies, their father has no choice but to leave Russia for the streets paved with gold. Several years later, the girls' father sends two tickets for their own voyage to America. Before the girls leave, their grandmother gives them each a Sabbath candlestick which will light their way to the New World. Tanya and Annushka's voyage is filled with many sick and sleepless nights. The girls unite with their father by raising their candlesticks.

Tags

animals, author's note, birds, bodies of water, colors, cow, death, doctor, dolls, excitement, family, feelings, grandparents, happiness, horse, illness, immigrants, island, Jewish, letters, loneliness, loss, lost, multicultural, nonverbal communication, ocean, pigeon, prayer, russian, ship, smell, stress management, traditions, train, travel, verbal communication, writing

Arthur's pen pal

Hoban, Lillian

Arthur longs to be his pen pal's big brother, so they can wrestle and do karate. He does not like having to jump rope with his little sister. But one day, he learns something very surprising about his pen pal.

Arturo escribe un cuento

Brown, Marc

A teacher gives Arthur and his class a writing assignment. Arthur goes from one topic to the next, thinking each one is not exciting enough. Each new topic becomes more funny than the last, until he writes his last copy.

Tags

aardvark, animals, books, critical thinking, family, grandparents, language, letters, library, parents, rabbit, restaurant, school, siblings, spanish, writing

Away

Sher, Emil

Even though they do not get to spend a lot of time together, a mom and her daughter write to communicate with each other using sticky notes left around their house. Right now, the girl does not want to go to sleepaway camp and she is trying to find every reason not to go. Whether it’s her cat, Lester, needing her too much or her short haircut, she really does not want to go camping. In the end, she finally does, and she loves it!

Tags

animals, argument, bug, calendar, camping, cat, communication, correspondence, Days of The Week, homework, insects, mosque, numbers, technology, television, time, trust, working mother, writing

Birdie's lighthouse

Hopkinson, Deborah

Ten year-old Bertha, daughter of a lighthouse keeper, receives a diary for her birthday. She records significant family events such as their relocation to rugged Turtle Island and the time when her brother went to sea for a long time.

Tags

author's note, birds, birthday, boat, bodies of water, bravery, calendar, careers, challenges, change, courage, diary, family, fishing, fog, growing up, hard work, helping, heroism, island, light, moving, ocean, recreation, responsibilities, sea, seagull, seal, ship, storytelling, stress management, transportation, verbal communication, weather, writing

Bunny cakes

Wells, Rosemary

Young Max and his older sister Ruby are making cakes for their grandmother's birthday. Max adds ingredients for his cake to the shopping list, but the grocer doesn't know what it says until Max thinks to draw a picture of what he wants.

Tags

animals, birthday, communication, critical thinking, family, feelings, food, frustration, goal setting, grandparents, happiness, nonverbal communication, persistence, shopping, siblings, stress management, verbal communication, writing

Complete adventures of curious george

Rey, Al//Rey, H.A.

A compilation of Curious George stories show his adventures which range from getting a job, riding a bike, getting a medal, flying a kite, learning the alphabet, and going to the hospital.

Tags

alphabet, animals, balloon, bicycle, boat, bodies of water, books, circus, conflict resolution, curiosity, decision making, doctor, elephant, emotions, fire, hospital, kite, letters, monkey, newspaper, river, sequence, symbols, verbal communication, work, writing

D.W's library card

Brown, Marc

Arthur's little sister, D.W., finally gets her first library card. However, in oder to get it she must first learn to write her full name. She finds hilarious ways to take care of her first library book until Arthur shows her the tricks of the trade.

Tags

animals, anteater, books, day, dog, family, frog, library, morning, parents, practice, rabbit, reading, siblings, writing

Dealing with feelings: I'm furious

Crary, Elizabeth

When Matt sees his Reggie Jackson baseball card floating in the toilet, his jaw drops. He is furious that his little brother did that. One thing that will solve his problem is to hit his little brother, right?Wrong!His mother presents him with six ways to successfully handle his anger. After resolving his problems, Matt makes peace with his brother.

Do not open this book!

Muntean, Michaela

A pig tries to dissuade the readers from opening the book because it is not finished yet. However, as the reader turns the pages, a frustrated pig realizes the book is being written after all.

Tags

accidents, animals, books, conflict, conflict resolution, disobedience, feelings, frustration, pig, reading, writing

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

Fighting for yes! The story of disability rights activist Judith Heumann

Cocca-Leffler, Maryann

Judy Heumann always hears NO from a young age. She is not allowed to attend public school because she is in a wheelchair. Then after she goes to a special school with special education students, she attends college to become a teacher. But even the New York Board of Education says NO to her becoming a teacher after she earns her teaching degree. Judy joins several other disability rights activists to ensure Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 could be signed into federal law. Their work lays the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a living advocate for herself and others, Judy tells her story of civil rights for which she fought tirelessly. By leading and working together with others to fix problems and make changes, disabled people now have less discrimination against them.

Tags

advocacy, author's note, bus, careers, celebration, civil rights, disability, disappointment, family, fight, government, graduation, health, homework, law, microphone, organizations, parents, persistence, school, signs, teamwork, technology, telephone, transportation, writing

Head and shoulders

Borgert-Spaniol, Megan

Use the music and the song lyrics of this active song to touch your "head, shoulders, knees and toes" over and over again. Add your "eyes and ears and knees and toes" to the song and you have learned how your body parts work together to help you move and live as a human being.

Tags

beach, bicycle, bodies of water, body parts, clothing, colors, exercise, five senses, forest, glossary, lyrics, mountains, multicultural, music, pattern, play, playground, rhyme, rhythm, shoes, song, technology, vision, writing

Hello lighthouse

Blackall, Sophie

A lighthouse keeper fills the lamp, trims the wick, and keeps a logbook while living in the lighthouse. The tender regularly brings him food and supplies from the mainland, even bringing the keeper's wife to join him. One day, the keeper is asked to leave the newly automated lighthouse because his work is no longer needed, but his family will always cherish their time there.

Tags

author's note, bodies of water, careers, correspondence, family, fishing, fog, loneliness, new baby, ocean, photograph, pregnancy, rescue, ship, sun, transportation, weather, wind, writing

Henry & the crazed chicken pirates

Crimi, Carolyn

The Buccaneer Bunnies live a happy life until one day they receive a message in a bottle from the Crazed Chicken Pirates. Henry worries about the note and starts writing plans even through the other bunnies don't believe the note. The day the chickens invade, Henry has to be brave and think of a way to save the other bunnies!

Tags

animals, assertiveness, books, bowling, bravery, chicken, correspondence, critical thinking, decision making, feelings, island, peer resistance, pirates, rabbit, reading, ship, stress, transportation, trick, worry, writing

Henry's first-moon birthday

Look, Lenore

Jenny is in charge of helping her grandmother prepare for the one-month birthday party of her baby brother, Henry. Henry's party is a Chinese celebration! Food and decorations are made to bring good luck, health, and happiness to Jenny's mother and brother. Each member of the family attends in celebration of Henry's first month of life.

Tags

baby, birth, birthday, body parts, celebration, chinese, cleanliness, clothing, culture, drawing, family, feelings, food, grandparents, happiness, health, heritage, holidays, language, luck, moon, nutrition, onomatopoeia, parents, party, responsibilities, reunion, self esteem, siblings, traditions, verbal communication, writing

Home for Navidad

Cohen, Santiago

Rosa has not seen her mother in three years. Rosa's mother works to save money in America until she is finally able to come home for Navidad. The whole family can now celebrate the Christmas holiday in the small town in Mexico.

Tags

america, christmas, correspondence, dreams, family, farm, food, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, holidays, hope, language, market, math, mexican, Mexico, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, numbers, parents, plants, poverty, pretend, routine, school, secrets, singing, sleep, song, spanish, sun, telephone, transportation, travel, truck, verbal communication, writing

How a book is made

Aliki

Turn the pages of this book to learn how an author's manuscript and the artist's pictures become a book. Publishing a book is a long hard process with many workers from editors and publishers to proofreaders and printers. Who made this book? Read about the many people and the step-by-step process for publishing a book for all to read.

Tags

art, bedtime, book, careers, cartoons, colors, five senses, library, newspaper, numbers, present, sequence, smell, spelling, storytelling, teamwork, writing

I live with daddy

Vigna, Judith

Olivia lives with her father since her parents have divorced. For a school assignment she writes a book about her mother, but dedicates it to her father to show that she loves them both.

Tags

critical thinking, divorce, family, feelings, happiness, love, nonverbal communication, parents, sadness, school, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication, writing

I wanna iguana

Orloff, Karen Kaufman

A little boy wants an iguana, but first he has to convince his mother that he is responsible enough to have it. Through a series of letters written between the boy and his mother, they both provide reasons to support whether or not he should get the iguana. They decide that the boy may have the iguana on a trial basis to prove he will take care of it.

In the snow

Lee, Huy voun

A boy and his mother go into the woods during the first snow. The mother teaches her son about Chinese characters by drawing them in the snow and pointing out certain objects.

Tags

art, chinese, language, learning, multicultural, seasons, snow, symbols, verbal communication, weather, winter, writing

Julia, child

Maclear, Kyo

Best friends, Julia and Simca, are little girls who love the art of French cooking. They wish to stay young with little worries and lots of marvelous times. They decide to share their recipes for growing young with grown-ups. These adults fear the youthful food will not last, so the girls must make a dessert and cookbook to remind the adults to enjoy life. Note: References to Julia Child are fictionalized even though she was a famous chef in France and the U.S.

Tags

aging, book, careers, conflict resolution, cooking, dreams, food, french, friendship, fun, goal setting, growing up, hunger, language, learning, multicultural, nonverbal communication, nutrition, problem solving, recipe, tools, worry, writing

Letters to a soldier

Falvey, David// Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth-grade class

A collection of letters written by Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth grade class to 1st Lieutenant David Falvey during his tour in Iraq. Read the students' letter to Lieutenant Falvey and his responses back to each individual student. Pictures of the letters, students, and Lieutenant Falvey's safe arrival back to the states are included!

Tags

american, animals, baseball, buildings, careers, cat, correspondence, desert, dog, flag, helicopter, iraq, muslim, pets, photograph, president, school, sports, travel, united states, war, writing

Lilly's purple plastic purse

Henkes, Kevin

Lilly wants to be a teacher like Mr. Slinger. She always says wonderful things about him until one day he takes her purple plastic purse away. For revenge, Lilly draws a nasty picture of Mr. Slinger which makes her feel worse than before. This teaches Lilly that revenge is the wrong way to resolve conflict.

Tags

aggression, anger, animals, apology, appreciation, attention, careers, caring, compromise, conflict resolution, consequences, dancing, decision making, embarrassment, emotions, envy, excitement, exercise, family, feelings, food, forgiveness, fun, honesty, learning, mouse, parents, performance, play, pretend, resentment, respect, revenge, role model, sadness, school, teaching, truth, worry, writing

Lizzie demands a seat! Elizabeth Jennings fights for streetcar rights

Anderson, Beth

One hundred years before Rosa Parks took her stand, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jennings tried to board a streetcar in New York City on her way to church. Though there were plenty of empty seats, she was denied entry, assaulted, and threatened all because of her race -- even though New York was a free state at that time. Lizzie decided to fight back. She told her story, took her case to court -- where future president Chester Arthur represented her -- and won! Her victory was the first recorded in the fight for equal rights on public transportation, and Lizzie's case set a precedent.

Tags

african american, author's note, beauty, clothing, conflict, conflict resolution, courage, decision making, history, law, nonverbal communication, persistence, politics, spiritual, transportation, verbal communication, writing

Magic beach

Johnson, Crockett

Two children draw different words in the sand. As the tide washes over the word, the object written in the sand appears. They explore the land they created by writing in the sand.

Tags

adventures, alphabet, animals, beach, beverage, bodies of water, books, cabin, cow, critical thinking, decision making, fantasy, farm, fish, fishing, food, horse, hunger, magic, nutrition, peer resistance, picnic, royalty, sand, sea, shells, storytelling, tree, verbal communication, village, writing

Meanwhile

Feiffer, Jules

Raymond is busy fighting pirates, cowboys, and martians, but MEANWHILE...mom wants his help time and time again. Will Raymond ever listen?

Monster has a party

Blance, Ellen & Cook, Ann

Monster and his friend plan and prepare for Monster's birthday party. Monster becomes sad when no one shows up because of the parents' fears of Monster. His sadness disappears after Monster saves people from a burning buildin, the parents' fears fade and the children come to his party.

Tags

aging, behavior, beliefs, bias, birthday, celebration, decision making, emergency, feelings, fire, games, monsters, preparation, reading, rescue, sadness, writing

My best friend

Fogliano, Julie

Two girls become friends and realize that they are able to make each other smile and laugh. They both enjoy doing the same gardening and creative gardening and creative activities and, despite some of their differences, they value each other's company. They are best friends and their relationship will continue to grow for many years to come.

Tags

body parts, drawing, feelings, food, friendship, games, garden, kindness, love, plants, play, tree, writing

My big brother

Cohen, Miriam

A little boy idolizes his big brother and wants to be exactly like him. They do everything together. When his family cannot pay for college, the older child joins the army. His little brother then takes his place being big brother to their youngest sibling.

Tags

african american, basketball, car, church, correspondence, family, feelings, food, happiness, loss, love, multicultural, nutrition, sadness, siblings, sports, television, transportation, writing

My brother, ant

Byars, Betsy

Anthony is a wild and creative little brother who, in the course of four different stories, tests the patience of his older brother.

Tags

acceptance, activities, bedtime, caring, challenges, coping, correspondence, creativity, family, fear, fight, forgiveness, growing up, helping, imagination, mischief, monsters, patience, siblings, storytelling, worry, writing

Nothing ever happens on 90th street

Schotter, Roni

Eva sits on her building's steps to write about things she knows. She knows that nothing ever happens on 90th street, but her neighbors help her to write a wonderful story.

Tags

actor, baby, bicycle, cat, fish, food, helping, imagination, love, market, neighbors, nutrition, perspective, rescue, restaurant, truth, writing

Nouns and verbs have a field day

Pulver, Robin

Mr. Wright’s class has a field day away from school! While the children are gone, the nouns and verbs want to play. At first, the nouns make teams with other nouns and the verbs make teams with other verbs. Both sides found out that they had to work together so the nouns formed teams with the verbs and the verbs formed teams with the nouns. They continued to play many games until Mr. Wright’s students came back from field day.

Tags

activities, adventures, cartoons, creativity, games, language, learning, literacy, relationship, school, signs, support, teaching, teamwork, writing

Old mother hubbard and her dog

Martin, Sarah//Galdone, Paul

Old Mother Hubbard tries to get food for her dog, but he is always doing something else. The dog even learns to write and read.

Tags

animals, dog, nonverbal communication, pets, play, reading, responsibilities, rhyme, writing

Once upon an ordinary school day

McNaughton, Colin

An ordinary boy has no idea what is in store for him one fateful, ordinary day. Everything appears to be normal until his new school teacher; Mr. Gee walks through the door. The once ordinary day turns into a whirlwind of adventures

Tags

adventures, animals, bedtime, change, dreams, fantasy, imagination, magic, music, preparation, pretend, routine, self esteem, surprises, teaching, writing

Only passing through: The story of Sojourner Truth

Rockwell, Anne

A young woman named Isabella leads a strong and courageous life after being sold three times as a slave girl in the northeastern United States. After she is given a freedom day by a couple living nearby who knew of the 1827 New York law to set adults free, Isabella felt the "power of a nation" in court to win back her son who was unlawfully sold out of state. Isabella later heard God calling her to be a sojourner and spread her message about the value of freedom and what it had been like to be a slave. She would ask people "Is this any way to treat a human being"? Sojourner told her truth so well that she took the name Sojourner Truth and carried a white silk banner with the words "Proclaim Liberty" wherever she went.

Tags

african american, children, correspondence, courage, death, faith, family, feelings, fight, god, government, happiness, history, justice, law, loss, money, multicultural, oppression, parents, reading, sadness, singing, slavery, speech, timeline, travel, truth, writing

Our tree named Steve

Zweibel, Alan

In a letter to his children, a father reflects upon the importance of a good friend and the value of a place to feel safe and secure. The father recalls various memories of his family as it has grown in relationship to a favorite tree that had been part of their lives since they built their home. The tree seems to help the family through many events but does not withstand a huge storm. The father uses the wood to build a tree house to continue its importance to the family.

Tags

aging, appreciation, camping, caring, change, community, conflict resolution, correspondence, critical thinking, death, decision making, dedication, destruction, dog, emotions, family, feelings, friendship, goal setting, happiness, home, jumping, loss, moving, neighbors, parents, peace, plants, rain, relationship, sadness, safety, seasons, siblings, sleep, spring, storm, storytelling, summer, swinging, tree, verbal communication, weather, winter, writing

Overground railroad

Cline-Ransome, Lesa

One day, Ruth Ellen and her family leave North Carolina to travel North to New York City, looking for a better life and a brighter future in a society without segregation. During their travels, Ruth Ellen read a book about Frederick Douglass's journey and how his experiences compared to hers. Despite these differences, both traveled in pursuit of a common goal.

Tags

african american, bodies of water, body parts, family, farm, feelings, food, freedom, games, grandparents, history, moon, multicultural, neighbors, parents, reading, river, train, transportation, travel, walking, writing

Papa's mark

Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn

Simms teaches his father how to write. For many years, Simm's father struggled when writing his own name. However, Papa learns just in time so he can vote in the first election which gave Blacks the right to vote.

Tags

accomplishment, african american, american, animals, bedtime, buildings, change, church, community, cow, crowd, discrimination, education, election, equality, family, food, freedom, hard work, helping, horse, learning, letters, multicultural, night, parents, prejudice, quilt, relationship, school, shopping, signs, teaching, writing

Pastry school in Paris: An adventure in capacity

Neuschwander, Cindy

A family and their children travel to Paris and visit a pastry academy. The kids work with others to practice baking. When a situation arises, the kids are called to save the day by making brownies for the competition.

Raising sweetness

Stanley, Diane

The town sheriff adopts eight orphans to save them from the mean Ms. Stump, but there are a few problems. Pa is not too good at cooking and his cleaning is quite shabby. The orphans one wish is for him to get married. One of the orphans, Sweetness, believes a letter that arrived in the mail is the answer.

Ruby's wish

Bridges, Shirin Yim

Ruby is known for wearing red and being an exceptionally bright student. Even during a time in China when ...most girls were never taught to read and write. However, Ruby's grandfather hires a teacher to come to the house, making it possible for any grandchild living in the house to learn. This initiates a desire in Ruby to attend university, a place that women in China were not encouraged to go.\r\n*Based on a true story of the author's grandmother.

Tags

acceptance, accomplishment, ambition, appreciation, art, asian, assertiveness, beliefs, change, china, chinese, conflict, conflict resolution, courage, culture, customs, decision making, dedication, depression, determination, disappointment, emotions, encouragement, equality, excitement, family, frustration, generations, giving, goal setting, grandparents, happiness, independence, individuality, intelligence, kindness, language, learning, listening, new year, nonverbal communication, obedience, parade, patience, persistence, poetry, prevention, progress, reading, recognition, refusal skills, relationship, relief, resentment, resolution, role model, school, self confidence, self esteem, skills, stress management, support, symbols, sympathy, teaching, traditions, understanding, verbal communication, wealth, wish, writing

Running the road to abc

Lauture, Denize

The children rise early to begin their journey to school. They run over roads, through towns, and past people. The children do not care if they twist ankles or make their toes bleed; they just want to get to school to learn how to read.

Tags

curiosity, determination, exercise, family, feelings, goal setting, haitian, learning, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, reading, running, school, transportation, writing

Santa from Cincinnati: How a little boy named Santa grew up to become the real thing

Barrett, Judi

Calus was born on Christmas Day at Cincinnati General Hospital, and as he grew up, he developed a love for toys. As a young boy, Calus began building toys with his dad and delivering them to other kids in his neighborhood on Christmas Eve. Soon, everyone wanted toys from Calus, and after going to college and meeting Claus, they moved to the North Pole and began manufacturing toys year-round.

Tags

animals, birth, birthday, celebration, christmas, correspondence, growing up, holidays, new baby, parents, presents, reindeer, school, sledding, snow, technology, tools, toys, transportation, writing

Sergio and the hurricane

Wallner, Alexandra

A young boyﾒs family prepares for a hurricane in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At first, Sergio is excited, but after a whole day of getting ready for the storm, he falls asleep exhausted. The hurricane hits in the middle of the night so Sergio joins his parents in their bed, Papa tells him a story to ease his fears. For many weeks after the storm, the San Juan community clears the damage left by the wind and flooding. When school resumes, Sergioﾒs teacher gives a science lesson on hurricanes.

Tags

author's note, beach, bedtime, cleanliness, community, destruction, family, fear, feelings, flood, hurricane, maps, parents, plants, preparation, puerto rico, radio, safety, school, shopping, storm, storytelling, technology, television, tree, water, writing

Still-life stew

Pittman, Helena Clare

Rosa picks vegetables from her garden. Rosa's garden has tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, leeks, carrots, and potatoes. Don't forget to notice her spinach, green beans, and garlic too! Rosa outlines descriptive qualities of each vegetable. After Rosa gathers enough ingredients, she paints a picture of the vegetables and makes a stew. Also savor the colors of Rosa's still-life painting of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, leeks, and much more.

Tags

appearance, art, author's note, colors, cooking, five senses, food, garden, ingredients, nutrition, painting, plants, preparation, ripe, sight, smell, tools, vegetables, writing

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