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

Tags: author's note

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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

Bonjour, lonnie

Ringgold, Faith

Lonnie is an orphan who learns his family heritage through the help of the Love Bird. He eventually finds his adoptive parents.

Tags

adoption, african american, author's note, birds, culture, family, french, grandparents, Jewish, language, love, multicultural, orphan, parents, war

Boycott blues: How Rosa Parks inspired a nation

Pinkney, Andrea Davis

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus because of her race, sparking a social movement to end segregation enforced by the Jim Crow laws.Following the arrest of Rosa Park, her supporters refused to ride the community bus system during the Montgomery bus boycott. Despite the struggles of this protest, the Jim Crow laws were eventually overturned due to the spark that Rosa Parks ignited to motivate a generation to stay resolute in their pursuit of justice.

Tags

aggression, ambition, america, author's note, beliefs, boycott, bravery, challenges, change, conflict, courage, determination, discrimination, history, music, onomatopoeia, prejudice, protest, walking

Bread, bread, bread

Morris, Ann

Bread comes in many sizes and shapes and is eaten by people all over the world. Bread helps you grow and makes you strong. Look at all the different cultures that use bread!

Tags

author's note, careers, food, multicultural, nutrition

Buffalo

Brodsky, Beverly

The buffalo was very important for the survival of Native Americans. Learn about the history and importance of the buffalo. Excerpts from Native American songs and many original paintings add an artistic dimension.

Butterfly house

Bunting, Eve

A young girl and her grandfather save a caterpillar and keep it while it goes through its changes. They build it a beautiful house and care for it until it turns into a butterfly. Although it was hard for her to let it go, she has mysterious visitors surprise her every spring, even when she grows up to be a grandmother herself.

Tags

aging, art, author's note, butterfly, caterpillar, change, cocoon, colors, feelings, flowers, freedom, friendship, garden, grandparents, growing up, happiness, insects, nature, pets, sadness

Cakes and miracles: A purim tale

Goldin, Barbara Diamond

Hershel is a blind boy who loves to play outside and catch frogs in the river. His mother is always angry when he comes home covered with mud. One day Hershel has a dream that he can see. After that, he is able to help his mom make three-cornered fat cakes and cookies to sell at the market so they can earn money.

Tags

amphibians, angel, author's note, blindness, bodies of water, celebration, dancing, dreams, exercise, food, frog, handicap, holidays, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, play, poverty, recipe, river, song, traditions

Camels

Jango-Cohen, Judith

The word camel comes from the arabic word jamil, meaning beauty. Learn more about this animal through reading about its diet, birth and growth, and even camels on a racetrack! A glossary and index give you more information for other texts and websites.

Tags

africa, animals, arabian, asian, australian, author's note, behavior, camel, china, desert, diversity, drought, glossary, iranian, mountains, multicultural, nonverbal communication, sand, science, south american, sun, temperature, verbal communication

Can you find it?

Cressy, Judith

Go on an adventure around the world to many exciting places. Search through each painting for many objects. Create your own stories and imagine what life was like in each place.

Carolina shout!

Schroeder, Alan

Delia who lives in Charleston, South Carolina and hears music wherever she goes. But her sister, Bettina, cannot hear music. So Delia shows her that music is everywhere. You just have to listen, especially along the streets and harbor of this historical city.

Casey jones's fireman: The story of sim webb

Farmer, Nancy

Sim Webb is finally getting his chance to work on a train for the famous Casey Jones. Casey is putting a brand new whistle on his train, but Casey knows it's a bad idea. He knows that something bad is about to happen.

Chameleon, chameleon

Cowley, Joy

Come follow this colorful chameleon through the woods to a new tree home to find food. See how the chameleon creeps by geckos, frogs, scorpions, and others to protect himself on his way to his new tree homw. Do you think this chameleon can make it to a new tree to find food without getting hurt by the other creatures on the way?

Tags

author's note, caterpillar, chameleon, climbing, colors, conflict resolution, decision making, food, frog, gecko, goal setting, home, insects, nonverbal communication, photograph, protection, scorpion, tree

Chanukah in chelm

Adler, David A.

Mendal, the caretaker of the Chelm synagogue must find a table to set the menorah on. He searches the synagogue and cannot find one. Rabbi Nachman sends him to a carpenter to get one. Preparation for Hanukkah in this town of Chelm is remarkably eventful and fun.

Tags

author's note, beliefs, church, critical thinking, customs, dancing, exercise, folktale, food, hanukkah, holidays, humor, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, prayer, preparation, religion, traditions, verbal communication, winter

Cherry pies and lullabies

Reiser, Lynn

A young girl does four different things with three generations of her family. With her great grandmother, grandmother, and mother, she makes cherry pies, flower wreaths, and quilts. They also sing a lullaby. Each person does the same thing, but each of their products are different.

Tags

activities, author's note, bedtime, comparisons, cooking, family, flowers, food, generations, grandparents, individuality, love, numbers, nutrition, quilt, sequence, sewing, similarities, song, uniqueness

Child of the civil rights movement

Shelton, Paula Young

As a child of the civil rights movement, a little girl recounts the story of her parents growing up with Jim Crow laws which said that black people had to sit in the back of the bus, the last car of the train, and the balcony of the movie theatre. From New York to Georgia, the girl and her family moves back home to find that restaurants would not let them come in to eat. Families gather at friends houses to eat while organizing a peaceful protest to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The people start at Brown Chapel AME Church with thousands of others - which included Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, and Baptist ministers. It took four days to march the fifty miles as people watched them on TV. On the sixth of August, President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into the history books. The children march on to other causes.

Tags

african american, analogy, anger, author's note, biography, car, church, civil rights, equality, family, famous, feelings, flag, freedom, grandparents, history, instruments, law, marching, multicultural, music, peace, protest, religion, restaurants, swimming, technology, television, transportation, travel, walking

Chile fever: A celebration of peppers

King, Elizabeth

Each year, Hatch, New Mexico, has a festival to celebrate being the chile pepper capital of the world. The history of chile peppers, the different types of chiles, the making of ristras (garlands of red chiles), and the Hatch Chile Festival are described.

Tags

author's note, celebration, colors, farm, food, history, language, multicultural, native american, nutrition, plants, recipe

Clouds

Bauer, Marion

A boy spends his day outside with his cat exploring different types of clouds and the different things that clouds do. He also explains in a colorful and easy way, what clouds are made of and how we interact with clouds on an everyday basis, using weather terminology.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, author's note, cat, clothing, clouds, communication, critical thinking, decision making, dinosaur, environment, health, nonverbal communication, rain, science, seasons, snow, spring, storm, summer, teaching, travel, verbal communication, vocabulary, volcano, walking, weather, wind, winter

Cocoa ice

Appelbaum, Diana

A young girl from Maine and a young girl from Santa Domingo learn about each other's home through Jacob the Sailor. The girl from Santa Domingo describes how to make chocolate, and the girl from Maine tells about making ice.

Tags

accomplishment, activities, adventures, american, animals, anticipation, author's note, beverage, boat, bodies of water, careers, climbing, clothing, cold, comparisons, culture, curiosity, differences, environment, food, horse, ice, multicultural, plants, snow, water, weather

Cold feet

DeFelice, Cynthia

Playing the bagpipes is Willie McPhee's favorite form of entertainment, but because his audience is unable to pay for his entertainment, Willie is forced to leave. On his journey to find money, he becomes tired and his clothes wear out. Across the forest he sees a dead man and since his shoes are torn, he takes the dead man's boots. As he approaches a house to find hospitality, see how the dead man comes back to haunt him.

Tags

animals, author's note, behavior, body parts, caring, clothing, cold, compromise, consequences, cow, critical thinking, death, decision making, exercise, folktale, giving, instruments, snow, sounds, storytelling, survival, travel, walking, weather, winter

Count on your fingers African style

Zaslavsky, Claudia

This beautifully illustrated four color picture book takes children through the markets, showing traditional finger counting of various African people - the Maasai, the Kamba, and the Taita in Kenya, the Zulu of South Africa, and the Mende of Sierra Leone. This book examines the role that numbers play in creating a common language across cultural boundaries.

Tags

africa, african, author's note, body parts, cattle, chicken, counting, cow, food, fruit, games, language, learning, market, multicultural, nonverbal communication, numbers, parents, play, school, siblings, verbal communication

Crown: An ode to the fresh cut

Barnes, Derrick

A boy goes to the barbershop to get a haircut. As he sits there, he notices everyone around him, gaining confidence with each unique style. Once his haircut is complete, the boy feels ready to accomplish anything with a newfound conviction and trust in himself.

Tags

african american, author's note, body parts, careers, confidence, friendship, instruments, multicultural, music, perspective, pride, self confidence

Dancing hands: A story of friendship in filipino sign language

Que, Joanna//Marquez, Charria

The new neighbors do not use their voices to speak. Their hands move in a rhythm to express their thoughts and feelings. Mai teaches her friend to communicate using her "hands to dance". The girls share their dreams and their aspirations for careers. Sam and Mai become best friends.

Tags

author's note, birds, body parts, butterfly, careers, communication, deafness, differences, disability, dreams, earth, filipino, friendship, gestures, insects, language, learning, multicultural, nature, neighbors, observation, plan, rhythm, sign language

Dangerous crossing

Krensky, Stephen

Showing no signs of fear, young Johnny Adams boards a ship with his father, the future second President of the United States, for a voyage from Massachusetts to Paris to gain support for the colonies. Their journey is depicted with vivid pictures and an exciting storyline portraying the battles, harsh weather and seasickness endured along the way by two key Presidents in U.S. history.

Danilo the fruitman

Valens, Amy

Danilo, the fruitman, sells oranges to all the people in town. One day he discovers a new fruit, but when he tries to sell it, people just laugh at him. When he discovers the secret of this fruit, he becomes very popular with all the people.

Tags

author's note, careers, dancing, discovery, exercise, five senses, food, island, italian, multicultural, music, nutrition

Daughter of the light-footed people: The story of indigenous marathon champion Lorena Ramirez

Medina, Belen

Lorena Ramirez is an athlete who loves to run. Her swift footsteps echo through the copper canyons of Mexico as she runs in an ultramarathon for sixty miles. She wears a skirt sewn by her mother and rubber sandals made from tires when she runs so she can honor the Raramuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico. She wins the race against hundreds of people from other countries.

Tags

animals, author's note, ball, body parts, celebration, country, culture, family, food, goat, language, love, marathon, Mexico, multicultural, numbers, onomatopoeia, patience, persistence, photograph, pride, running, siblings

David goes to school

Shannon, David

David is quite the mischievous student, full of energy and always keeping his teacher on her toes. His entertaining antics make it impossible not to enjoy him.

Days of the blackbird: A tale of northern italy

dePaola, Tomie

Gemma and her father, Duke Gemma, love to sit in their courtyard where birds of all colors decorate the trees and sing beautiful songs. When her father becomes ill, Gemma realizes that the only hope for her father's recovery comes from the bird songs. Unfortunately, it is winter and all of the birds fly south, all except the Duke's favorite bird, La Colomba. La Colomba withstands the cold wind and snow in order to sing the Duke back to health.

Tags

author's note, birds, blackbird, colors, family, hope, illness, italian, month, multicultural, music, seasons

Dealing with dealing with feelings: I'm frustrated

Crary, Elizabeth

Unable to rollerskate like his brother and sister, Alex becomes frustrated. What should he do?Keep practicing, give up, or set goals?Alex's mom gives him eight suggestions of how to deal with his problem. After working really hard, Alex learns how to skate and deal with his frustration!

Tags

author's note, colors, communication, envy, excitement, exercise, family, feelings, frustration, garden, happiness, helping, neighbors, patience, reading, self confidence, siblings, skating

Dealing with feelings: I'm scared

Crary, Elizabeth

Tracy can not wait to meet her new neighbors. Her smile disappears when she sees that her new neighbors own her worst fear, a big dog!What will Tracy do?Is she going to watch from her window, sing a happy song, or ask someone to hold her hand when she meets her new neighbors?No matter what Tracy decides, she will soon overcome her fears by getting a puppy of her own!

Tags

anger, animals, author's note, bee, bicycle, cooking, dog, family, fear, feelings, food, friendship, happiness, insects, neighbors, play, sadness, siblings, song

Different: Just like me

Mitchell, Lori

The visit to Grammie's house is a week away, and April can't wait! She comes across different people who look differently, sense differences, and move differently. Regardless of their differences, April can find ways she is like these other people. Finally, it is time to visit Grammie. Grammie's flowers from her garden are all different, and April is not allowed to pick her favorite flower. April realizes this is like all things and people. She learns to appreciate the differences in all things and people.

Do you know what i'll do?

Zolotow, Charlotte

A sister tells her younger brother all the different things that she will do for him. She will bring him things that will apply to his five senses. Most of all, she brings her brother her love and attention.

Tags

african american, attention, author's note, baby, bedtime, clouds, day, dreams, emotions, family, five senses, flowers, happiness, multicultural, night, nonverbal communication, party, plants, rain, sea, self esteem, shells, siblings, snow, song, surprises, verbal communication, walking, wind

Earth day - hooray!

Murphy, Stuart J.

Ryan, Carly, and Luke set out to clean up Gilroy Park for an Earth Day celebration. They decide to plant flowers to beautify the park while collecting cans to raise money through recycling. The children use math and find school resources to help them with their project.

$Eating fractions$

Eating fractions

McMillan, Bruce

Using foods like muffins and pizza, two children divide up and share food in three quantities (one-half, one-third and one-fourth).

Tags

animals, author's note, concepts, counting, dog, food, math, numbers, nutrition, recipe, sequence, sharing

Emma and the silk train

Lawson, Julie

The silk trains that constantly cross the tracks near Emma's house fascinate her and spark her imagination of having silk clothing of her own. Her whole town is set into a frenzy when one of the trains derails, and in her attempt to snag a beautiful swatch of red silk in the river, she is swept away. Her rescue is dramatic and exciting.

Erandi's braids

Madrigan, Antonio Hernandez

Erandi has thick, long, beautiful hair that her mother braids each morning. One day while making dinner with her mother, Erandi hears voices from the street offering money for the women's hair. Mama' explains that the hair buyers would pay well for Erandi's braids. That day they go fishing and mama' discovers that they need a new fishing net badly but they do not have money for one. The next day is Erandi's birthday and Erandi picks out a new dress for her present. On the way home mama' and Erandi stop at the barber shop where Erandi allows the barber to cut her hair so her mama' can afford a new net.

Tags

author's note, birthday, body parts, clothing, critical thinking, culture, decision making, dolls, embarrassment, fish, fishing, food, language, market, mexican, multicultural, nutrition, playing, poverty, pride, recreation

Erika's story

Vander Zee, Ruth

After being thrown from a train as a baby during the Holocaust, Erika finds safety, love, and peace in the family that saves her.

Tags

adoption, assertiveness, author's note, bravery, conflict resolution, courage, critical thinking, family, fear, feelings, germany, history, hope, identity, Jewish, loss, love, memories, multicultural, parents, prejudice, pride, rescue, sadness, self esteem, separation, storytelling, survival, train, transportation, verbal communication, war

Farmhouse

Blackall, Sophie

A farmhouse where twelve children grow up holds evidence of their stories long after they are gone.

Tags

animals, art, author's note, bedtime, books, chores, conflict, correspondence, cow, family, farm, food, home, instruments, music, photography, plants, playing, seasons, siblings, sleep, tree

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

First pooch: The Obamas pick a pet

Boston Weatherford, Carole

Throughout their father's twenty-two month campaign for president, Malia and Sasha Obama beg their parents for a dog. Finally, when their father becomes the forty-fourth president of the United States, he rewards their patience and good behavior in his victory speech: Malia and Sasha will get their new puppy. What type of dog will they choose? Finally, on April 14th, 2009, a new puppy moves into the White House. It is a Portuguese water dog, and the girls name him Bo.

Tags

allergies, american, animals, author's note, comparisons, decision making, dog, family, health, history, numbers, pets, president, secrets, sequence, siblings, success, united states

Flood fish

Eversole, Robyn

Every year the fish come with the flood waters. Every spring a young boy in Australia enjoys exploring the mystery the waters bring to the once-dry banks of the river.

Tags

adventures, australia, author's note, change, discovery, exercise, exploration, fish, flood, geography, grandparents, investigation, multicultural, reproduction, river, rocks, sea, siblings, swimming, water

Freedom river

Rappaort, Doreen

John Ripley shows courage and perseverence in Southern Ohio through his actions. John crosses the Ohio River into the slave state of Kentucky to help other African Americans escape to freedom. John listens to nature as he rows a slave family across the Ohio River to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Tags

african american, author's note, baby, boat, bodies of water, cabin, community, courage, escape, family, fear, feelings, fight, freedom, happiness, history, illustrator's note, listening, maps, money, multicultural, night, parents, prayer, quiet, relationship, rhythm, river, running, sadness, safety, secrets, slavery, transportation, underground railroad, woods, work, worry

Fry bread: A Native American family story

Maillard, Kevin Noble

Children help a Native American grandmother make fry bread while learning about the history, social ways, food, art, and politics of America's 573 recognized Indian tribes.

Tags

america, art, author's note, baking, colors, diversity, family, five senses, food, friendship, geography, heritage, history, native american, nutrition, preparation, recipe, sounds, storytelling, variety

Garibaldi's biscuits

Steadman, Ralph

In nineteenth-century Italy, the wife of General Garibaldi bakes biscuits, as a peace offering for a defeated French army.

Tags

art, author's note, balloon, beverage, clothing, cooking, family, farm, food, history, inventions, italy, peace, ship, transportation, war

Girl wonder: A baseball story in nine innings

Hopkinson, Deborah

Alta's dream of becomming a professional baseball player comes true. She proves that it doesn't matter if you're a girl, you can still be just as talented. After pitching for an Ohio semipro baseball team in 1907, Alta goes on to become a doctor like her dad.

Tags

accomplishment, ambition, author's note, baseball, careers, confidence, determination, discrimination, doctor, gender, history, memories, practice, skills, sports, travel

Gold fever

Kay, Verla

In a rhyming story a farmer joins a group of miners to look for gold. They travel through praries, deserts, and mountains panning for gold but never find much. The farmer, after finding no gold, leaves the miners to go back home to his farm and family.

Tags

adventures, animals, author's note, bear, beverage, birds, camping, careers, clothing, desert, discovery, exploration, family, farm, food, hard work, hunger, mountains, nutrition, parents, rhyme, rocks, siblings, snake, tools, travel, vulture, water

Good-bye, charles lindbergh

Borden, Louise

Gil is on his way to get the laundry for his mom when he sees it. Up in the sky is the shiny orange biplane trying to land in a neighboring field. After the plane lands, Gil discovers the pilot is Colonel Lindbergh. Gil has so many questions to ask him, but he doesn't get the chance.

Tags

airplane, animals, assertiveness, author's note, barn, careers, family, farm, friendship, history, horse, nature, neighbors, parents, rain, seasons, siblings, spring, transportation

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.

Gotta go!Gotta go!

Swope, Sam

A bug crawls all the way out of her skin! She sleeps then she blossoms into a beautiful butterfly. On her journey, she repeats her chant, Gotta Go! Gotta Go To Mexico! to all the insects and animals along her way. When her destination is reached, she flutters and dances around in the warm sky with her companion. A bug returns, lays her eggs, and the cycle of life is repeated again and again.

Tags

adventures, aging, animals, ant, appearance, author's note, baby, birth, butterfly, caterpillar, challenges, change, cocoon, colors, companion, confidence, courage, cycle, dancing, discovery, environment, farm, flowers, food, forest, grasshopper, growing up, happiness, hibernation, insects, mexican, migration, morning, nature, nonverbal communication, overeating, relationship, reproduction, rhyme, seasons, sleep, travel, verbal communication, weather, winter

Grandfather's christmas tree

Strand, Keith

A young couple embarks on their own to an unknown land to build their life. When times get hard for their family, they adjust their lifestyles to make things work.

Grandmother and the runaway shadow

Rosenberg, Liz

A young girl escapes alone to America and finds companionship in a runaway shadow. They experience their new world together.

Tags

american, author's note, boat, careers, clothing, dancing, differences, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, grandparents, imagination, immigrants, loneliness, running away, shadows, transportation, travel

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