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

Tags: growing up

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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

Just the two of us

Smith, Will

A father talks of ongoing love for his son from the moment he is born. As his child grows, the father tries to teach him how to be a man and also tells him how he will always be there for him. Having this child is the father's proof that his dreams have come true.

Tags

anger, basketball, car, careers, conflict resolution, death, discipline, divorce, doctor, dreams, feelings, goal setting, growing up, happiness, home, honesty, hospital, learning, love, new baby, nonverbal communication, parents, prayer, sadness, safety, sky, sleep, sports, teaching, technology, touch, truth, verbal communication

Katy no-pocket

Payne, Emmy

Katy Kangaroo does not have a pocket in which to carry her son, so she asks different animals to help her. She finally goes into the city and finds a man with an apron.

Tags

animals, birds, clothing, critical thinking, crocodile, decision making, family, growing up, kangaroo, lion, monkey, owl, parents, reptiles, shelter, tortoise, verbal communication

Kim and me: A book about a little boy and his baby sister

Kessler, Ethel//Kessler, Leonard

A three-year old boy describes all the things he can do that his baby sister, Kim, can't do. He then reflects that all the things he used to do, that Kim does now. Someday she will be able to play with him too.

Tags

baby, differences, family, feelings, growing up, happiness, nonverbal communication, siblings

Kindergarten diary

Portis, Antoinette

It is September and time for Annalina to start school. On September 1, Annalina says she doesn't want to got to kindergarten. On September 2nd, Annalina has to look nice on her first day of school. On September, she meets her teacher Ms. Duffy. For each day of the month, Annalina experiences many new things in kindergarten. By September 30, the entry in Annalina's diary says "We are room 2K. We are fine!" --and too busy to write any more!

Tags

alligator, alphabet, animals, ball, birthday, body parts, calendar, careers, celebration, change, clothing, counting, cow, fear, feelings, fractions, growing up, jump rope, jumping, mollusks, month, numbers, party, play, playground, recess, reptile, reptiles, school, sequence, snail, space, storytelling, tortoise, writing

Lenny's baby brother

Smith, Peter

At first, Lenny is unhappy because her brother is too young to play with, but soon he joins in the fun.

Tags

assertiveness, attention, baby, caring, change, coping, critical thinking, family, feelings, growing up, play, sadness, siblings

Leo the late bloomer

Kraus, Robert

Leo is a young tiger that is developing slowly. His father watches him over a season and notices that Leo does not grow. One day, Leo blooms and he is the best tiger in the whole kingdom.

Tags

acceptance, animals, body image, change, conflict resolution, coping, differences, family, food, growing up, nonverbal communication, parents, self esteem, tiger, verbal communication

Letting swift river go

Yolen, Jane

Boston needs water, so the Swift River is damned. Sally Jane's town is flooded so she rows out onto the lake and finds it hard to remember what her town looked like when she was young.

Tags

bodies of water, change, community, growing up, lake, memories, river

Little big girl

Horner, Althea

Mary Ellen was unsure whether or not her parents would love her when she grew up. After her parents found out the problem, they helped her to feel secure.

Tags

conflict resolution, family, growing up, misunderstanding, nonverbal communication, parents, security

Little cliff and the porch people

Taulbert, Clifton

As Cliff grows up, he is entrusted more and more to do things on his own. Cliff's great-grandmother has him run an errand for her and along the way Cliff continually gets stopped by neighbors. Each of the neighbors assists Cliff in accomplishing his errand.

Little frightened tiger

Wisegard, Leonard//Mac Donald, Golden

A little tiger tries to deal with other animals in his habitat. His parents try to assure him that there is nothing to be afraid of. Eventually, he becomes a brave little tiger.

Tags

animals, bravery, conflict resolution, coping, decision making, family, fear, feelings, growing up, parents, refusal skills, self esteem, tiger

Little gorilla

Bornstein, Ruth

A little gorilla's family and friends try to help him overcome his special growing pains.

Tags

animals, conflict resolution, decision making, family, friendship, growing up, helping, love, nonverbal communication, self esteem

Little penguin

Benson, Patrick

Pip is a three-year old penguin. She is much smaller than some of the other penguins that are three years old, and this worries her. Eventually,she realizes that size does not matter because friendship goes beyond appearance.

Tags

animals, body image, equality, feelings, friendship, growing up, penguin, self esteem

Little red nose

Schlein, Miriam

A little boy feels something in the night, but he does not know what it is. The next day, he discovers that it was the coming of Spring and the sun kissed his nose and made it red.

Tags

critical thinking, decision making, dreams, feelings, growing up, night, seasons, sleep, spring, sun

Little swan

London, Jonathan

Ko-hoh cracks through his eggshell to find his parents towering over him. His trumpeter swan family stays close together as Ko-hoh and other cygnets learn how to feed themselves, to honk when predators are nearby, and to develop flight feathers. Little swan grows up and learns to migrate with his family.

Tags

author's note, bear, birds, bodies of water, eagle, family, five senses, growing up, lake, migration, plants, pond, raven, safety, seasons, sounds, swan

Look out kindergarten, here I come

Carlson, Nancy

Henry can't wait for his first day of kindergarten to begin!He imagines all the wonderful things that he and his classmates will do. When he arrives at school, Henry becomes frightened that he will get lost and won't enjoy all of his new classmates. When his teacher invites him in and shows him all the neat activities, Henry realizes again how much fun kindergarten will be!

Tags

activities, animals, art, change, clothing, colors, confidence, curiosity, dentist, encouragement, excitement, family, fear, feelings, fun, games, growing up, math, mouse, numbers, playing, school, spelling, walking

Lottie's dream

Pryor, Bonnie

Lottie moves with her family away from the ocean she loves. She dreams of returning when she is old enough to move back to begin her own life with her family.

Tags

aging, bodies of water, dreams, family, feelings, growing up, happiness, love, moving, ocean

Lucille's snowsuit

Lasky, Kathryn

Lucille wants desperately to go out and play with her older brother and sister in the snow. As Lucille works at putting on her snowsuit, she gets stuck, frustrated and hot. Her patience is wearing thin as she waits on her mom to help. Finally, Lucille joins the snow fun, but does her bad mood go away?

Tags

clothing, conflict resolution, family, feelings, frustration, growing up, happiness, moods, nonverbal communication, parents, patience, sadness, seasons, siblings, sledding, snow, sports, swimming, temperature, winter

Madoulina: A girl who wanted to go to school: A story from south africa

Bognomo, Joel Eboueme

Madoulina has dreams of becoming a doctor. She doesn't, however, go to school because her mother needs her to sell fritters in the marketplace to earn money. Madoulina meets her brother's new teacher, who convinces her mom to find a way to let her go to school.

Maia, a dinosaur grows up

Horner, John R//Gorman, James

A dinosaur baby grows up and has babies of her own.

Tags

baby, birth, change, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, dinosaur, family, goal setting, growing up, nonverbal communication, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Major: The story of a black bear

McClung, Robert M.

A bear cub discovers the dangers and delights of the forest. The cub learns to hunt, fish, hibernate, and eventually chooses a mate.

Tags

animals, baby, bear, critical thinking, decision making, family, growing up, nonverbal communication, plants, seasons, siblings, spring, winter, woods

Max

Graham, Bob

Max is the son of the legendary superheroes Captain Lightning and Madam Thunderbolt. His family has high expectations for him to follow in their footsteps and become a superhero too. Now he just needs to learn how to fly. After many persistent tries, Max still can't keep himself off the ground. His family is supportive and determined to get him to fly. Will this confidence be enough to help him fly like the birds?

Maybe tomorrow i'll have a good time

Soderstorm, Mary

Marsha Lou's mom decides to go back to work. This means the Marsha Lou will have to go to child care. She is very unhappy, but she soon adjusts.

Tags

change, child care, critical thinking, family, fear, feelings, friendship, growing up, parents, peer resistance, refusal skills, self esteem, stress management

Mccrephy's field

Myers, Christopher//Myers, Lynne

Joe McCrephy moves away from his cornfield. While he is away for fifty years, both he and his field experience many changes.

Tags

aging, change, growing up, moving, nature

Me and neesie

Greenfield, Eloise

Janell and her make-believe friend, Nessie, have many adventures. The friendship ends when Janell begins school.

Tags

adventures, conflict resolution, decision making, fantasy, friendship, growing up, imagination, nonverbal communication, school, verbal communication

Mel fell

Tabor, Corey R.

Mel leaves the nest with a sense of adventure and finds that the animals and birds and insects on the way down on his flight are all there when flying back up the tree. The descending flight takes him into the water for a kingfish which he carries back to the nest to feed his siblings.

Tags

adventure, affection, animals, ant, arachnid, bee, birds, comparisons, confidence, courage, direction, fish, growing up, insects, kingfisher, ladybug, numbers, onomatopoeia, parents, siblings, spider, squirrel, tree

Michael

Bradman, Tony

Michael is different from his classmates. He misbehaves, always runs late, and does not do very well in his classes. His teachers believe he will have trouble all through life. He proves them wrong when he grows up to be an astronaut.

Tags

astronaut, careers, differences, goal setting, growing up, misbehavior, school

Miss rumphius

Cooney, Barbara

Miss Rumphius was once a little girl who wanted to travel, see far away places, and eventually return home to live by the sea. She fulfills her life's goals of traveling and living by the sea. As an older woman, she seeks a way to complete her legacy.

Tags

adventures, bodies of water, decision making, determination, goal setting, growing up, responsibilities, sea, self esteem, travel, verbal communication

Moonbear's pet

Asch, Frank

Bear and Little Bird are thrilled with their new friend Splash, who is really a tadpole. When Splash begins to change, Bear and Little Bird get into an argument about which kind of animal Splash is. They come to realize that every kind of animal is valuable and special.

Tags

amphibians, anger, animals, bear, birds, bodies of water, change, conflict resolution, differences, feelings, fish, friendship, frog, growing up, happiness, learning, pond, self esteem, verbal communication

Moonlight

Ormerod, Jan

A little girl has bad dreams and wants to be near her mom and dad to feel secure. When they try to put her to sleep, the parents get more and more sleepy.

Tags

bedtime, conflict resolution, decision making, dreams, family, fear, feelings, growing up, nonverbal communication, parents, security, sleep

Moonstick: The seasons of the sioux

Bunting, Eve

A young Sioux is taught the way of life by his father. The young boy is too young to do many things, but one day he will be able to do what he is taught. When the seasons change, he makes another notch in his moonstick.

Tags

author's note, change, family, growing up, learning, moon, multicultural, native american, parents, poetry, rhyme, seasons, self esteem, spring, summer, traditions, verbal communication, winter

Moose and Magpie

Restrepo, Bettina

It isn't always easy being a moose but this young moose has a special joke-telling friend to keep him company and to help him find his way. Join Moose, Magpie, and other animal friends as they frolic through a year of changes.

Tags

adaptation, animals, author's note, frog, groundhog, growing up, humor, hunting, joke, magpie, migration, moose, raccoon, seasons, skunk

More tales of amanda pig

Van Leeuwen, Jean

Amanda pig and her family experience five short stories. One describes Amanda playing with her brother and another describes how she organized a birthday party for her dad.

Mousekin's birth

Miller, Edna

Mousekin grew from conception to birth. Once in the outside world, Mousekin wonders what the world has in store for him.

Tags

animals, birth, family, future, goal setting, growing up, mouse, nonverbal communication

Much bigger than martin

Kellogg, Steven

Henry wants to be bigger that Martin so he tries several ways to grow. In the end, he realizes that he'll grow up in time.

Tags

conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, determination, envy, family, goal setting, growing up, imagination, nonverbal communication, siblings, verbal communication

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

My friends

Gomi, Taro

A little girl tells of all the things she has learned from her friends, animals, books, teachers, and schoolmates.

Tags

activities, asian american, friendship, growing up, learning, multicultural, play, school, verbal communication

My little round house

Baasansuren, Bolormaa Adapted by: Mixter, Helen

Baby Jilu talks through his first year in the world, from when he is born to when he is a year old. he is born into a round world, with a round bed in a round home in Mongolia. His family comes to meet him, and they travel to their autumn quarters. Once snow begins to fall, Jilu's family moves on to their winter campground and soon celebrate Tsagaan Sar, meaning Spring will come again. In the spring, Jilu can ride on the camel saddle with his mother, and he will not have to wear boots again until after summer.

Tags

animals, autumn, baby, birthday, camel, clothing, community, critical thinking, day, decision making, family, food, goat, grandparents, growing up, home, moving, multicultural, night, safety, seasons, sequence, sheep, snow, spring, summer, survival, travel, weather, winter

My mountain song

Crum, Shutta

Observe a relationship that blossoms between competing cousins over their grandparents. Enjoy the scenic illustrations of summer life on the mountains while reading about a legacy being passed down.

Tags

companion, conflict resolution, family, farm, generations, grandparents, growing up, nature, nonverbal communication, relationship, seasons, sharing, song, summer

My tooth is about to fall out

Maccarone, Grace

A little girl describes her wiggly tooth and all the places where she doesn't want it to fall out. Then, while she is eating spaghetti, the tooth falls into her bowl and a giant hole is left in her mouth. That night, she places the tooth that fell out under her pillow, and the Tooth Fairy leaves her a nice little surprise for her in the morning!

Tags

accomplishment, appearance, behavior, body parts, conflict resolution, decision making, excitement, growing up, loss, missing, nonverbal communication, patience, storytelling, surprises, teeth, tooth fairy, verbal communication

My wiggly smile

Woodruff, Amira

Olive wakes up one day and finds that she has a loose tooth! She runs downstairs to tell her parents and keeps wiggling it all day, but it won't come out! At school, Olive talks to a girl named Jordan who tells her about the "My Wiggly Smile" which says to keep track of the teeth she's lost. When Olive gets home, her dad surprises her with a "My Wiggly Smile" book of her own, and they leave for the dentist where Olive's tooth is finally pulled by the dentist. That night, while she is fast asleep, the Tooth Fairy comes to visit Olive, and she wakes up with a gift under her pillow!

New baby

McCully, Emily Arnold

The youngest mouse in a big family finds it very hard to adjust to the new baby. She was used to being the center of attention and now has competition. If she shows the adults that she is still a baby, she thinks she will get more attention. It backfires, but the baby pays attention to her.

Tags

animals, baby, change, coping, family, feelings, growing up, jealousy, mouse, nonverbal communication, self esteem, siblings

New shoes for silvia

Hurwitz, Johanna

One day Silvia's family receives a package of gifts from Tia Rosita. Silvia's gift is beautiful -- new red shoes!Unfortunately they are too big. Silvia uses her new shoes for many other purposes until one day they fit.

Tags

clothing, critical thinking, dolls, family, farm, grandparents, growing up, mexican, multicultural, parents, play, self esteem, verbal communication

Nils all alone

Sigsgaard, Jens

A young boy wakes up to find that he is alone in the world. He wanders throughout his town, attempting to enjoy all of his favorite activites with his sudden independence, only to realize that he is lonely. In the end, he awakens to discover it is all a dream.

Tags

dreams, fear, feelings, growing up, independence, loneliness, play, sleep

Now I'm big

Miller, Margaret

Six children share pictures of themselves when they were babies. They describe the things that they used to do for fun and compare it to all of the things they can do now - all by themselves.

Tags

accomplishment, bedtime, change, comparisons, growing up, learning, nonverbal communication, photograph, self esteem

Now one foot, now the other

dePaola, Tomie

Bobby loves to hear his grandfather tell the story of how he taught Bobby to walk. When his grandfather suffers from a stroke, Bobby teaches his grandfather how to walk.

Tags

change, conflict resolution, coping, family, goal setting, grandparents, growing up, helping, illness, nonverbal communication, storytelling, teaching, walking

Obadiah the bold

Turkle, Brinton

This is a story about a Quaker boy who wants to be a pirate. After learning about his grandfather, who was brave in an honest way, Obadiah changes his mind and wants to be a noble sailor.

Tags