Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The me I choose to be | by Tarpley, Natasha Anastasia

There are many "I am" statements from different children who refer to a planet, to hope, to a bridge builder, and to a weaver of words. Through creativity, children can become who they choose to be. Feelings of joy, sadness, and laughter are represented by wind, light, and a free spirit. The possibilities are endless for children.

Keywords: african american, art, colors, creativity, feelings, friendship, generations, hope, imagination, light, multicultural, photography, plants

Action! How movies began | by McCarthy, Meghan

Movies are an important part of our society today, but they have not always been what we see in theaters. From the Kinetoscope to black and white film, and from soundless productions to special effects, the movie industry has evolved over time to make what we see and enjoy today!

Keywords: african american, author's note, careers, colors, emotions, five senses, generations, history, inventions, movies, multicultural, photograph, photography, sequence, shadows, sounds, technology, time, vision

A sweet smell of roses | by Johnson, Angela

Minnie and her sister leave the house early in the morning to march hand- in-hand with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his fight for equality and freedom. Minnie and her sister also choose to stand up for what they believe in despite those who say that they cannot. Finally, the two sisters return home to their worried mother with a new sense of purpose in their fight for freedom.

Keywords: african american, aggression, american, assertiveness, challenges, civil rights, determination, discrimination, dreams, equality, flag, freedom, illustrator's note, love, peace, prejudice, siblings, song, speech

I'm going to sing: Black American spirituals volume two | by Bryan, Ashley

Black American Spirituals are a representation of the resilience and bravery of enslaved Blacks. Although these songs represent suffering and sadness, they also demonstrate creativity, heritage, and expression. Ultimately, Spirituals connect people to each other, their culture, and their goals.

Keywords: african american, art, drawing, feelings, happiness, history, hope, lyrics, multicultural, music, sadness, singing, slavery, spiritual

Sweet justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery bus boycott | by Rockliff, Mara

Georgia Gilmore heard about Mrs. Rosa Parks who had been arrested when she wouldn't give up her seat to a black man on a city bus in 1955. But something was also cooking in Montgomery, Alabama about the same time -- a woman who cooked to feed and fund the people willing to participate in the Montgomery fun boycott. Georgia knew there was no justice under segregation so she boycotted the arrest of Mrs. Parks by staying off the city buses for one day. In order to get others to stay off the buses for one day, Georgia cooked and sold her crispy chicken, sandwiches, cakes, and pies to pay off the…

Keywords: african american, author's note, boycott, bus, change, church, civil rights, courage, food, government, history, justice, law, leadership, money, multicultural, perspective, segregation, transportation

Ida B. Wells, voice of truth | by Duster, Michelle

Ira B. Wells was an educator, feminist, and anti-lynching civil rights leader who founded many important clubs for African Americans. Even when faced with threats and criticisms, Ida B. Wells still kept writing, speaking, and traveling to challenge the racist and sexist norms of her time and leading the fight for justice and equality as a leader who made a difference for us all.

Keywords: african american, author's note, careers, change, children, correspondence, courage, education, equality, justice, leadership, loss, marriage, multicultural, newspaper, organizations, photograph, politics, racism, slavery, suffrage, teaching, technology, train, transportation, travel, truth

A home in the barn | by Brown, Margaret Wise

In the winter, it is too cold for the animals to be outside but the barn is warm. All the horses, cattle, mice, birds, and cats stay there together to keep away from the cold. Even though there are a lot of animals in the barn, they all get along and help to keep each other warm.

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, baby, barn, birds, birth, bluejay, cardinal, cat, chicken, cold, cow, dog, farm, goat, horse, insects, mouse, multicultural, night, onomatopoeia, pig, pony, problem solving, rhyme, rhythm, sparrow, squirrel, time, wasp, winter

I am every good thing | by Barnes, Derrick

Illustrations and easy-to-read text pay homage to the strength, character, and worth of a child.

Keywords: activities, african american, baseball, basketball, body parts, companion, creativity, diving, honesty, identity, instruments, leadership, love, manners, multicultural, play, respect, rhythm, siblings, skateboarding, snow, swimming, technology

Lola love stories | by McQuinn, Anna

Lola anther dad always go to the library on Saturdays to pick out books to read during the week. Every time Lola reads a book, she acts it out the next day. If she reads about building, she becomes a builder. If Lola reads a book about fairies, she becomes a fairy. What will Lola be next?

Keywords: african american, animals, baby, bedtime, books, buildings, clothing, companion, cow, creativity, Days of the Week, imagination, library, multicultural, reading, relationship, royalty, shoes, storytelling, tiger, tools, travel, wilderness

Quinnie blue | by Johnson, Dinah

Hattie wonders about the activities of her grandmother Quinnie Blue when she was little. Trips to Carolina, singing, eating, reciting poems, and braiding hair with her family come to mind.

Keywords: african american, author's note, body parts, celebration, church, easter, family, food, games, generations, grandparents, identity, instruments, multicultural, music, nutrition, picnic, song, traditions, trees

Love is | by Adams, Diane

A little girl raises a duckling and loves it very much. One day, she realizes that it is time for her duckling to leave and join the other ducks outside. Even though she misses her pet, their love stays strong and she still gets to see her duck and its new family.

Keywords: african american, animals, bath, birds, bodies of water, change, companion, courage, duck, feelings, health, hygiene, morning, multicultural, nature, pond, sadness, sleep, swimming, teaching, trust

Lizzie demands a seat! Elizabeth Jennings fights for streetcar rights | by 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.

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

A different pond | by Phi, Bao

A young boy accompanies his dad to catch fish for food before the sunrises and before other family members awake. The dad tells the bait man at the all-night store that he is starting a second job. The boy meets a Hmong man and a black man who are also fishing -- but this time, it is just the boy and his dad under the starlit sky. The boy learns to make a fire and to bait his hook and to honor the stories of his Dad as he explains how life was in Vietnam when he was a boy. When they return home, the dad and mom head to work while the boy looks after his brothers and sisters.

Keywords: african american, author's note, bicycle, bodies of water, counting, feelings, fire, fishing, food, hard work, hmong, illustrator's note, language, learning, loss, morning, multicultural, photograph, pond, poverty, refugee, responsibilities, sadness, siblings, sleep, storytelling, teeth, tree, vietnamese, war, work

Schomburg: The man who built a library | by Weatherford, Carole Boston

Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk's life's passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and to bring light to the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg's collection became so big it began to overflow his house (and his wife threatened to mutiny), he turned to the New York Public Library, where he created and curated a collection that was the cornerstone of a new Negro Division. A century later, his…

Keywords: african american, art, books, careers, generations, history, library, multicultural, numbers, puerto rican, reading, research, respect

Overground railroad | by 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.

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

The talk | by Williams, Alicia D.

Jay has many favorite things he likes to do with his friends and family. His mom measures him as he grows inch-by-inch which means he can do more and more as he gets older and older. Although his feet don't reach the gas pedal of his Daddy's car, he can skateboard up and down the street and and do flips with many friends. Jay's grandpa tells his grandchildren not to crowd in groups of four or more - which is only one of many unfortunate realities of African American families and parents when they have to say, "Jay, its time we had a talk" about racism.

Walk together children: Black American spirituals volume one | by Bryan, Ashley

Black American Spirituals are a representation of the resilience and bravery of enslaved Blacks. Although these songs represent suffering and sadness, they also demonstrate creativity, heritage, and expression. Ultimately, Spirituals connect people to each other, their culture, and their goals.

Keywords: african american, art, drawing, feelings, happiness, history, hope, lyrics, multicultural, music, publisher's note, sadness, singing, slavery, spiritual

March on! The day my brother Martin changed the world | by Farris, Christine

Christine King Farris, the sister of Martin Luther King Jr., watched her brother during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She describes her brother’s journey from writing his “I Have a Dream” speech to joining the crowds in their demand for freedom. She was moved by her brother’s persistence and success in persuading millions to believe in and fight for a better tomorrow in which all men are created equal.

Brothers of the knight | by Allen, Debbie

Twelve brothers magically disappear every night even though their door is locked. Their father hires a housekeeper to figure out the mystery of his boys. She learns to listen, which turns out to be more powerful than simply solving a mystery.

Keywords: african american, bedtime, careers, church, conflict resolution, dancing, deception, exercise, family, generations, hard work, magic, multicultural, music, mystery, parents, relationship, secrets, siblings, stress management

Sister Anne's hands | by Lorbiecki, Mary Beth

Anna begins her second year of school in the early '60's. Her new teacher, Sister Anne, is different from anyone she had ever seen. The teacher shows the students what tolerance is and they all end up learning from one another.

Keywords: acceptance, african american, appearance, art, body parts, community, counting, differences, discrimination, diversity, garden, god, history, learning, library, multicultural, prejudice, religion, rhythm, school, singing, teaching

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