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

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May'naise sandwiches & sunshine tea

Belton, Sandra

Big Mama shares family memories of her childhood with her grandchild about a special friendship she had with Bettie Jean. Little Miss and Big Mama share the pages of a scrapbook which tells the favorite story of May'naise sandwiches and sunshine tea.

Tags

african american, books, careers, clothing, dancing, dentist, doctor, dreams, flowers, food, friendship, garden, hunger, imagination, memories, nutrition, parents, photograph, picnic, play, rain, running, school, sun, teaching, technology, telephone, tree, water

Coming on home soon

Woodson, Jacqueline

A girl says goodbye to her mother who is heading to find work in the city. The girl waits everyday for her mother's letter that says she will be coming home. All the while, the girl remembers her mother loves her more than snow or rain.

Tags

african american, animals, careers, cat, coping, correspondence, death, disappointment, emotions, family, future, love, money, multicultural, nature, parents, prayer, rain, snow, time, war, weather

Shades of black: A celebration of our children

Pinkey, Sandra L.

Common traits of African Americans are correlated with illuminating photographs. Traits such as skin color, hair texture, and eye color are described. Discover the diversity among the African American culture and how this culture is unique to others.

Tags

african american, celebration, colors, culture, differences, diversity, food, multicultural, nonverbal communication, nutrition, photograph, pride, self esteem, uniqueness

The greatest potatoes

Stowell, Penelope

Cornelius Vanderbilt sets out on a mission to find the best potato dish ever. He travels around and finds none that are good enough. Vanderbilt goes to Cary Moon's Restaurant, where George Crum is the head chef. Crum makes many dishes that Vanderbilt does not like. Crum decides to make the potatoes so crispy and salty, so he will not like them. Vanderbilt loves them and that is how the potato chip is invented.

A negro league scrapbook

Weatherford, Carole Boston

Through the use of photographs, narrations, and an inspiring poem, the history of African Americans in baseball unfolds. The struggles and triumphs they have experienced in the past have helped to establish the sport that we know today.

Shop talk

Ford, Juwanda G.

Solomon enjoys hanging out at his neighborhood barbershop because he feels at home and comfortable there. He gets along great with his barber, Alton. Solomon scored in his basketball game so he recieved a free haircut from Alton.

Tags

african american, assertiveness, author's note, basketball, beauty, biography, confidence, excitement, family, friendship, happiness, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, photograph, role model, self esteem, sports, verbal communication

An African princess

Edmonds, Lyra

Lyra is a young girl who lives in the city and who comes from a line of African princesses. She is teased by her classmates and starts to wonder whether or not she is a princess. Her family goes to visit her aunt who confirms that she is an African princess.

Tags

african american, airplane, assertiveness, conflict resolution, family, feelings, history, learning, multicultural, parents, royalty, self esteem, teasing, travel, vacation

Feast for 10

Falwell, Cathryn

A family goes grocery shopping. As they find the groceries, they count each item as it is put in the cart. When they get home, they unload the groceries and count the items as they take them out.

Tags

african american, counting, family, food, multicultural, numbers, nutrition, parents, siblings

Alec's primer

Pitts-Walter, Mildred

Alec was a slave who wanted to be free. Ms. Josephine, one of his masters and three years older than him, told Alic if he wanted to be free he needed to learn to read. Ms. Josephine taught him to read and when Alec was old enough he couragously fights in the Civil War and obtained his freedom.

Tshepo rides the bus

Xaba-Mashiri, Zodwa

It is Tshepo's birthday and Auntie Sonto is taking him to the town on the bus. Tshepo loves to ride the bus. However, Auntie Sonto refuses to buy a bus ticket for Tshepo because she says Tshepo is too young.

Tags

africa, african american, anger, assertiveness, birthday, bus, celebration, conflict resolution, embarrassment, family, feelings, holidays, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, refusal skills, relationship, stress management, transportation

Amelia to zora

Chin-Lee, Cynthia

Explore in an alphabet formula, biographies that examine different successes and triumphs of famous women in history from Amelia Earhart to Zora Neale.

Keep climbing, girls

Richards, Beah E.

Climb the highest tree possible with an ambitious young girl and learn never stop reaching for your hopes and dreams. Children are reminded that goal setting and perserverence are keys to success.

Messenger, messenger

Burleigh, Robert

Being a bicycle messenger in a big city is a rigorous job, but someone has to do it. The messenger wakes early and works late to deliver the proper messages to their appropriate places. Nothing can stop him, not rain, snow, or distractions of others.

Tags

african american, assertiveness, bicycle, biking, careers, cold, community, critical thinking, day, dedication, discipline, exercise, food, goal setting, hard work, loyalty, morning, multicultural, night, radio, rain, refusal skills, responsibilities, rhyme, rhythm, routine, snow, sun, technology, time, weather, wind, work

Come on, rain!

Hesse, Karen

A heat wave hits Tess's town and she's sizzling like a hot potato. Mamma's plants are all dying and all Tess wishes for is a little bit of rain. As she feels the rain coming, she runs to get her friends and they all change into bathing suits. The rain comes down in big drops and the girls dance, laugh, and play in the cool raindrops.

Aunt harriet's underground railroad in the sky

Ringgold, Faith

Cassie take a ride on the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman as her guide. She learns what steps slaves had to go through in order to reach freedom in the North.

Tags

african american, assertiveness, conflict resolution, courage, critical thinking, decision making, freedom, goal setting, history, multicultural, nonverbal communication, refusal skills, slavery, teamwork, train, transportation, underground railroad, verbal communication

Chugga-chugga choo-choo

Lewis, Kevin

A freight train's day proves to be very busy. After a long day of traveling into tunnels and up steep mountains, even the train needs a rest.

Tags

african american, bodies of water, colors, mountains, multicultural, night, rhyme, river, sleep, sounds, sun, toys, train, transportation, travel

Willie and the all-stars

Cooper, Floyd

Willie is a young African American boy who learns about discrimination against black baseball players. Willie's fear of prejudice will prevent him from being a famous baseball player. Willie receives tickets to attend a Negro league game and realizes that maybe his dream is possible.

Tags

accomplishment, african american, baseball, bat, body parts, buildings, car, celebration, creativity, discrimination, dreams, friendship, games, grandparents, history, hope, imagination, multicultural, neighbors, practice, prejudice, presents, pretend, radio, relationship

The hallelujah flight

Bildner, Phil

James Banning fixes up an old plane to fly across the country from California to New York. James's courage and perseverance allows him to overcome many challenges during his 1932 trek across the United States (e.g., California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York).

Tags

accomplishment, adventures, african american, airplane, anger, bias, biography, bodies of water, celebration, challenges, community, courage, crowd, day, determination, direction, discrimination, dreams, feelings, food, geography, hard work, helping, heroism, kindness, machines, maps, monuments, mountains, multicultural, night, numbers, performance, prejudice, relationship, sky, storm, transportation, tree

Allie's basketball dream

Barber, Barbara

Allie loves basketball, but she is often the only girl on the court. Buddy and other boys tease Allie about playing basketball. Allie believes in her ability and keeps practicing so that one day she can be better at basketball than the boys!

Let's dance

Ancona, George

Children from all backgrounds move and dance to different rhythms of their culture. Dances range from tap to folk dances and from Native American dance to Tibetan dance. There are many forms, types, and styles of dance a person can do to express their emotions. There are different dances for men, women, animals, and puppets too!

Tags

acrobat, afghani, african american, american, appalachian, body parts, celebration, child care, chinese, clothing, congo, creativity, culture, dancing, england, feelings, greek, india, indian, instruments, jumping, korean, mexican, moving, multicultural, native american, nature, puppets, relationship, rhythm, sadness, scottish, singing, spain, storytelling, turkish, yak

Freedom school, yes!

Littlesugar, Amy

Jolie shows courage in her community by protecting the school that will educate her and others. Jolie is afraid others will burn down the school. Jolie never gives up hope, and learns about famous African Americans who were brave and made a difference in their community, just like Jolie.

Tags

african american, anger, art, body parts, books, bravery, buildings, careers, change, church, community, courage, education, family, fire, freedom, god, hard work, history, music, neighbors, poetry, quilt, relationship, religion, running, school, slavery, song, spiritual, stars, teaching

Tree of hope

Littlesugar, Amy

Florrie is named after a famous African American actress of the 1920's. Florrie learns the importance of working hard. Having big dreams will help Florrie and her family achieve anything. They learn that the Tree of Hope reflects the glory days of Harlem's Lafayette Theatre- a time when a black man shines through the Great Depression.

Tags

actor, african american, art, body parts, buildings, caribbean, creativity, dancing, daydreaming, haitian, happiness, hunger, performance, play, relationship, rhythm, singing, song, theatre, tree, wish

Lift every voice and sing

Johnsson, James Weldan

Lift every voice puts pictures to the African American National Anthem. The lyrics tell the story of Black people's past struggles and the hope that Blacks will continue to have towards their future.

Tags

africa, african american, bodies of water, body parts, courage, culture, day, diversity, family, fear, freedom, god, history, hope, illustrator's note, lyrics, moon, multicultural, music, night, poetry, pride, relationship, rhythm, running, sea, ship, singing, sky, song, tree, violence, water

In the time of the drums

Siegelson, Kim L.

Mentu and Twi tell the story of an African family newly arrived in the Americas. Twi never gives up on returning to her native Africa. Twi tells stories of cooking, planting, music and dancing from her native land.

Tags

african, african american, bodies of water, community, creek, culture, escape, farm, feelings, five senses, folktale, freedom, generations, grandparents, history, home, instruments, island, language, magic, music, mythical, relationship, repetition, rhythm, sadness, secrets, ship, slavery, song, sounds, storytelling, transportation

Grandpa's face

Greenfield, Eloise

Tamika loves spending time with her Grandfather. They enjoy walking, talking, and going to theatre together. One day, Tamika gets afraid while watching her Grandfather rehearse for a play. Tamika learns about different emotions, and especially that her Grandfather will always love her.

Tags

actor, african american, aging, anger, body parts, books, communication, creativity, exercise, family, fear, feelings, food, friendship, generations, glasses, grandparents, imagination, love, nonverbal communication, nutrition, parents, relationship, storytelling, theatre, tree, walking, worry

The rain stomper

Boswell, Addie

When it begins to rain and storm on the day of her big parade, Jazmin stomps, shouts, and does all she can think of to drive the rain away.

Tags

african american, calendar, celebration, crowd, home, lightning, multicultural, neighbors, parade, rain, seasons, spring, storm, sun, umbrella, weather, wind

When I am old with you

Johson, Angela

A grandfather and a young boy talk and participate in a variety of activites together. Grandaddy and the child play cards, go fishing, enjoy nature, eat together, and play dress up.

Tags

african american, animals, birds, boat, car, clothing, dancing, dog, family, feelings, firefly, fishing, flowers, fly, food, friendship, games, grandparents, happiness, insects, multicultural, nature, nutrition, picnic, play, relationship, tractor, tree, walking, woods

Welcome, precious

Grimes, Nikki

A young couple welcomes a new baby to the world, and introduces the baby to the wonders of nature: the rainbow, birds, grass and sunlight. The new baby is also introduced to caring relationships and love- and the pictures illustrate the miracle of it all.

Tags

african american, baby, balloon, bath, bedtime, family, fun, games, glasses, grandparents, happiness, home, love, marriage, moon, morning, multicultural, night, parents, plants, play, rainbow, rhythm, sky

Oh, brother!

Grimes, Nikki

Xavier feels sad, angry, and jealous towards his new step brother, Chris. Xavier soon realizes that Chris is coping with loneliness and resentment too. The pain over losing a parent to divorce forms a special band between Xavier and Chris so they promise each other, that no one will ever leave. Through short vignettes, the story ends with Our family is a song we sing, and we can add new notes anytime we like.

Tags

african american, aggression, anger, apology, baby, baseball, bedtime, behavior, books, celebration, change, chores, climbing, comparisons, conflict, conflict resolution, divorce, emotions, family, fear, feelings, friendship, fun, games, hispanic, jealousy, mountains, multicultural, parents, photograph, playing, pregnancy, relationship, rhythm, school, self esteem, siblings, sports, stepfather, stepmother, sympathy, technology, telephone, verbal communication, wedding

Teacher! Sharing, helping, caring

Hubbell, Patricia

Great big school! In we go! Our teacher greets us, waves hello! A teacher and her class do lots of interesting things throughout the week. They paint, read, look at weather charts, count money, work on the computer, and greet a special guest. The students not only learn, but they have fun, too. And so does the teacher!

Tags

african american, alphabet, art, asian american, careers, caring, computer, cooperation, Days of The Week, garden, helping, learning, multicultural, music, numbers, playground, reading, role model, school, teaching

Kevin and his dad

Smalls, Irene

Kevin loves spending time with his dad. Kevin learns that after he works hard, he can play hard with is dad. Kevin and his dad spend the day cleaning the house, then they play sports and go to the movies. Oh what fun!

Tags

activities, african american, baseball, beverage, bicycle, body parts, buildings, chores, cleanliness, clothing, dancing, dog, food, friendship, fun, hard work, helping, humor, moving, newspaper, parents, park, restaurant, rhythm, soccer, sports, subway, theatre, transportation, working mother

The bat boy and his violin

Curtis, Gavin

Reginald loves playing the violin. Every free moment Reginald practices his violin, but his dad wants him to play baseball instead. Reginald does not give up. Soon his dad realizes the value and talent that Reginald has for the violin.

Tags

acceptance, african american, ambition, baseball, bus, camping, car, celebration, crowd, dedication, discrimination, embarrassment, encouragement, family, feelings, games, happiness, hard work, helping, history, instruments, love, mistake, multicultural, music, performance, practice, relationship, running, sports, transportation

The piano man

Chocolate, Debbie

A young girl listens to her grandfather share his deep love for music and the piano. Grandfather shares the history of silent movies, Vaudeville, Ragtime, and Broadway. He never lets his passion for music end and continues to share it with his grandaughter.

Tags

african american, aging, author's note, body parts, careers, celebration, clothing, dancing, emotions, entertainment, exercise, family, feelings, film, grandparents, history, humor, instruments, marriage, medicine, memories, multicultural, music, new baby, opera, performance, presents, relationship, rhythm, sounds, technology, theatre, travel

Up home

Grant, Shauntay

A young woman of African decent recalls her childhood in her native homeland of Preston, Canada. She remembers long hot days of summer playing with cousins, singing on Sunday mornings, climbing trees and picking blueberries. Gatherings with her family are special celebrations.

Tags

african american, body parts, canada, celebration, church, climbing, clothing, cooking, family, flowers, food, friendship, fun, garden, glasses, grandparents, history, instruments, love, memory, multicultural, music, nutrition, park, quilt, seasons, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods

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

The secret Olivia told me

Joy, N.

Olivia develops interpersonal skills by realizing how her words affect her friends. Olivia and her best friend realize the importance of honesty and trust in their friendship.

Tags

african american, balloon, basketball, body parts, books, buildings, colors, excitement, feelings, friendship, italian, jumping, multicultural, playing, relationship, secrets, siblings, soccer, sports, telephone, truth, worry

Mr. George Baker

Hest, Amy

Harry enjoys spending time with his older next door neighbor, Mr. Baker. Harry likes to wait for the bus with Mr. George Baker. Harry learns about Mr. Baker's life as a musician and learns that a person is never too old to learn to read.

Tags

african american, aging, autumn, body parts, books, bus, clothing, dancing, education, embarrassment, friendship, fun, generations, happiness, hard work, instruments, learning, love, marriage, multicultural, music, school, seasons, shoes, tobacco, transportation, walking

My kindergarten

Wells, Rosemary

Kindergarten is no longer a mystery, thanks to Emily who illustrates the lessons and activities in Miss Cribbageﾒs classroom. Many concepts are explored in this kindergarten classroom. Poems, songs, and activities keep the lessons light-hearted and enjoyable.

Tags

african american, alphabet, art, calendar, celebration, colors, critical thinking, dancing, Days of The Week, decision making, exercise, flowers, hanukkah, hebrew, holidays, kwanzaa, latin, letters, library, maps, math, money, month, moon, multicultural, museum, music, photograph, poetry, politics, rain, school, science, self esteem, sequence, snow, song, temperature, valentine's day, weather, wind

Not norman: A goldfish story

Bennett, Kelly

When a boy gets Norman, a goldfish, for his birthday he is disappointed. He wants an energetic pet with which to run and play. He makes a plan to take Norman back to the pet store and get another pet. After show and tell at school, he decides to keep him. Norman likes his music and makes him laugh; besides any other pet just wouldnﾒt be the same, they would not be Norman.

John Philip Duck

Polacco, Patricia

Edward and his father work at a hotel and return home on the weekends. One weekend, Edward finds a motherless duckling near the pond. Edward is permitted by his father to take the duck to work, only if he keeps it out of the hotel managerﾒs sight. When the manager discovers the duck, Edward saves the day by showing the manager how he has trained the duck to march to music by John Philip Sousa. Edward trains many more ducks to live in the hotel fountain.

Jazzy Miz Mozetta

Roberts, Brenda C.

One night Miz Mozetta decided that she felt like dancing. Her friends outside made excuses not to dance and the children across the street would not let her. Miz Mozetta sulks to her room, but soon enough her friends and the children show up in her memories ready to dance the jitterbug all night long.

A sweet smell of roses

Johnson, Angela

One morning, after a night of rain, Minnie and her sister sneak out of the house to join many men and women to march for freedom and equality. When they arrive at the beginning of the march, the girls walk with many others keeping their eyes straight ahead and their feet steady. Despite the criticism and yells from people standing by, the girls continue to march. As the day passes, more people join the march to where Dr. Martin Luther King gives his famous speech about peace, love, and equality for all.

Sometimes my mommy gets angry

Campbell, Bebe Moore

When Annie wakes up in the morning, she is relieved to find her euphoric mother in the kitchen. They share a healthy breakfast, then her mother helps her get ready for school. After a fun day at school, Annie comes home to an angry and yelling mother. Annie copes by calling her grandmother to talk about her feelings. She takes care of herself and maintains a positive attitude with happy thoughts. She uses effective strategies to accept her motherﾒs bipolar disorder.

The two Tyrones

Hudson, Wade

Tyrone Rashon Williams goes to school on the first day, excited about his new sneakers that he bought himself. He is disappointed when he gets there and finds that everyone has the same ones, and there is a new student, Tyrone Rashon Williams. Tyrone must deal with both of his problems, and get things back to normal.

Going north

Harrington, Janice N

Goodbye, Alabama, hello, Lincoln, Nebraska! This family moves from the South to the North so that the papa can find a better job. During their trip up North the family endures a couple struggles, such as the children not wanting to leave their home, the baby crying, and getting restless, and lastly, almost running out of gas! They make it to Nebraska and realize they are together and need to be brave and pioneering.

Tags

african american, car, cooking, decision making, emotions, family, food, goal setting, listening, maps, multicultural, parents, pioneers, refusal skills, sadness, siblings, song, sounds, storytelling, transportation, travel, verbal communication

I like myself!

Beaumont, Karen

An African American girl tells about the characteristics she likes about herself and the different circumstances in which she likes herself. She is proud of herself no matter where she is or what silly things she is doing. She knows what really counts is inside her and shares this knowledge in an energetic story with imaginative illustrations.

Tags

african american, appreciation, assertiveness, body parts, confidence, differences, feelings, happiness, individuality, multicultural, nonverbal communication, rhyme, rhythm, self confidence, self esteem, stress management, uniqueness

The patchwork path: A quilt map to freedom

Stroud, Bettye

Hannah and her father are slaves who decide to escape to freedom. They use the patterns in the quilt made by her mother, who passed away, to follow the Underground Railroad.

Drumbeat in our feet

Keeler, Patricia//Leitao, Julio T.

Informative passages and lyrical verse explore the history and rhythmic qualities of traditional African dance as performed long ago and today.

Tags

africa, african, african american, america, animals, celebration, ceremony, colors, congo, dancing, elephant, ethnic, exercise, generations, geography, history, instruments, learning, maps, monkey, multicultural, music, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, performance, rhythm, storytelling, traditions, village

Boundless grace

Hoffman, Mary

According to the stories Grace read, her family is not normal. Grace's father lives in Africa while she and her mother live in America. Grace visits her father to learn about his new family and the African culture in Gambia. Grace's visit to Africa helps her to understand that her family is normal.

Tags

african, african american, change, comparisons, crocodile, divorce, family, grandparents, letters, love, multicultural, parents, reptiles, shopping, siblings, storytelling, travel, vacation, verbal communication

The talking cloth

Mitchell, Rhonda

Aunt Phoebe has a collection of many wonderful things, each having an interesting story. The little girl's favorite thing is an adinkra cloth from Ghana. It has many colors and symbols to represent feelings, faith, power, and love.

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