Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Where's Jamela? | by Daly, Niki

A young girl named Jamela is upset when hearing the news from her mother that they will be moving to a new house. When itﾒs time to leave, everyone wonders where Jamela is and begin to search for her everywhere. Suddenly, she jumps out of a box from the back of the truck and agrees to go with her mother. On reaching her new house, she starts to like it and settles down in her room.

Keywords: african, african american, bedtime, beverage, books, cat, change, chicken, decision making, dog, emotions, future, language, love, moving, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, refusal skills, stars, stress management, truck, verbal communication, vocabulary

The steel pan of Harlem | by Bootman, Colin

The city of Harlem has rats everywhere in houses, subways, restaurants, stores and business, and the citizens are fed up! One day, a steel pan man comes to the subway station and when he plays his music everyone is entranced, even the rats. He tells the mayor that he will fix the rat problem if the mayor pays him a million dollars. The mayor reluctantly agrees and the man keeps his promise. However, the mayor, does not keep his end of the bargain, so he is given what he deserves!

Keywords: african american, anger, animals, body parts, cat, citizen, conflict resolution, dancing, exercise, feelings, frustration, instruments, magic, money, multicultural, music, neighbors, politics, rat, subway, transportation, trust

How sitali learned a lesson | by Mashiri, Pascal

As the oldest in his family Sitali is supposed to hunt and provide for his younger sisters. He learns a lesson about self-control and hard work after being made chief and then losing it all.

Keywords: african, african american, apathy, conflict resolution, critical thinking, family, folktale, laziness, multicultural, obedience, parents, peer resistance, refusal skills, responsibilities, river, siblings, storytelling, village

Candy shop | by Wahl, Jan

A young boy, Daniel, and his aunt Thelma take a trip to the market with money that he has earned. The boy is looking forward to visiting the candy shop but when they arrive they see a crowd and are faced with prejudice acts toward the owner of the store. Daniel and his aunt help comfort the owner and show true friendship.

Keywords: african american, asian, challenges, conflict, conflict resolution, coping, culture, discrimination, feelings, helping, kindness, market, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, problem solving, racism, respect, sadness

Heaven's all star jazz band | by Carter, Don

A young boy's grandpa dies and he goes to heaven. In heaven his grandpa Jack is in a jazz band with all the great.

Keywords: african american, angel, band, dancing, death, diversity, emotions, family, feelings, grandparents, happiness, instruments, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, vocabulary

Tiny and Bigman | by Gershater, Phillis

Challenging stereotypical gender roles, Tiny and Bigman illustrate the unique people skills people have to help the world go around and to make a happy family. Tiny learns to use her large size, strength, and booming voice to help people in her community. Tiny falls in love with a small man who is hard of hearing. She builds their house, and he cooks and cleans.

Keywords: african american, animals, assertiveness, baby, beauty, body image, caribbean, confidence, conflict resolution, cooking, deafness, diving, family, garden, gender, helping, hurricane, language, love, multicultural, ocean, opposites, pregnancy, relationship, sizes, stereotypes, technology, verbal communication, weather, wedding

Grandpa, is everything black bad? | by Holman, Sandy Lynne

Montsho struggles with the dark color of his skin. Everything around him that is black is considered bad. Thankfully, Muntsho's grandfather teaches him to appreciate his black skin by telling him stories about his African heritage.

Keywords: activities, africa, african, african american, animals, bedtime, colors, confusion, death, discrimination, egypt, emotions, friendship, glasses, grandparents, greek, history, identity, instruments, inventions, language, playing, pride, relationship, rhythm, royalty, self esteem, sounds, storytelling, television, traditions, understanding, witches

Before John was a jazz giant: A song of John Coltrane | by Weatherford, Carole Boston

Before John became a jazz giant, he loved music, singing, instruments, and the radio. The bustling of the south and the foundation of his church and family allows John to listen and create his own music.

Keywords: african american, body parts, church, cooking, dancing, five senses, history, instruments, multicultural, music, parade, poetry, radio, rhythm, spiritual, technology

Creativity | by Steptoe, John

Charles speaks English and Hector speaks Spanish. They learn that even though they speak different languages, they both come from African ancestors. Charles helps Hector adjust to life in the U.S. through fun activities.

Keywords: africa, african american, basketball, clothing, cooking, creativity, culture, curiosity, english, family, fishing, friendship, helping, home, identity, immigrants, language, learning, moving, multicultural, parents, puerto rican, relationship, school, slavery, spanish, sports

Bessie Smith and the night riders | by Stauffacher, Sue

Emmarene always loved to listen to Blues music. When Bessie Smith comes to town, Emmarene can't wait to hear Bessie sing. Not everyone likes Bessie though. Emmarene and Bessie Smith have to stand up against people who tried to destroy their nights. And boy, could Bessie sing on stage and off!

Keywords: african american, anger, author's note, bravery, clothing, courage, dancing, discrimination, feelings, fire, flowers, happiness, history, multicultural, music, nature, night, performance, sadness, show, singing, stars

Freedom river | by 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.

Keywords: 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

In my momma's kitchen | by Nolen, Jerdine

A young girl's fondest memories happen in her momma's kitchen. Achievements, family, stories, cooking and love are all celebrated in the kitchen. Great-Aunt Caroline, corn-pudding time and nighttime serenades are a few of the special moments in this loving family.

Keywords: accomplishment, african american, animals, bedtime, cat, celebration, cooking, dancing, easter, family, food, friendship, garden, grandparents, holidays, instruments, love, multicultural, music, parents, relationship, school, self esteem, sleep, song, walking, wedding

The bus ride | by Miller, William

Sara stands up for justice on her city bus. Sara gets tired of sitting in the African American section of the bus. Sara does not undertsand why she does not have the same rights as the white Americans, so she takes a stand to change that law.

Keywords: african american, america, anger, author's note, body parts, bus, car, change, community, courage, crowd, discrimination, equality, feelings, freedom, heroism, hunger, money, newspaper, parents, pride, school, segregation, support, transportation

Molasses man | by May, Kathy L.

A young boy and his family make molasses every summer. This summer the sourghum turns into a recipe that the boy's Grandfather has perfected. The boy spends his summer days helping his family make molasses and playing outside during the cooking process. While some molasses is cooling, Mama and her sisters pour it into glass jars and set up a stand near the road for passers-by.

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, books, community, cooking, family, farm, five senses, food, games, generations, glasses, grandparents, happiness, hard work, horse, moving, mule, neighbors, noise, observation, plants, playing, pretend, recreation, sequence, smell, teamwork, traditions

Say hey: A song of Willie Mays | by Mandel, Peter

Willie Mays grows up in a time when black athletes were separate from white athletes in America. But due to Willie's baseball skills, the New York Giants recruit him. Willie breaks many baseball records because of his fast running and powerful hitting power.

Keywords: african american, america, author's note, baseball, body parts, careers, crowd, fame, feelings, friendship, future, happiness, history, jumping, moving, multicultural, photograph, relationship, rhythm, running, seasons, song, sports, teamwork

Yesterday I had the blues | by Frame, Jean Ashford

A family explores the various emotions they face each day. Through the use of colors, the main character realizes that even with all the ups and downs of emotions, one color really matters- LOVE of family.

Keywords: african american, anger, animals, basketball, bicycle, buildings, bus, car, colors, confidence, cooking, dancing, Days of The Week, depression, dog, drawing, emotions, exercise, family, feelings, games, grandparents, instruments, jumping, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, rhythm, school, sports, stress management, subway, technology, transportation

Hush harbor: Praying in secret | by Evans, Freddi Williams

Simmy is both excited and nervous for his job as Scout during the community meeting. Simmy is excited because this means the elders trust him, but he is nervous because slaves are not supposed to gather and sing together. Simmy must be very careful and listen for the master during the meeting.

Keywords: african american, anger, anticipation, author's note, bravery, cabin, closeness, communication, cooking, creativity, creek, critical thinking, culture, dancing, death, faith, family, folktale, forest, friendship, hard work, hearing, hope, horse, listening, missing, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, prayer, relief, religion, rhythm, river, running away, safety, secrets, slavery, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods, worry

Roy makes a car: Based on a story collected by Zora Neale Hurston | by Lyons, Mary

Roy is known around town as the best mechanic in Florida. Roy makes it his mission to create a car that will be accident proof. No one in the town believes him, but Roy proves them wrong time and time again. Roy's creativity and perseverance leads to the making of the best cars in the area.

Keywords: african american, author's note, car, competition, creativity, feelings, folktale, goal setting, god, loneliness, luck, machines, money, multicultural, neighbors, persistence, prejudice, self esteem, storytelling, tools

Bird | by Elliot, Zetta

Mehkai struggles with the challenges of life: death of his grandfather and his older brother's drug addition. He soon learns how to cope and manage his stress through drawing. In fact, drawing is an outlet for Bird's emotions and imagination. Mehkai learns the benefits of perseverance, hard work, and family.

Keywords: african american, aggression, airplane, art, birds, buildings, crime, day, death, decision making, drawing, dreams, drugs, emotions, family, feelings, grandparents, hard work, imagination, instruments, loss, museum, music, park, problem solving, relationship, robbery, school, siblings, storytelling, stress management, technology

Snow pumpkin | by Schaefer, Carole Lexa

Lily and Gram can't believe how much snow has fallen in October. Lily and her friend, Jesse, have a wonderful time rolling around in the snow and building a snowman. When they run out of snow for the snowman's head, Lily and Jesse go to Gram's vegetable patch and find a snow pumpkin with a face. The snowman eventually melts, but the pumpkin remains smiling on Gram and Jesse's window sill.

Keywords: african american, asian american, autumn, conflict resolution, decision making, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, garden, goal setting, grandparents, halloween, happiness, holidays, month, multicultural, nonverbal communication, park, play, running, sadness, seasons, sleep, snow, sun, verbal communication, walking, weather, winter

Browse Abstracts (239 total)

Where&#39;s Jamela? | by Daly, Niki