Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Elephant prince: The story of Ganesh | by Novesky, Amy

In this mythical story, that takes place in India, a girl grows up listening to her motherﾒs and grandmotherﾒs stories. As a princess, she meets her love and is married. He promises her a baby and has one within a year. When gods gather around the babyﾒs head vanishes. Another god helps save the baby with the help of an elephant offering his life. The little boy was saved and became the elephant prince, listening to his motherﾒs stories everyday.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, baby, bodies of water, elephant, family, feelings, god, goddess, happiness, india, loneliness, love, marriage, multicultural, mythical, parents, presents, river, sadness, storytelling, stress management, verbal communication, wish

If I had my way | by Klein, Norma

Ellie wishes that - for just one day - she could have her way. She is tired of being told what to do! Why canﾒt she have a say? In her dreams, the tables turn and Ellie finds herself in charge. Giving her parents orders and trading in her baby brothers are Ellieﾒs first orders of business. Her old life doesnﾒt seem quite so bad.

Keywords: assertiveness, baby, change, conflict resolution, discovery, dreams, fantasy, feelings, frustration, growing up, learning, love, parents, self esteem

The bully blockers club | by Bateman, Teresa

Lotty is very excited to begin a new school year. When she arrives at school, Grant Grizzly changes her attitude. He picks on her everyday, causing her to feel ill. Lotty tries to get Grant to stop by ignoring him, being his friend, and telling the teacher. It seems as if nothing can stop the bully, until Lotty and her friends create the Bully Blockers Club.

Monster and the toy sale | by Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy see an ad in the newspaper that reads ﾓTOY SALE TODAY!ﾔ Together, they bicycle to the store. On their journey, they are very helpful to others. Monster and the little boy serve as policemen to direct traffic, and as mangers at the toy store. They are so busy that they run out of time to shop for their own toys. Everyone is grateful for their unselfish behavior.

A sweet smell of roses | by 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.

Keywords: african american, assertiveness, critical thinking, decision making, emotions, equality, exercise, family, feelings, flowers, freedom, history, love, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parade, peace, peer resistance, pride, self esteem, siblings, stereotypes, sun, walking, weather

Duck for president | by Cronin, Doreen

Duck gets tired of doing chores on the farm, so he holds an election to change the way things are run. Duck wins the election, but gets bored and runs for Governor. He wins again and does not like the stress, so he runs for President and wins. Being President is even harder work than being on the farm so he returns to the farm to write his autobiography.

Keywords: acceptance, animals, assertiveness, boredom, challenges, conflict resolution, cooperation, cow, decision making, duck, farm, five senses, goal setting, hard work, parade, pig, politics, self esteem, sheep, smell, speech, stress management, verbal communication

The two Tyrones | by 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.

A new improved Santa | by Wolff, Patricia

Santa is determined to become a new and improved Santa. He changes his hair, loses weight, and changes his clothing style. The children are not happy with his changes; they want the old Santa back.

The heroic symphony | by Harwell-Celenza, Anna

Ludwig Van Beethoven learns he is going deaf. He is an accomplished and promising young pianist and this devastates him. Beethoven realizes his condition is actually leading to his destiny not his downfall. In creating his symphony no. 3 he searches for a hero on which to base his musical inspiration. He eventually realizes it is about him!

Silver threads | by Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk

Ivan and Anna flee from Ukraine and sail to Canada where they are promised land for farming. They begin a new life, but Canada soon joins World War I. Ivan tries to fight for Canada in the war, but they take him as a prisoner instead. Years pass and Anna waits alone until Ivan finally returns to the farm from an internment camp

Keywords: assertiveness, canada, christmas, conflict resolution, cooperation, escape, farm, food, history, holidays, hope, immigrants, love, loyalty, multicultural, patience, prayer, spider, stress management, ukrainian, war

My teacher for president | by Winters, Kay

Oliver writes a letter to the local news station to nominate his teacher for president in the next election. He thinks she meets the requirements because she signs important papers, likes white houses, goes to meetings, acts quickly in a crisis, is used to being followed around, wants peace, cares for people and the environment, goes on trips, and deals with the media. The only downfall is he doesnﾒt want her to leave before the end of the year.

I like myself! | by 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.

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

The biggest soap | by Shaefer, Carole

Kessy loved to listen to stories told by his Mama and his cousins on laundry days. One laundry day, Kessy is asked to go to the store and bring back the biggest piece of laundry soap. Kessy returns and tells his story about the biggest soap.

Keywords: accidents, assertiveness, beach, cleanliness, clothing, colors, decision making, exercise, family, feelings, happiness, helping, injury, kindness, monsters, parents, peer resistance, play, running, sadness, storytelling, verbal communication, water

Monster and the surprise cookie | by Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy decide to throw a party! They travel to the supermarket to find refreshments for their guests. They pack their shopping cart full of cookies, but when they go through the line, they realize that they donﾒt have enough money! Instead, they buy a few ingredients, so they can make cookies at home. Using a recipe book, they make a variety of shaped cookies. Surprisingly, these cookies take the shape of Monster when placed together. The cookies are delicious and everyone is pleased!

Keywords: anger, assertiveness, conflict resolution, counting, critical thinking, decision making, disappointment, feelings, food, goal setting, helping, money, nonverbal communication, party, preparation, recipe, sadness, shapes, shopping, taste, time, verbal communication

Something to tell the grandcows | by Spinelli, Eileen

Hoping to have a wonderful adventure to tell her grandcows, Emmadine volunteers to go to the South Pole in 1933. Emmadine learns a lot of interesting facts about Antarctica. After being there for a while, Emmadine misses the other animals on the farm. When she returns home from her adventure, her grandcows are very impressed with her experiences on the Byrd Antarctic Expedition

Keywords: adventures, animals, antarctica, assertiveness, boat, cow, critical thinking, dancing, decision making, family, farm, feelings, history, illness, jealousy, pig, pride, seasons, self esteem, summer, time, transportation, verbal communication, winter

The patchwork path: A quilt map to freedom | by 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.

Memorial | by Crew, Gary

Storytime is a great time to recollect and gain lessons on past events. Take a stand with a young boy as he tries to preserve a memory.

Keywords: assertiveness, conservation, critical thinking, decision making, family, fight, generations, grandparents, history, memories, monument, plants, storytelling, tree, war

Frog and toad are friends | by Lobel, Arnold

The friendship and adventures of frog and toad unfold with many activities that strengthen their relationship.

Keywords: adventures, amphibians, assertiveness, conflict resolution, creativity, critical thinking, decision making, friendship, frog, nonverbal communication, refusal skills, self esteem, toad, verbal communication

Supersister | by Cadena, Beth

Supersister is always thinking of ways she can help her pregnant mother. In the morning on the way to school, she forgets two things: to tie her mother's shoes and to give her mother a kiss. Throughout the day, she does all her chores and thinks of new ways to help her mother. At the end of the day she forgets the same two things, but when she remembers her mother says, Like I always say, you're going to be a super sister.

Keywords: assertiveness, baby, bedtime, books, critical thinking, exercise, family, five senses, goal setting, helping, nonverbal communication, numbers, pets, playground, pregnancy, reading, school, self esteem, siblings, sounds, teacher

First come the zebra | by Barasch, Lynne

In the Kenyan grassland, Abaani, a Maasai boy takes his cattle out to graze. While he is out he sees a vegetable stand with a young boy from the Kikuyu farms, who are rivals of his tribe because they destroy their land. While arguing, a group of Kamba women and children approach to trade for fruits and vegetables, and one baby wanders toward three warthogs. Abaani sees this and knows he can't save the baby himself so he calls to Haki to help. Together they save the boy, which is the beginning of a growing friendship. They learn how to appreciate one another and hope to teach their families…

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, cattle, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, fear, feelings, food, friendship, games, geography, heroism, kenyan, language, maps, migration, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peace, relief, sharing, tanzanian, verbal communication, vocabulary, wart hog, wilderness, zebra

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