Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The mystery of king karfu | by Cushman, Doug

The great detective Seymour Sleuth and his assistant travel to Egypt in search of a missing stone chicken, part of the lost treasure of King Karfu. They explore many clues and take photographs.

Keywords: animals, art, body parts, camel, careers, crime, exploration, food, geography, language, mystery, nutrition, photograph, pig, recipe, ship, symbols, transportation, travel

The paper crane | by Bang, Molly

A restaurant owner loses business when the road changes. An old man comes to the restaurant and pays for his meal by making a paper crane. The crane dances when he claps his hands. The crane becomes famous and attacts many customers to the restaurant.

Keywords: birds, careers, conflict resolution, crane, creativity, dancing, exercise, food, imagination, music, nutrition

Bantam of the opera | by Auch, Mary Jane

Luigi, a bantam rooster, has big dreams of becoming a star singer one day. All the other roosters ridicule him, saying he is a show-off. Then one day he hides in a farmer's truck and takes a trip to the opera. Soon he is the star of the show.

Keywords: accomplishment, acting, ambition, animals, careers, chicken, courage, excitement, farm, goal setting, independence, music, opera, performance

The storytellers | by Lewin, Ted

Abdul and his grandfather travel the streets of Fez, Morocco on the way to work. After passing merchants, carpenters and other citizens hard at work, grandfather spreads out a carpet to begin his job, telling stories to a crowd.

Keywords: animals, arab, birds, careers, chicken, citizen, community, family, grandparents, hawk, horse, language, market, money, moroccan, multicultural, photograph, pigeon, sounds, storytelling, sun, walking, wool, work

Jake and honeybunch go to heaven | by Zemach, Margot

Jake and his mule, Honebunch, earn their wings in Heaven by hanging up the moon and the stars each night.

Keywords: animals, careers, dedication, goal setting, moon, mule, night, stars

Tony and the toll collector | by Stevenson, Eric

Tony sees Mr. Morton everyday at the Toll Booth. When he comes the next year, Mr. Morton is not there. He searches for him and finds him as a crossing guard.

Keywords: careers, change, friendship, money, safety

Billy and the bad teacher | by Clements, Andrew

Billy is having trouble with his teacher so he decides to write down all of his teacher's bad qualities. It's only when Billy decides to write down the qualities of a good teacher that he finds Mr. Adams, his teacher, is not so bad.

Keywords: assertiveness, careers, conflict resolution, maturity, relationship, school, stress management

Box and cox | by Chetwin, Grace

Mr. Cox works days and Mr. Box works nights. They both rent a room at Mrs. Bouncer's boarding house - the same room!She changes the room every morning and every night so no one will know. Her plan works great until they both propose to her.

Keywords: careers, change, conflict resolution, confusion, marriage

Milo's hat trick | by Agee, Jon

Milo the magician had one more chance to pull a rabbit out of his hat or else he would be fired. While searching for a rabbit, he finds a bear. The bear is able to pretend his bones are made of rubber and agrees to jump out of Milo's hat. The show is a huge success until the bear becomes tired. Milo wonders what he will do until he realizes that he too can pretend his bones are made of rubber.

Keywords: anger, animals, bear, bones, careers, clothing, disappearance, disappointment, entertainment, helping, magic, missing, performance, pretend, rabbit, restaurant, taxi, train, transportation

The bakers dozen | by Forest, Heather

Jan Van Amsterdam is a well known baker. People travel from all over to buy his goods. When he begins to get greedy, he starts to use less ingredients in his cookies. When a woman asks for a bakers dozen, he only gives her 12 She puts a curse on him and his baked goods. When he finally realizes that a bakers dozen is 13, the curse is broken.

Keywords: author's note, careers, celebration, christmas, community, deception, folktale, food, greed, holidays, magic, nutrition, poverty, seasons, winter

My mother lost her job today | by Delton, Judy

A six-year-old's mother loses her job. As she watches how upset her mother is, she wonders if life will ever be the same again.

Keywords: anger, birthday, careers, change, coping, family, feelings, loss, parents, sadness

After charlotte's mom died | by Spelman, Cornelia

Charlotte lost her mother only six months ago, so she and her father still grieve a lot over the death. Charlotte gets into a fight at school and has to see a therapist, Anna. Anna helps Charlotte to bring out her emotions which establishes a better bond between her and her father.

Keywords: accidents, affection, aggression, author's note, car, careers, communication, conflict resolution, confusion, coping, death, depression, emotions, family, feelings, fight, guilt, helping, hope, listening, loss, parents, school, stress management, transportation, verbal communication

Birdie's lighthouse | by Hopkinson, Deborah

Ten year-old Bertha, daughter of a lighthouse keeper, receives a diary for her birthday. She records significant family events such as their relocation to rugged Turtle Island and the time when her brother went to sea for a long time.

Keywords: author's note, birds, birthday, boat, bodies of water, bravery, calendar, careers, challenges, change, courage, diary, family, fishing, fog, growing up, hard work, helping, heroism, island, light, moving, ocean, recreation, responsibilities, sea, seagull, seal, ship, storytelling, stress management, transportation, verbal communication, weather, writing

I speak English for my mom | by Stanek, Muriel

Lupe lives with her mother who cannot speak English. Lupe helps her mother by translating what people are saying. Lupe's mother fears she may lose her job. She decides to try to learn English so she can get a better job.

Keywords: careers, change, conflict resolution, employment, fear, feelings, food, goal setting, homework, language, literacy, Mexico, multicultural, responsibilities, restaurant, spanish, teaching, working mother

Radio man = don radio: A story in english and spanish | by Dorros, Arthur

Diego's family members are migrant farm workers. Wherever they go, Diego brings his radio, which connects him to the states he crosses and unites him with his best friend.

Keywords: careers, family, farm, friendship, grandparents, language, mexican, multicultural, music, parents, radio, siblings, technology, travel

Roberto the insect architect | by Laden, Nina

Being an architect is tough when you are a termite. But with hard work and dedication, Roberto is determined to become one.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, ambition, ant, architecture, assertiveness, bee, beetle, bias, buildings, butterfly, careers, caring, creativity, critical thinking, dedication, determination, disappointment, discrimination, dreams, flea, fly, friendship, goal setting, habitat, hard work, insects, ladybug, museum, newspaper, patience, photograph, self confidence, self esteem, spider, technology, termite, tick, time, tools

Breakout at the bug lab | by Horowitz, Ruth

Two brothers have a favorite pet cockroach, Max, which lives at the bug lab where their mother works. While at a dedication ceremony for the renaming of the lab, the boys accidentally let Max escape. Now they must find him before he ruins the ceremony by scaring all the people. The boys eventually locate Max but they can't get him off the ceiling. With the help of One-Shot Lil, Max is returned to his cage.

Keywords: adventures, careers, disappearance, excitement, insects, lost, pets, presentation, problem solving, television, working mother

Grandmother and the runaway shadow | by Rosenberg, Liz

A young girl escapes alone to America and finds companionship in a runaway shadow. They experience their new world together.

Keywords: american, author's note, boat, careers, clothing, dancing, differences, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, grandparents, imagination, immigrants, loneliness, running away, shadows, transportation, travel

Welcome comfort | by Polacco, Patricia

Welcome Comfort is the new kid in school and his peers tease him. Quintin Hamp, the school custodian, befriends him and teaches him to believe in himself and Christmas. Welcome is visited by Santa and starts to believe. After graduating from high school, Welcome joins Quintin as the school custodian and their Christmas experiences continue on a whole new level of love.

Keywords: careers, caring, christmas, conflict resolution, dreams, feelings, fishing, friendship, holidays, imagination, love, nonverbal communication, overweight, recreation, sadness, santa, school, self esteem, teasing, verbal communication

In the middle of the night | by Henderson, Kathy

In the middle of the night while most people are asleep, some people are hard at work. For example, janitors, astronomers, bakers, postal workers, and parents of newborns.

Keywords: astronomy, baby, careers, critical thinking, differences, food, hard work, night, nutrition, parents, sleep

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