Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

To be a drum | by Coleman, Evelyn

Daddy Wes whispers to his two young children about the history of Africans forced into slavery and how the pulse of the drum has moved through them over time. Daddy Wes promises his children that as long as they can hear the heartbeat of the earth, they will be free.

Keywords: africa, african, bodies of water, careers, colors, community, culture, five senses, freedom, hearing, history, instruments, language, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, ocean, playing, pride, rhythm, sea, ship, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, symbols, time, verbal communication, war

I lost my tooth in africa | by Diakite, Penda

While visiting her father's family in Mali, a young girl loses a tooth and places it under a calabash tree. She receives a hen and a rooster from the African Tooth Fairy.

Keywords: africa, african, animals, birds, cattle, chicken, community, cooking, donkey, games, garden, goat, grandparents, language, multicultural, music, parents, play, singing, sleep, teeth, traditions, travel, tree, vacation, village

The most important gift of all | by Conway, David

Ama wants to honor her newborn baby brother with a special gift, as is the custom of the people in her village. When Grandma Sisi suggests the gift of love Ama sets off in search of this important present, but how will she know when she has found it? This story celebrates a young girl's discovery of the most important gift of all.

Keywords: africa, african, animals, baby, birds, birth, celebration, clouds, community, critical thinking, discovery, dreams, family, giraffe, grandparents, lion, love, multicultural, parents, rain, siblings, stars, tree, village

Dancing feet | by Agell, Charlotte

Diversity in the world is shown through rhythmical lyrics and warm pictures. Diversity also includes the names of major body parts and functions.

Keywords: acceptance, african, asian, body image, body parts, community, dancing, diversity, equality, exercise, family, food, friendship, multicultural, poetry, rhyme, walking

Bertie the ghost | by Neale, Richard

Bertie the ghost wants a new place to live and new friends. He crosses through each page of the story then arrives at an old farmhouse and finds friends and a home.

Keywords: caring, community, companion, conflict resolution, disappointment, emotions, farm, feelings, food, friendship, ghosts, goal setting, happiness, helping, holidays, home, loneliness, moving, museum, nonverbal communication, park, playground, sadness, self esteem, stress management

Maxie | by Kantrowitz, Mildred

Maxie wakes up each day and goes through the same routine. One day Maxie feels unloved and lonely, so she decides to stay in bed. Maxie doesn't realize how much others depend on her until her living room is full of worried neighbors. Maxie realizes how many people need and rely on her daily routine.

Keywords: caring, community, depression, feelings, friendship, happiness, identity, loneliness, neighbors, nonverbal communication, perspective, relationship, sadness, self esteem, worry

Our community garden | by Pollak, Barbara

Neighborhood children plant a garden together and each contribute by helping take care of the garden. They set goals, work hard, and build healthy friendship. After harvesting their crops, everyone from the community comes together for a special meal made from vegetables grown in the garden. What a nutritious, heart-warming treat!

Keywords: ant, bug, community, cooking, diversity, friendship, garden, goal setting, hard work, helping, insects, ladybug, learning, multicultural, nature, neighbors, nonverbal communication, nutrition, plants, responsibilities, teamwork, worm

Spaghetti eddie | by SanAngelo, Ryan

Eddie loves spaghetti. He eats it all the time. While running an errand for his mother, Eddie helps several neighbors by using his spaghetti noodles as a shoestring, a fishing net, and guitar strings. Eddie even stops a robber with a meat ball.

Keywords: bravery, celebration, community, critical thinking, family, food, friendship, giving, instruments, kindness, neighbors, nutrition, party, self esteem

I kissed the baby | by Murphy, Mary

A new baby duck arrives on the farm and everyone is making a fuss. They all tickle, kiss, sing, and feed the baby duck.

Keywords: affection, animals, ant, baby, community, duck, family, farm, insects, parents, sounds, verbal communication

Trucks: Whizz! zoom! rumble! | by Hubbell, Patricia

Trucks come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. They travel to different places on the map and in various directions. Trucks also have multiple uses and jobs.

Keywords: colors, community, direction, five senses, maps, moving, signs, sounds, toys, transportation, travel, truck, variety

Old granny and the bean thief | by Defelice, Cynthia

Granny loves her beans any way she can get them. A mischievous thief steals Granny's beans three nights in a row. She embarks on a jounrey to tell the sheriff about the thief. Along the way she makes several friends. They help Granny stop the thief in a very unique fashion.

Keywords: alligator, animals, bodies of water, cactus, community, conflict resolution, cooking, cow, critical thinking, desert, family, fantasy, food, grandparents, nutrition, pond, raccoon, reptiles, snake

The marshmallow incident | by Barrett, Judi

The town of Right and the town of Left do not have anything to do with one another. Someone had even painted a yellow line that nobody ever dared cross. The Order of the Ambidextrous Knights of the Dotted Yellow Line, watch over the line as well as guarding their marshmallows. In June, the town of Right has their picnic, and someone accidentally trips over the yellow line. The knights immediately grab the closest ammunition: their marshmallows, and minutes later both towns are covered with marshmallows, until they realize how silly it was. The towns hold town meetings and no one could think of…

Keywords: castle, celebration, colors, community, conflict, conflict resolution, creativity, dancing, decision making, differences, fable, food, goal setting, kite, neighbors, peace, play, poetry, puppets, royalty, teamwork, verbal communication

Little bit & big byte: A day at the beach | by Feigh, C

Big Byte, Joy, and Little Bit go to the beach to be with their friends Webster and Kay Board. They all see a couple of nefarious bugs named Vi and Russ who are going surfing. Big Byte and Kay Board want to go with them but Joy and Little Bit warn them that it is too dangerous. When Big Byte and Kay Board find themselves in danger, what will happen? Will Little Bit, Joy, and Webster be able to do anything to help them in this computer age adventure?

Keywords: adventures, animals, art, beach, bodies of water, cat, community, competition, computer, dog, five senses, neighbors, ocean, rescue, school, surfing, technology, vocabulary

Pumpkin day! | by Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth

When a rabbit family decides to visit Pumpkin Hollow Farm one beautiful fall day, they learn about various types of pumpkins and what they are used for, how they grow, and how to respect the plants.

Keywords: animals, colors, community, family, five senses, halloween, holidays, humor, plants, rabbit, recipe, respect, seasons, seed, sequence, siblings, sizes, sounds

The rabbi and the twenty-nine witches | by Hirsh, Marilyn

Once a month, when the moon is full, twenty-nine of the meanest, scariest, ugliest, wickedest witches that ever lived came out of the cave to terrify the villagers...until one day the wise rabbi invents a plan to rid his village of those wicked witches forever. The rabbi's clever plan works with hilarious results!

Keywords: animals, cat, cave, community, dancing, evil, fear, inventions, Jewish, magic, moon, numbers, problem solving, rain, religion, village, vulture, witches

A castle on Viola street | by Disalvo, Dyanne

Andy's family lives in a small, cramped apartment, and his parents work long hours to support the family. He never thought that they would ever live in an actual house, but one day they find a flyer saying You too can own a home. The organization buys empty houses and allows families to fix-up houses and then other people will help fix up a house for them. Andy's family is so excited as they help clean, paint, put down hard wood flooring, and pass out lemonade. At the end of the year, they find out that the next house to be built will be theirs!

Keywords: author's note, celebration, change, community, construction, decision making, family, food, goal setting, hard work, home, hope, neighbors, safety, self esteem, teamwork

The lizard man of crabtree county | by Nolan, Lucy

Join James Arthur on his adventure in uncovering the identity of the Lizard Man, who is supposedly causing an uproar in quiet Crabtree County. Is it really a frightening creature invading the community? Or is it a familiar face?

Keywords: adventures, amphibians, animals, chaos, community, curiosity, dog, duck, goal setting, lizard, misunderstanding, mystery, nonverbal communication, pond

Welcome dede!: An African naming ceremony | by Onyefulu, Ifeoma

Amarlai has a new baby cousin and he can't wait for her to be given a name. A tradtional African name will tell people where she comes from and which child she is in the family.

Keywords: africa, african, baby, birth, celebration, ceremony, clothing, community, cooking, family, feelings, food, geography, giving, grandparents, happiness, hard work, language, maps, market, multicultural, parents, photograph, prayer, presents, traditions, village

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

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

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