Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

My big brother | by Cohen, Miriam

A little boy idolizes his big brother and wants to be exactly like him. They do everything together. When his family cannot pay for college, the older child joins the army. His little brother then takes his place being big brother to their youngest sibling.

Keywords: african american, basketball, car, church, correspondence, family, feelings, food, happiness, loss, love, multicultural, nutrition, sadness, siblings, sports, television, transportation, writing

Our tree named Steve | by Zweibel, Alan

A father writes a letter to his children about the tree that they named Steve years ago, which they has insisted on not cutting down when building their new home. The children had formed a strong bond with Steve and now, years later, the tree has fallen down in a storm. Through the friendship with Steve, the children learned about the importance of home, family and relationships.

Keywords: aging, animals, appreciation, camping, caring, change, closeness, community, correspondence, critical thinking, death, decision making, dedication, destruction, emotions, family, friendship, goal setting, home, rain, relationship, seasons, storm, tree, verbal communication, weather

Coming on home soon | by 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.

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

Arthur's pen pal | by Hoban, Lillian

Arthur longs to be his pen pal's big brother, so they can wrestle and do karate. He does not like having to jump rope with his little sister. But one day, he learns something very surprising about his pen pal.

A smooth move | by Rabe, Berniece

Gus and his family move from Portland to Washington D.C. when his dad starts a new job. He keeps a journal to help the move go smoothly. While he misses his friends, Gus knows he will like his new home.

Keywords: airplane, anticipation, careers, change, coping, correspondence, family, friendship, loss, moving, parents, school, stress management, transportation, travel, verbal communication

I wanna iguana | by Orloff, Karen Kaufman

A little boy wants an iguana, but first he has to convince his mother that he is responsible enough to have it. Through a series of letters written between the boy and his mother, they both provide reasons to support whether or not he should get the iguana. They decide that the boy may have the iguana on a trial basis to prove he will take care of it.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, communication, conflict resolution, correspondence, critical thinking, decision making, dog, excitement, family, feelings, goal setting, iguana, love, parents, pets, reptiles, responsibilities, rhyme, rhythm, siblings, verbal communication, writing

The mystery of eatum hall | by Kelly, John//Ticknell, Cathy

Dr. Hunter invites Horace and Glenda Pork-fowler over to his house, Eatum Hall, for a weekend of gourmet food. They come over and realize Dr. Hunter wonﾒt be joining them until Sunday, so they eat and eat all weekend. In their cluelessness, they donﾒt realize Dr. Hunter is a wolfﾅ

Keywords: animals, art, correspondence, decision making, exercise, food, goose, humor, mystery, overeating, overweight, pig, refusal skills, surprises, survival, swimming, trick, wolf

The red book | by Lehman, Barbara

A friendship forms when two boys from different parts of the world find a magical red book. The boy from the urban city decides to use balloons to fly to the island where his new friend lives, but he accidentally drops the red book along the way. The boy on the island is disappointed when he can no longer view his city companion in the pages of the book, but is relieved when he lands on the beach instead! Back in the city, the red book is discovered by a man riding his bike on the street (A wordless book).

Keywords: adventures, balloon, beach, bicycle, bodies of water, books, cold, correspondence, decision making, disappointment, discovery, emotions, excitement, feelings, fly, friendship, goal setting, happiness, island, maps, nonverbal communication, photograph, relationship, sadness, sand, school, sight, sky, snow, sun, surprises, transportation, travel, walking, weather

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 balloon sailors | by Swanson, Diana

When bickering princes take the throne, the kingdom is split in two by a wall so that each brother rules half. The kingdom is divided and it is illegal for people to cross the wall. Since Tamala and Abalon are forbidden to see their grandmother and cousin on the other side of the wall, they decide to float over it in a hot air balloon. They work with their parents to collect materials, build the balloon, and wait for the perfect weather conditions. The family departs during the night, escapes military fire from soldiers, and surprises their relatives in the morning. This adventure is…

Keywords: accomplishment, argument, balloon, barn, bodies of water, bravery, challenges, church, clothing, conflict resolution, cooperation, correspondence, cow, creativity, crisis, dog, emotions, family, germany, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, helping, history, love, multicultural, parents, patience, pets, politics, pond, prison, quilt, reunion, royalty, rules, sadness, separation, sewing, spy, teamwork, train, transportation, verbal communication, weather, wind, writing

Just like new | by Manson, Ainslie

It is a time of war and children in England won't have Christmas presents. A little girl's class decides to give gifts they love that are like new. The little girl unselfishly gives up her most cherished doll and inserts a note, and a girl from England becomes her pen pal after receiving the gift.

Keywords: books, canada, charity, christmas, church, correspondence, critical thinking, decision making, dolls, empathy, england, family, feelings, food, friendship, happiness, history, holidays, maps, multicultural, nutrition, parents, sadness, ship, siblings, toys, transportation, verbal communication, war

Welcoming babies | by Knight, Margy Burns

People celebrate the gift of a new baby in different ways around the world. Babies are welcomed into their families using different customs like singing, kissing, touching, blessing, naming, and other special actions.

Keywords: adoption, afghani, african, cambodian, correspondence, customs, family, food, glossary, grandparents, indian, iranian, Jewish, korean, language, multicultural, muslim, native american, pakistani, parents, puerto rican, quakers, siblings, spanish, spiritual, traditions, vietnamese

The enemy: A book about peace | by Bloch, Serge//Cali, Davide

There are two soldiers, each in a hole, with an order to kill the other. They both are tired and want the war to end. Finally one gives up and goes off to kill the other, only to find he has done the same. He sees that the other soldier is more like himself than he thought. In a desperate measure to end the war he doesn't understand, he launches a message in a bottle to the other hold.

Keywords: conflict resolution, correspondence, decision making, empathy, family, feelings, frustration, goal setting, hunger, moon, night, obedience, peace, photograph, sadness, war, weather, writing

Henry & the crazed chicken pirates | by Crimi, Carolyn

The Buccaneer Bunnies live a happy life until one day they receive a message in a bottle from the Crazed Chicken Pirates. Henry worries about the note and starts writing plans even through the other bunnies don't believe the note. The day the chickens invade, Henry has to be brave and think of a way to save the other bunnies!

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, books, bowling, bravery, chicken, correspondence, critical thinking, decision making, feelings, island, peer resistance, pirates, rabbit, reading, ship, stress, transportation, trick, worry, writing

Letters to a soldier | by Falvey, David// Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth-grade class

A collection of letters written by Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth grade class to 1st Lieutenant David Falvey during his tour in Iraq. Read the students' letter to Lieutenant Falvey and his responses back to each individual student. Pictures of the letters, students, and Lieutenant Falvey's safe arrival back to the states are included!

Keywords: american, animals, baseball, buildings, careers, cat, correspondence, desert, dog, flag, helicopter, iraq, muslim, pets, photograph, president, school, sports, travel, united states, war, writing

Dear annie | by Caseley, Judith

Annie receives many letters from her grandfather. She shares her letters with her class at school and spurs the rest of the class to get pen pals from all over the world.

Keywords: conflict resolution, correspondence, grandparents, nonverbal communication, reading, school, self esteem

We are best friends | by Aliki.

Two young boys must deal with the idea of one best friend moving away. Luckily, each meets a new friend. They are able to keep their friendship through letters.

Keywords: correspondence, critical thinking, feelings, friendship, games, loneliness, memories, missing, moving, nonverbal communication, playground, sadness, verbal communication

Kisses from rosa | by Mathers, Petra

When Rosa's mother gets sick and has to go away to get well, how will Rosa ever survive?How will she get along without her mother?Will she get along with her aunt and cousin?

Keywords: correspondence, family, feelings, illness, letters, nonverbal communication, parents, sadness, verbal communication

100th day worries | by Cuyler, Margery

When her teacher tells the class that everyone must bring in collections of 100 for the 100th day of school, Jessica begins to worry. What will she bring in?Her family finally helps her come up with a special collection.

Keywords: collection, correspondence, counting, critical thinking, decision making, family, feelings, food, giving, helping, love, money, numbers, school, sharing, stress management, verbal communication, worry

Tale of a tail | by Bodnar, Judit Z.

A fox catches fish for his dinner. WHen his friend, the bear, finds out he wants to know where the fox got all his fish. The bear takes his friend's advice and spends all night trying to catch fish. At dawn, he does not think he has caught any, but then he realizes he has caught a lot of fish on the way home.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, author's note, bear, birds, bodies of water, correspondence, critical thinking, exercise, feelings, fish, fishing, food, fox, goal setting, happiness, hungarian, hunger, ice, lake, multicultural, nonverbal communication, recreation, refusal skills, sadness, seasons, snow, sounds, stream, verbal communication, walking, winter

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