Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

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

Turtles in my sandbox | by Curtis, Jennifer Keats

Imagine finding turtle eggs in your sandbox! When a mother diamondback terrapin lays eggs in a young girlﾒs sandbox, the girl becomes a ﾓturtle-sitterﾔ to help the babies safely hatch. She raises the teeny hatchlings until they become big enough to fend for themselves in the wild. Then, with the help of experts, she releases them. Along the way, she learns about these unique animals and that she has made an important contribution to their survival.

Keywords: baby, beach, birth, bodies of water, critical thinking, curiosity, discovery, excitement, exercise, family, feelings, nature, ocean, parents, protection, reptiles, research, swimming, turtle, uniqueness

Can you find it, too? | by Cressy, Judith

Come enjoy history through a collection of famous paintings. Each has its own personality and story. Search through each painting for objects and colors. Get imaginative and create your own stories or interpretations about the paintings.

Dinosaur discoveries | by Gibbons, Gail

Go on an adventure back to the time of dinosaurs. Learn about the history of dinosaurs and the job of paleontologists. A description of specific dinosaurs is included along with an index.

Keywords: animals, birds, bluejay, bones, cardinal, careers, critical thinking, dinosaur, discovery, extinction, fossil, goal setting, history, museum, nonverbal communication, ostrich, science, teeth

The fox in the box | by Gregorich, Barbara

Fox and his friends venture out to discover all that fox can do with the box. With a rhyming pattern, the fox sits, eats, plays and jumps on the box. Come discover fox and the box.

Keywords: animals, butterfly, chipmunk, discovery, exercise, exploration, fox, friendship, grasshopper, insects, jumping, mouse, pattern, play, rabbit, rhyme

The yellow balloon | by Dematons, Charlotte

A balloon travels through the air and around the world. While sailing through the air, the balloon fly's over many different people and places (a wordless book).

Keywords: art, balloon, bodies of water, buildings, culture, desert, discovery, farm, geography, lake, mountains, nonverbal communication, ocean, river, sea, ship, skiing, sky, travel, village, witches

Big bad wolf | by Marurel, Claire

Things aren't always what they seem. The villagers keep talking about a big, bad wolf and describe him. Their details are accurate, but skewed a little. The wolf has a family just like them and kisses his children good night after a run in the forest.

Keywords: animals, bedtime, day, discovery, fable, family, folktale, forest, night, nonverbal communication, parents, siblings, tree, verbal communication, wolf

Maria's comet | by Hopkinson, Deborah

A little girl dreams of being an astronomer like her father. She daydreams of catching a comet by the tail to sweep the sky and stars. She tries hard to hold onto her dreams while being forced to the forefront of reality.

Keywords: assertiveness, astronomy, bias, biography, bodies of water, careers, constellations, decision making, discovery, exploration, family, grandparents, history, moon, ocean, parents, planet, ship, siblings, stars, technology, transportation, vision

John Willy and Freddie Mcgee | by Meade, Holly

Two guinea pigs, John Willy and Freddy McGee, are bored of sitting in their cage where nothing ever changes. One day, when their cage door is left open, the guinea pigs decide to go exploring throughout the house. They end up traveling through the tunnel of a pool table and run for their lives when pool balls start rolling through the tunnel. The guinea pigs run for the safety of their cage but when they get there and see how everything is the same, they leave to start a new adventure.

Keywords: adventures, animals, boredom, cat, colors, courage, discovery, dog, escape, exploration, games, guinea pig, independence, recreation, sounds

Stellaluna: A pop-up book and mobile | by Cannon, Janell

After being separated from Mother Bat, Stellaluna falls into a nest of baby birds. The family of birds adopt Stellaluna as one of their own, while Stellaluna does her best to eat bugs without making faces, sleep during the night, and stop hanging upside down. In the end, Stellaluna rejoins her mother.

Keywords: acceptance, adventures, animals, bat, behavior, birds, challenges, change, cooperation, determination, differences, discovery, family, friendship, habitat, individuality, kindness, learning, loneliness, lost, missing, obedience, parents, peer resistance, relief, self esteem, shelter, similarities, sleep, survival, verbal communication

The julia rockhound | by Karwoski, Gail Langer

When a girl becomes interested in rocks, she becomes Julia the Rockhound. Julie learns how to dig for minerals and explain the wonder of crystal information from her Dad.

Keywords: animals, discovery, dog, family, geology, hobby, home, parents, rocks

On beyond zebra! | by Seuss, Dr.

This alphabet continues on beyond Z using nonsense and rhyming words. Unknown animals and places are described by using these made-up letters after Z.

Keywords: alphabet, animals, discovery, fantasy, imagination, rhyme, sequence

Peter's pockets | by Rice, Eve

Peter's mom made him a new pair of pants, but forgot to sew in pockets. When Peter visits the boat pond with his uncle, he has no place to put the little treasures he finds. When he gets home, Peter's mom sews on lots of pockets.

Keywords: bodies of water, clothing, discovery, family, parents, pond, self esteem, sharing, verbal communication

Watch out! | by Smaridge, Norah

Signs are good things to have around because they keep you safe. Every sign has a purpose and danger strikes when you do not obey them. For example, watch your step signs tell you to be careful so you do not fall down and hurt yourself.

Keywords: animals, bicycle, bus, car, discovery, dog, environment, hospital, library, lion, nonverbal communication, park, poetry, rhyme, seal, toys, train, transportation, truck, verbal communication, zoo

I want to be | by Moss, Thylias

This young girl is asked, What do you want to be? She spends all day going around her town imagining all the things she wants to be. Finally, she figures it out. She wants to do everything.

Keywords: community, critical thinking, dancing, discovery, dreams, exercise, five senses, games, goal setting, imagination, instruments, kite, language, music, park, plants, play, self confidence, self esteem, sight, touch, train, transportation, verbal communication

The grumpalump | by Hayes, Sarah

Every animal has an action that they do to try to figure out what the grumpalump is. No one can figure it out until the gnu comes. He blows it up to create a hot air balloon.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, discovery, gnu, goal setting, mystery, self esteem

The other side | by Woodson, Jacqueline

A fence not only divides two properties -- it segregates two families because of their different cultures. Initial fears from the parents cause them to set rules that will forbid the friendship of their young daughters. Little did they know that their daughters would break the barrier as they climbed the fence together to see the world as it should be, not as it is.

Going home | by Bunting, Eve

Carlos and his family go home to Mexico for Christmas. He and his siblings think of California as their home, but they discover their roots in Mexico.

Keywords: acceptance, christmas, comparisons, discovery, diversity, family, friendship, grandparents, holidays, love, mexican, multicultural, parents, siblings, travel

The tale i told sasha | by Willard, Nancy

Follow along in an adventure as a yellow ball rolls out of sight and into a place where all lost things are found. Discover a quiet, small, and plain house where its rooms run far and wide and adventure lurks in the shadows.

Keywords: adventures, animals, balloon, bee, beetle, birds, butterfly, colors, cow, direction, disappearance, discovery, fish, flowers, horse, images, imagination, insects, light, lost, maps, mythical, perspective, shadows, sheep, tiger

The great encounter: A special meeting before columbus | by Piercy, Patricia A

An African American tells the story of the discovery of America from a different point of view. He brings new knowledge to an excited and interested elementary classroom while telling the historical story.

Keywords: acceptance, african american, critical thinking, discovery, diversity, fear, feelings, history, multicultural, native american, nonverbal communication, school, self esteem, storytelling

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