Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Night running: How James escaped with the help of his faithful dog based on a true story | by Carbone, Elisa

It's 1838 and James plans to escape from Master Graham's farm where he is a slave. He tries to leave his dog, Zeus, at the farm because he believes he willbe too muchtrouble. Zeus refuses to tay behind though and ends up save James' life and dreams of freedom.

Keywords: adventures, aggression, alcohol, animals, appreciation, author's note, boat, bravery, caring, challenges, companion, decision making, dog, escape, food, heroism, pets, sleep, sounds, transportation, trust

Henrietta and the golden eggs | by Johansen, Hanna

Once upon a time, 3,333 chickens lived in a small, crowded chikcen yard and everyday Henrietta, the baby chicken, finds a way out and everyone follows. Soon the manager builds a large, open chicken house and Henrietta lays her first egg.

Keywords: celebration, chicken, colors, cow, escape, farm, five senses, frog, growing up, hope, noise, numbers, pond, practice, running, running away, sight, smell, sounds, swimming, water

It was a dark and stormy night | by Ahlberg, Janet//Ahlberg, Allan

An eight-year-old boy named Antonio is kidnapped by thieves. The chief orders Antonio to tell a story, which he cleverly uses for his escape. His story includes all sorts of adventures.

Keywords: adventures, animals, bear, courage, critical thinking, deception, escape, imagination, storytelling, verbal communication

The seals on the bus | by Hort, Lenny

A group of people get onto a bus that takes them around to different places in town. At each stop a different type of animal gets on. Each animal has a distinctive sound that goes with the rhyme. Finally the people flee off the bus from the animals.

Keywords: animals, birds, bus, conflict resolution, decision making, escape, excitement, feelings, fish, goose, monkey, noise, nonverbal communication, rabbit, repetition, seal, sheep, skunk, snake, song, sounds, tiger, transportation

In the time of the drums | by Siegelson, Kim L.

Mentu and Twi tell the story of an African family newly arrived in the Americas. Twi never gives up on returning to her native Africa. Twi tells stories of cooking, planting, music and dancing from her native land.

Keywords: african, african american, bodies of water, community, creek, culture, escape, farm, feelings, five senses, folktale, freedom, generations, grandparents, history, home, instruments, island, language, magic, music, mythical, relationship, repetition, rhythm, sadness, secrets, ship, slavery, song, sounds, storytelling, transportation

A little skink's tail | by Halfmann, Janet

While Little Skink hunts for her breakfast, she is attacked by a crow! But she has a trick to escape-she snaps off her lizard tail and it keeps on wiggling. Little Skink is happy to be alive but she misses her bright blue tail.

Keywords: acceptance, aggression, animals, ant, birds, crow, deer, escape, forest, habitat, imagination, insects, lizard, owl, porcupine, rabbit, reptiles, skunk, squirrel, trick, turtle

The wide-mouthed frog | by Faulkner, Keith

One day, a wide-mouthed frog ventures around his pond asking all the animals he meets what they like to eat. He's having a wonderful time until he meets a alligator who likes to eat wide mouthed frogs! Thinking quickly, the wide-mouthed frog makes his mouth as small as possible and makes a quick escape before the alligator can eat him.

Keywords: alligator, animals, birds, bodies of water, comparisons, escape, fly, food, individuality, insects, mouse, pond, wildlife, worm

Ella takes the cake | by D'Amico, Carmela & D'Amico, Steven

There's nothing more that Ella wants than to be a good helper. Ella can't help but feel inadequate when her mother won't let her help with a lot of the bakery chores because they're dangerous. When Mr. Banjo forgets an important delivery ,though, Ella proves herself by saving the day...and the cake.

Keywords: animals, bicycle, birthday, books, business, celebration, escape, family, flood, helping, library, luck, maps, persistence, responsibilities, safety, vacation, village

Runaway radish/ El rabano que escapo | by Levy, Janice

It's the Night of the Radishes and don Pedro wants to carve the best radish sculpture in town. But one radish won't cooperate. The Night of the Radishes is an annual festival held on the evening of December 23rd in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Keywords: animals, cactus, carving, celebration, competition, donkey, escape, food, instruments, language, market, Mexico, multicultural, restaurant, royalty, running away, sharing, spanish

Waiting for Sipho | by Herbert, Barbara

Two young brothers can hardly wait for the return of their beloved older brother, Sipho, from university. Everything seems in place until the goat to be prepared for dinner escapes! The boys find themselves on quite an adventure as they await Siphoﾒs return.

Keywords: adventures, africa, animals, anticipation, careers, conflict resolution, cooking, escape, excitement, goat, helping, love, maps, multicultural, relationship, school, siblings

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

Through tsavo: A story of an east African savanna | by Bull, Schuyla

Follows a herd of elephants, including a playful young calf, as it slowly makes its way to Tsavo National Park in Kenya to the Mzima River during a long, dry season.

Keywords: africa, animals, badger, birds, bodies of water, buffalo, crocodile, elephant, escape, family, fire, geography, giraffe, hippopotamus, hyena, kenyan, lake, leopard, lightning, maps, migration, parents, travel, water, zebra

The old Africa | by Lester, Julius

An elderly slave uses the power of his mind to ease the suffering of his fellow slaves and eventually lead them back to Africa

Keywords: africa, african, boat, bodies of water, escape, farm, fear, feelings, freedom, history, hope, nonverbal communication, ocean, sadness, slavery, stress management, transportation, travel

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

Doctor De Soto goes to Africa | by Steig, William

Dr. and Mrs. De Soto travel all the way to Africa to fix an elephant's tooth. When the elephant's enemy kidnaps Dr. De Soto, the elephant worries that Dr. De Soto will never get away.

Keywords: african, animals, careers, dentist, determination, elephant, escape, jungle, missing, monkey, mouse, multicultural, stress management, teeth, travel, worry

In the time of the drums | by Siegelson, K.

Raised by his grandmother Twi, a young boy named Mentu learns of the toils and tragedies of slavery and how one day he too will have to be strong in the cotton fields. As Mentu grows, Twi shares her talks of living in Africa through the use of drums. When Twi's spirit calls her home to Africa, Mentu's day to be strong arrives.

Keywords: africa, african, aging, author's note, beliefs, boat, bodies of water, customs, escape, family, fear, garden, grandparents, hard work, history, island, language, memories, mischief, music, running away, ship, slavery, spanish, storytelling, transportation, travel, verbal communication, water

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 tale of jemima puddle-duck | by Potter, Beatrix

Jemima wants desperately to hatch her own eggs. She finds a nice place to lay them in Mr. Fox's den. She almost becomes dinner, but Shep the collie saves the day.

Keywords: animals, baby, birds, critical thinking, deception, dog, duck, escape, farm, fox, rescue

The secret of the stones | by San Souci, Robert D.

John and Clara work very hard all day, but they have no children to love. One night Clara finds two little white stones and brings them home with her. When they came home the next night all of the chores had been done, and John and Clara must find out who their helpers are and how to help them!

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, bones, cabin, chicken, conflict resolution, cow, decision making, escape, farm, folktale, food, hard work, magic, multicultural, nutrition, orphan, poverty, rocks, song, stream, verbal communication

The tale of mr. jeremy fisher | by Potter, Beatrix

After a near escape from a hungry trout, Jeremy Fisher has a nice meal with his friends.

Keywords: animals, bodies of water, escape, fish, fishing, food, frog, insects, nutrition, pond, reptiles, turtle, worm

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