Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The greatest blessings | by Isaacs, Mark

Fame, Fortune, and Power are brothers who decide how well all people in their kingdom will fare in life - especially Boy who is an abused and abandoned child. In this tale, Boy spurns the three brothers in favor of family, friendship, and brotherhood.

Keywords: animals, cow, fable, fame, family, fortune, friendship, horse, royalty, sheep

Armadilly chili | by Ketteman, Helen

Billie decides to make armadilly chili. She asks her friends to help her but they are all busy and do not want to help. After Billie makes the chili, all of her friends knock on her door. Billie will not let them eat because they wouldn't help. She soon realizes her chili is missing something: her friends!

For sure! For sure! | by Andersen, Hans Christian

Did you know that chickens gossip too? Come read about one chick that plucks out her feathers, supposedly to look good and impress her rooster. After one of her feathers is plucker, an owl sees her actions and spreads the word. The story gets turned around and exaggerated especially when the newspaper prints it.

Keywords: animals, bat, behavior, birds, chicken, death, differences, fable, family, feelings, fly, friendship, gossip, hearing, loss, love, newspaper, owl, peace, play, storytelling, truth

Big jabe | by Nolan, Jerdine

Momma Mary goes back in time and tells stories of a unique young man named Jabe, who is responsible for creating magic among the slaves of the Plenty Plantation. He is described as a hero with the strength of fifty men, a big heart, and a wondrous gift at leading slaves away to freedom.

Keywords: african, african american, animals, bee, chicken, cow, fable, fantasy, feelings, fish, fishing, flood, food, freedom, generations, happiness, heroism, horse, hunger, magic, multicultural, mystery, nonverbal communication, plants, recreation, river, slavery, storytelling, tornado, tree, uniqueness, unselfish, weather, wind

The golden rain | by Mashiri, Pascal

A young child learns from his mother's stories about decision making and choices. He comes to understand that choices make some people happy and leave some disapointed. The child also realizes that help is sometimes needed for the decision making, but ultimately it is up to the individual.

Off to the sweet shores of Africa: And other talking drum rhymes | by Unobagha, Uzo

African-inspired nursery rhymes.

Keywords: africa, animals, beach, birds, bodies of water, camel, cattle, celebration, chicken, community, cooking, desert, dog, donkey, eagle, elephant, fable, fish, fruit, giraffe, goat, grasshopper, instruments, lion, mice, monkey, multicultural, music, ocean, parade, play, rainbow, rhyme, rhythm, river, sand, song, tree, village, zebra

Shadow | by Brown, Marcia

The village storytellers and shamans of African expound on the important, mysterious, haunted, and enchanted life of shadows.

Keywords: africa, animals, appreciation, birds, bodies of water, cow, dancing, eagle, elephant, fable, fire, forest, insects, magic, mystery, night, reptiles, river, scorpion, shadows, snake, spy, storytelling, tree, war

Jamari's drum | by Bynum, Eboni//Jackson, Roland

Jamari grows up drawn to the beating of the djembe, the keeper of the peace, the great drum of his Mali village. Jamari grows older and becomes the drummer of the djembe. He eventually gets caught up in other aspects of village life. When the village is once again threatened by the nearby angry mountain, Jamari returns to his post as drummer for village peace.

Keywords: africa, african, clothing, community, dedication, fable, family, five senses, harmony, instruments, language, marriage, mountains, multicultural, music, peace, rhythm, storytelling, traditions

Burro's tortillas | by Fields, Terri

Burro finds it hard to get any help from his friends as he diligently works to turn corn into tortillas. Expect repetition, puns, and an accurate picture of the traditional way that tortillas are made.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, central america, cooking, coyote, donkey, fable, feelings, food, friendship, hard work, language, Mexico, multicultural, nutrition, pattern, plants, rabbit, repetition, sadness, spanish

Bitter bananas | by Olaleye, Isaac

Yusuf is a boy who lives in a jungle in Africa. His favorite drink is palm sap, and he sells what he doesn't drink. A family of baboons begins to steal his sap, so he tries many things to keep the baboons away.

Keywords: african, animals, baboon, careers, decision making, fable, family, food, forest, jungle, learning, market, multicultural, nutrition, problem solving, rain, sounds, tree, weather

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

A country mouse in the town house: A hide-and-seek fable | by Henrietta

A content country mouse receives an invitation from a friend in the city. Her friend promises delightful foods but fails to mention a prowling dog and cat. While the country mouse finds her friend's house elegant and full of food, she would rather be in the country without the cat and dog.

Keywords: animals, cat, decision making, dog, fable, flowers, food, garden, home, mouse, photograph, plants, rhyme

Goldilocks and the three bears | by Aylesworth, Jim

A curious little girl sometimes forgets what her mother tells her. Sometimes this gets her into trouble. One such time found her deep into the woods at a cottage belonging to three bears. You probably know the rest of the story.

Keywords: animals, baby, bear, curiosity, disobedience, fable, family, folktale, food, forest, forgetful, parents, sizes, sleep

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

Hip & Hop, don't stop! | by Czekaj, Jef

Hip, a turtle from Slowjamz Swamp, and Hop, a rabbit from Breakbeat Meadow, both love to rap. Hip raps very slowly, and Hop raps very slowly. Animals of Slowjamz Swamp and Breakbeat Meadow don't socialize until one day Hip and Hop meet each other when they see a sign for a rapping contest. In this twist of the fable Tortoise and the Hare, Hip and Hop bring the animals of the swamp and meadow together through their performance.

Keywords: animals, communication, comparisons, competition, conflict resolution, cooperation, creativity, dancing, decision making, fable, friendship, peer resistance, performance, problem solving, rabbit, reptiles, rhyme, turtle

An apple pie for dinner | by VanHecke, Susan

Wishing to bake an apple pie, Old Granny Smith sets out with a full basket, trading its contents for a series of objects until she get the apples she needs.

Keywords: animals, author's note, cat, cooking, dog, fable, five senses, food, hunger, illustrator's note, money, nutrition, recipe, smell, tree

Little sister and the Month brothers | by Schenk de Regniers, Beatrice

A retelling of the Slavic folktale in which the Month brothers' magic helps Little Sister fulfill seemingly impossible tasks, Her tasks prove the undoing of her greedy stepmother and stepsister.

Keywords: animals, author's note, comparisons, cow, fable, feelings, flowers, food, hard work, month, peace, resentment, responsibilities, royalty, seasons, siblings, stepmother

No dinner!The story of the old woman and the pumpkin | by Souhami, Jessica

An old woman is on her way to her granddaughter's house for dinner, but meets many animals on her way. In order to escape the animals, she promises to come back all fat and fed. The animals are outwitted when the old woman is disguised as a pumpkin.

Keywords: adventures, aging, animals, author's note, bear, body image, bravery, critical thinking, deception, decision making, fable, family, food, forest, goal setting, habitat, heroism, hunting, intelligence, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, overeating, pretend, protection, relief, sly, sounds, tiger, verbal communication, wolf

Casey jones's fireman: The story of sim webb | by Farmer, Nancy

Sim Webb is finally getting his chance to work on a train for the famous Casey Jones. Casey is putting a brand new whistle on his train, but Casey knows it's a bad idea. He knows that something bad is about to happen.

Keywords: accidents, accomplishment, african american, ambition, angel, argument, assertiveness, author's note, bias, bravery, courage, critical thinking, decision making, discrimination, fable, fire, heroism, multicultural, plants, prejudice, rescue, sounds, spiritual, tobacco, train, transportation

Tops and bottoms | by Stevens, Janet

Hare and Bear decide to become business partners. Due to Bear's laziness, Hare tricks him three times. This is a great book because it shows children proper eating habits (with vegetables) and it provides a moral.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, bear, discipline, fable, food, goal setting, hare, laziness, manners, nutrition, persistence, teamwork, verbal communication

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