Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Jitterbug jam | by Hicks, Barbara Jean

Jitterbug Jam is about a young monster who is afraid to deal with the scary boy under his bed! After a helpful story and piece of advice from his grandpa, or Boo-Dad, the little monster is brave enough to go under his bed, and later decides to make a friend.

Keywords: assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, family, fantasy, fear, feelings, friendship, grandparents, monsters, parents, sharing, storytelling

Where the wild things are | by Sendak, Maurice

Max gets sent to his room for creating mischief and talking back to his mother. He is sent there without dinner. While alone in his room, Max sets sail to an island where he tames the wild beasts and becomes king of the beasts. At the end of fun with the beasts, he sends them to bed with no supper and returns hoem where a hot meal awaits him.

Keywords: bedtime, boat, disobedience, fantasy, fear, feelings, food, imagination, loneliness, monsters, nutrition, self esteem, transportation

Doodler doodling | by Gelman, Rita

A girl ponders what she will draw on her lined paper with her multicolored pen. She draws people in action. The girl mixes and changes the actions of the people in her drawings. She is proud of her drawings.

Keywords: art, careers, climbing, confidence, creativity, drawing, entertainment, exploration, fantasy, fun, happiness, imagination, patience, persistence, sequence, sports, teaching, transportation

The old woman who lived in a vinegar bottle | by MacDonald, Margaret Read

An old woman complains about living in a vinegar bottle. A fairy friend helps her to grant her wish. But the little old lady is still unhappy and wants more wishes granted by her fairy friend.

Keywords: apathy, assertiveness, author's note, bedtime, british, change, decision making, dreams, fairy, fantasy, feelings, folktale, manners, multicultural, selfishness, sleep, trust, verbal communication

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 shaking bag | by Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn

Though Miss Annie Mae doesn't always have much food for herself or her dog Effie Lucille, she faithfully feeds the birds in the lawn. One day a stranger comes to visit. He shakes many special surprises for her out of the old seed bag to reward her for all her generosity.

Keywords: african american, animals, birds, books, dog, fantasy, fire, food, hunger, kindness, multicultural, noise, nutrition, plants, poverty, raven, sharing, sounds, spiritual, unselfish

Ella's big chance: A jazz-age Cinderella | by Hughes, Shirley

This version of the Cinderella story takes place in a dressmakers shop. Mr. Cinders and his daughter Ella run the shop. Ellaﾒs father remarries a wicked woman, and she and her daughters take over the household. A ball is announced and Ella desperately wants to go. Her fairy godmother sends her in a beautiful gown and the duke falls in love with her. Ella, however, denies the Duke and admits her love for Buttons, who has helped her and her father in the shop.

Keywords: affection, ambition, assertiveness, beauty, bicycle, celebration, change, clothing, conflict resolution, dancing, decision making, exercise, fairy, family, fantasy, goal setting, godmother, instruments, love, music, refusal skills, self esteem, stepmother, verbal communication

Trudi & Pia | by Hegi, Ursula

Trudi dreams of being tall and feels there are no other dwarfs like her until she meets Pia who teaches her to accept the way she is and that she is not alone. Pia talks about when other drawfs from around the world in Russia, Italy, France and Portugal, Trudi learns to feel normal and beautiful.

Keywords: acceptance, animals, bicycle, birds, bravery, circus, clowns, courage, differences, dwarfs, elephant, fantasy, growing up, height, hope, imagination, lion, monkey, multicultural, night, parrot, sizes, skills, sleep, stars, uniqueness

Scribble | by Freedman, Deborah

Emma and Lucie are sisters and they both love to draw. They don't always like each other's drawings, but Lucie learns through a fantastic adventure that drawings don't always agree with their artists and they sometimes decide that they like each other.

Keywords: aggression, anger, animals, argument, art, colors, drawing, family, fantasy, feelings, love, marriage, rescue, resentment, siblings

The lady with the ship on her head | by Lattimore, Deborah Nourse

When Madame Pompenstane leans over at the beach to gather shells, she does not notice that a tiny ship sails onto her head. Later at the Fancy Dress Ball, she is pleased to win the prize for the Best Headdress.

Keywords: beach, beauty, boat, clothing, competition, fantasy, party, transportation

The slightly irregular fire engine | by Barthelme, D.

Mathilda had hoped to see a bright shiny fire engine in her backyard when she woke up. Instead there was an odd looking Chinese house into which she went to meet her guide. After her trip, the guide promised her a gift the next day. She woke up and say a bright shiny green fire engine.

Keywords: chinese, fantasy, imagination, multicultural, transportation

If I could/ Si yo pudiera | by Sweetland, Nancy

A world full of beautiful, fanciful and comical possibilities where you explore what life would be like if you could be anything you wanted to be, if you only could.

Keywords: animals, ant, birds, butterfly, eagle, elephant, fantasy, fish, frog, goose, identity, insects, language, lizard, moon, multicultural, reptiles, river, seal, snake, spanish, stars, toad, walrus, wind, wish

The night eater | by Juan, Ana

A night eater eats up the darkness in the sky, then continues to eat stars and clouds until they are gone. This makes it possible for the sun to be seen. The moon offends the night eater, which causes him to stop eating the night. It continues to stay dark until the children cry for him. The night eater eats up the dark sky to make way for the daylight again.

Keywords: clouds, colors, conflict resolution, day, decision making, fantasy, friendship, hard work, moon, mountains, mythical, night, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, running, sea, seasons, self esteem, sky, stars, summer, sun, weather

Once upon an ordinary school day | by McNaughton, Colin

An ordinary boy has no idea what is in store for him one fateful, ordinary day. Everything appears to be normal until his new school teacher; Mr. Gee walks through the door. The once ordinary day turns into a whirlwind of adventures

Keywords: adventures, animals, bedtime, change, dreams, fantasy, imagination, magic, music, preparation, pretend, routine, self esteem, surprises, teaching, writing

If I had my way | by Klein, Norma

Ellie wishes that - for just one day - she could have her way. She is tired of being told what to do! Why canﾒt she have a say? In her dreams, the tables turn and Ellie finds herself in charge. Giving her parents orders and trading in her baby brothers are Ellieﾒs first orders of business. Her old life doesnﾒt seem quite so bad.

Keywords: assertiveness, baby, change, conflict resolution, discovery, dreams, fantasy, feelings, frustration, growing up, learning, love, parents, self esteem

Earth mother | by Jackson, Ellen

The day begins by Mother Earth tending to her plants and animals. As the day progresses, Mother Earth comes upon a man, a frog, and a mosquito. Each tell Mother Earth what can be changed in their life.

Keywords: african, animals, appreciation, assertiveness, birds, communication, cycle, decision making, dedication, diversity, earth, environment, fantasy, firefly, frog, frustration, hawk, insects, loyalty, mosquito, multicultural, nature, nonverbal communication, otter, peace, plants, seasons, snow, summer, verbal communication, whale, wildlife, winter

The duchess of whimsy: An absolutely delicious fairytale | by de Seve, Randall

The Duchess of Whimsy is very well known to be extravagant, through her celebrations, clothing, and conversation. The Earl of Norm is quite the opposite; in fact the Duchess thinks he is rather ordinary. However her father tells her, their two kingdoms have to be friends. The Earl of Norm loves the Duchess of Whimsy and goes to extraordinary lengths to try to impress her, but none of them impress her. One night at supper the cook becomes sick, so all the Duchess' guests try to impress her with their cooking. However the one food that impresses her is the one ordinary food. Cooked by whom?

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, attention, celebration, clothing, colors, conflict resolution, cooking, decision making, fairy, fantasy, feelings, food, friendship, giraffe, goal setting, humor, opposites, party, peer resistance, poetry, refusal skills, surprises

Magic beach | by Johnson, Crockett

Two children draw different words in the sand. As the tide washes over the word, the object written in the sand appears. They explore the land they created by writing in the sand.

Keywords: adventures, alphabet, animals, beach, beverage, bodies of water, books, cabin, cow, critical thinking, decision making, fantasy, farm, fish, fishing, food, horse, hunger, magic, nutrition, peer resistance, picnic, royalty, sand, sea, shells, storytelling, tree, verbal communication, village, writing

Don't take a snake for a stroll | by Ireland, Karin

A little boy talks about taking a variety of animals into public places. Using his imagination he describes what could possibly happen. In the end, he advises to just take people along and leave the animals at home.

Keywords: animals, bodies of water, coyote, critical thinking, decision making, duck, elephant, exercise, fantasy, humor, imagination, kangaroo, moose, ocean, pets, pig, rabbit, rhyme, rhythm, shopping, skunk, snake, swimming, television, walking

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 journey 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

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