Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The silence in the mountains | by Rosenberg, Liz

Iskander and his family live in Lebanon until war breaks out. Then, they are forced to flee the country they love to live in American where there is no war. However, Iskander is homesick. To help him feel better, each of his family members do something special to make him feel better.

Keywords: airplane, animals, car, cow, family, farm, fear, feelings, goat, grandparents, homesickness, lebanese, mountains, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, sadness, transportation, travel, verbal communication, violence, war, woods

The barking mouse | by Sacre, Antonio

A Spanish speaking mouse family goes on a picnic. The parents spend the day showing each other affection while the brother and sister go play. While they are playing, the come across a cat. The cat scared everyone, except the mother mouse who saves them by speaking another language.

Keywords: affection, animals, cat, conflict resolution, critical thinking, family, fear, feelings, food, hispanic, language, mouse, multicultural, parents, peer resistance, picnic, playing, self esteem, siblings, sounds, spanish, verbal communication

Sun mother wakes the world: An Australian creation story | by Wolkstein, Diane

The indigenous people of Australia believe their ancestors created the world through the sun shining on all living things to wake them up, bringing them to life. Sun Mother then creates the Morning Sun and the Moon to watch over ther children living on Earth in this spiritual, emotional, and multicultural story of creation.

Keywords: aborigine, amphibians, animals, australian, beetle, birds, caterpillar, cave, celebration, cricket, direction, earth, emotions, emu, fear, folktale, frog, grub, happiness, insects, kangaroo, life, love, moon, multicultural, nonverbal communication, owl, plants, platypus, reptiles, self esteem, sky, sleep, snake, stars, sun, tree, understanding, verbal communication, walkabout, wind, wombat

Rickie & Henri | by Goodall, Jane

A baby chimpanzee, Rickie, gets shot and taken from her mother in the forest, and taken to a market in the Congo Republic. A man takes her and cares for her, along with his dog, Henri. The man and Henri provide love and food for Rickie until they take her to a chimpanzee sanctuary to live with other chimpanzees.

Keywords: africa, animals, careers, caring, chimpanzee, conflict resolution, congo, critical thinking, death, decision making, dog, fear, feelings, friendship, hunting, love, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, rainforest, rescue, sadness, stress management

The patchwork path: A quilt map to freedom | by Stroud, Bettye

Hannah and her father are slaves who decide to escape to freedom. They use the patterns in the quilt made by her mother, who passed away, to follow the Underground Railroad.

Jubela | by Kessler, Cristina

When a baby rhino leaves his mother, he must rely on his own resources to survive until he is adopted by an old female rhino.

Keywords: africa, animals, baby, caring, confusion, death, elephant, family, fear, feelings, lizard, loneliness, parents, play, protection, reptiles, rhinoceros, sleep, zebra

Lake of the big snake | by Olaleye, Isaac

Two boys outwit a hungry snake in an African rain forest village.

Keywords: africa, animals, argument, bodies of water, chores, conflict resolution, disobedience, family, fear, feelings, forest, friendship, lake, multicultural, nigerian, parents, play, reptiles, responsibilities, snake, stress management, teamwork, village

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

Dog biscuit | by Cooper, Helen

Bridget ate a biscuit, but it was a dog biscuit. Her babysitter, Mrs. Blair, found out and told her she would turn into a dog. The rest of the day, Bridget could feel things changing and she even starts acting like a dog, but even her mom did not notice. During the night, she goes out and plays with other dogs and is finally happy about eating the dog biscuit until she thinks about her family. She starts howling, until she finds herself back in her bed with her mom by her side. When she confesses, her mom assures her Mrs. Blair was teasing and the next day Mrs. Blair agrees and gives her human…

Keywords: animals, decision making, dog, dreams, family, fear, feelings, food, guilt, hunger, mischief, pretend, recipe, relief, verbal communication

First come the zebra | by Barasch, Lynne

In the Kenyan grassland, Abaani, a Maasai boy takes his cattle out to graze. While he is out he sees a vegetable stand with a young boy from the Kikuyu farms, who are rivals of his tribe because they destroy their land. While arguing, a group of Kamba women and children approach to trade for fruits and vegetables, and one baby wanders toward three warthogs. Abaani sees this and knows he can't save the baby himself so he calls to Haki to help. Together they save the boy, which is the beginning of a growing friendship. They learn how to appreciate one another and hope to teach their families…

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, cattle, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, fear, feelings, food, friendship, games, geography, heroism, kenyan, language, maps, migration, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peace, relief, sharing, tanzanian, verbal communication, vocabulary, wart hog, wilderness, zebra

Vacation in the village: A story from west africa | by Njeng, Pierre Yves

A boy discovers and takes pride in the customs of his people when he visits his family's village in West Africa.

Keywords: affection, africa, books, boredom, buildings, construction, customs, discovery, dreams, family, fear, feelings, fish, fishing, forest, friendship, games, grandparents, happiness, history, hunting, multicultural, parents, reptiles, school, siblings, storytelling, traditions, train, transportation, travel, turtle, vacation, village, work, worry

Tudley didn't know | by Himmelman, John

A painted turtle, Dudley, adopts other animalsﾒ behaviors ﾖsimply because he doesnﾒt know he canﾒt! Tudley flies like a bird, sings like a katydid, hops like a frog, and glows like a firefly. He uses all his special behaviors to help other animals. Will Tudley's friends help him when he needs help?

Keywords: amphibians, animals, birds, bodies of water, courage, differences, fear, feelings, firefly, friendship, frog, hummingbird, insects, nature, pond, reptiles, song, turtle

One odd day | by Fisher, Doris//Sneed, Dani

A young boy awakens to find everything around him is ﾓodd.ﾔ He has one shoe, his shirt has three sleeves, and his dog has five legs. Things are crazy at school when he stares at a calendar with only odd days. Will his odd day end when he goes to bed that night?

Keywords: animals, calendar, confusion, family, fear, feelings, numbers, parents, reptiles, rhyme, rhythm, turtle

Carolina's story: Sea turtles get sick too! | by Rathmell, Donna

Follow the photo journal of Carolina, a critically ill loggerhead sea turtle, as she is cared for and nursed back to health at the Sea Turtle Hospital of the South Carolina Aquarium. \r\n\r\nJust like hospitalized children, Carolina goes through a variety of emotions and procedures during her care and recovery process. When she first arrives at the hospital, she is too sick, weak, and confused to understand what is happening. She has blood drawn, x-rays taken, gets shots, and is fed through an IV...just as ill children may be! As she gains strength, she begins to interact with her caregivers…

Keywords: bath, bodies of water, confusion, excitement, fear, feelings, food, friendship, helping, home, hospital, nonfiction, ocean, reptiles, turtle

Somebody has done it, why can't you? | by Annoh, G. Kwesi

Two sisters in Ghana pursue their dreams of becomming career women. They receive help from their parents and teachers, and work hard to study math and science. Abena becomes a mathematician and Akousa becomes a medical officer in public health.

Keywords: african, careers, courage, determination, education, equality, family, fear, feelings, gender, ghana, health, math, multicultural, pregnancy, religion, school, science, stereotypes, teaching

Loon chase | by Diehl, Jean Heilprin

A boy discovers that his domesticated dog still has powerful instincts similar to animals in the wild. There is a surprise encounter between the dog and a mother loon: the bigger animal doesn't necessarily prevail. In his moment of wonder, the boy finally meets the loon himself.

Keywords: animals, birds, bodies of water, critical thinking, dog, family, fear, feelings, independence, lake, loon, multicultural, native american, nature, parents, play, relief, teamwork, transportation

The giraffe who was afraid of heights | by Ufer, David A.

A giraffe suffers from the fear of heights. His parents worry about his safety and send him to the village doctor for treatment. Along the way he befriends a monkey who is afraid of climbing trees and a hippo who is afraid of water. A life-threatening event causes the three friends to face and overcome each of their fears.

Keywords: africa, animals, assertiveness, bodies of water, critical thinking, crocodile, family, fear, feelings, fish, flowers, friendship, giraffe, happiness, hippopotamus, lion, monkey, multicultural, parents, river, safety, self esteem, teamwork, tree

My dad has HIV | by Alexander, Earl//Rudin, Sheila//Sejkora, Pam

The virus (called HIV) is explained in this gentle and descriptive story about a young girl whose father is living with HIV. The facts about the virus are described in a way that children can understand. The story helps children to know that a person with HIV can lead a normal life.

Keywords: acceptance, aids, awareness, careers, communication, differences, diseases, family, fear, feelings, food, health, hygiene, illness, love, medicine, nutrition, parents, presentation, sadness, school, science, sleep, support, verbal communication

Gregory's shadow | by Freeman, Don

Gregory needs his shadow in order for spring to come. He ends up losing his shadow for awhile; his shadow gets scared and hides in a barn. Gregory later adventured out and finds his shadow, causing spring to come.

Keywords: bravery, conflict resolution, fear, feelings, friendship, groundhog, holidays, loneliness, nonverbal communication, sadness, seasons, self esteem, shadows, spring, stress management, winter

The promise quilt | by Ransom, Candice

A little girl, living in the mountaintops of Virginia, wants to go to school. Her father promises to send her when she is old enough, but he goes off to fight in the civil war. During the war the school and books are burned. Find a special way to build a new school.

Keywords: books, critical thinking, decision making, family, fear, feelings, goal setting, history, loss, parents, poverty, prayer, quilt, reading, rhyme, sadness, siblings, war, writing

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