Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

A safe place | by Trottier, Maxine

As a child, Emily watched her mother endure physical abuse. One night Emily's mom awakens her and she is only allowed to take her teddy bear. They go to a house with many mothers and children. All of them are watched over by a lady named Jane. Emily and her mother stay for awhile, then leave to move into their new apartment.

Keywords: change, conflict, conflict resolution, coping, family, feelings, fight, frustration, helping, parents, protection, running away, sadness, safety, security, self esteem, shelter, stress management, violence, worry

The wild washer-women | by Yeoman, J.

Seven washerwomen get fed up, run wild, and meet seven woodsmen. They all get married.

Keywords: assertiveness, careers, decision making, frustration, marriage, refusal skills, responsibilities, self esteem

What!Cried granny: An almost bedtime story | by Lum, Kate

It is Patrick's first time to sleep over at Granny's house. When it is time for him to go to bed, Patrick tells his Granny that he does not have a bed, so Granny chops down some trees for wood and makes him a bed. Patrick then tells his Granny that he did not have a pillow at her house, so Granny collected feathers from her chickens and made him a pillow. Granny also has to make Patrick a blanket and teddy bear, but by the time she is finished, it is morning.

Keywords: animals, bedtime, chicken, dog, family, frustration, grandparents, hard work, night, preparation, sewing, sheep, sleep, tools, tree

Daisy-head mayzie | by Seuss, Dr.

One day during class, a daisy grows from the top of Mayzie McGrew's head. With a daisy on her head, Mayzie experiences many things. Mayzie becomes the talk of the school and town and gains fame and fortune. She also experiences loneliness. Mayzie did learn one very important thing from the daisy on her head--her parents love her no matter what!

Keywords: appearance, bee, change, differences, family, feelings, fortune, frustration, happiness, insects, loneliness, love, parents, plants, sadness, self esteem, support, verbal communication

Allison | by Say, Allen

When Allison finds out that she has been adopted, she lashes out at her adoptive family in confusion and frustration. She is happy when her parents let her bring a stray cat into their family.

Keywords: adoption, animals, cat, child care, conflict resolution, confusion, dolls, exercise, family, feelings, frustration, japanese, love, multicultural, parents, pets, play, presents, soccer

Show and tell | by Munsch, Robert

It's show-and-tell day, and Benjamin wants to take in something extra special to school. When he decides to take his baby sister, it causes quite a commotion until mom shows up and saves the day.

Keywords: baby, chaos, confusion, critical thinking, doctor, excitement, family, feelings, frustration, helping, parents, performance, school, sharing, siblings, verbal communication

Mom and dad break up | by Prestine, Joan Singleton

A young boy expresses his feelings about his parents' divorce. He feels angry, sad, and lonely at the same time, and often takes it out on his friends. But eventually, he learns to adjust to the change, and learns that he is not at fault for the break up of his parents.

Keywords: aggression, anger, art, biking, conflict resolution, coping, divorce, dreams, exercise, feelings, food, friendship, frustration, illness, loneliness, loss, parents, picnic, play, reading, sadness, seasons, self esteem, separation, skating, sledding, snow, winter

Aekyung's dream | by Paek, Min

A little girl named Aekyung has trouble adjusting to America, because it is so different from Korea. She doesn't like to go to school because her classmates make fun of her. Eventually she begins to feel more comfortable and accepted.

Keywords: acceptance, change, conflict resolution, coping, determination, differences, dreams, family, frustration, goal setting, korean, learning, multicultural, parents, peer resistance, practice, school, self esteem, travel, verbal communication

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.

Home on the bayou: A cowboy's story | by Karas, G. Brian

Ned, a cowboy, and his mom leave their home in the West to move to the swamp. Ned hates the swamp and mean Big Head Ed at school. Big Head Ed picks on Ned because he is a cowboy. One day Ned becomes a hero at school when he uses his lasso to quiet Big Head Ed.

Keywords: acceptance, anger, bully, conflict resolution, cowboys, desert, family, feelings, frustration, grandparents, love, moving, nonverbal communication, parents, sadness, school, swamp, verbal communication

Pigs aplenty, pigs galore! | by McPhail, David

The narrator is innocently reading when a pack of pigs invades his house. They create quite a ruckus eating, dancing, and ordering pizza. The narrator convinces the pigs to clean up and go to bed.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, food, frustration, fun, manners, misbehavior, pig, stress management, verbal communication

A carp for kimiko | by Kroll, Virginia

Kimiko is a young Japanese girl who desperately wants a carp kite to fly on Children's Day. But only boys are allowed to have these kites, and Kimiko questions this rule.

Keywords: assertiveness, bias, family, feelings, frustration, gender, japanese, kite, multicultural, parents, rules, siblings, verbal communication

Tight times | by Hazen, Barbara Shook

A young boy does not understand why in tight times he cannot get a dog.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, coping, critical thinking, dog, family, feelings, frustration, hunger, pets, poverty

The very quiet cricket | by Carle, Eric

As the little cricket makes his way across the land, he encounters many friends. The little cricket's only problem is that he cannot answer. He tries rubbing his wings together, but they do not make a sound. It is only when the very quiet cricket meets a female cricket that he makes a beautiful sound.

Keywords: cricket, determination, five senses, friendship, frustration, gender, goal setting, insects, self confidence, sounds, verbal communication

Encounter | by Yolen, Jane

A Taino boy tells his view of Columbus' landing. He doesn't like the pale men and how the islanders are treated. He speaks out against this but no one listens because he is young.

Keywords: critical thinking, frustration, history, island, listening, multicultural, native american, nonverbal communication, refusal skills

Leprechauns never lie | by Balian, Lorna

A young lazy Irish girl, Ninny Nanny, finds it difficult to do chores around the hut she shares with Gram. She decides to catch a leprechaun and get his pot of gold to solve all their problems.

Keywords: assertiveness, decision making, family, frustration, goal setting, grandparents, honesty, laziness, multicultural, nonverbal communication, problem solving, verbal communication

Squids will be squids: Fresh morsels,beastly fables | by Scieszka, Jon//Smith, Lane

The moral of the story changes with every page depending upon the fable, the ani keeping his talent to himself, he decides to go out into the forest to sing. What he finds is no one believes a frog can sing, so frog has to keep going until someone gives him a chance.

Keywords: amphibians, challenges, dreams, fear, feelings, frog, frustration, persistence, racism, stereotypes

The frog who wanted to be a singer | by Goss, Linda

Frog wants to do something no frog has ever done before; sing!He practices and practices until he gets so tired of keeping his talent to himself, he decides to go out into the forest to sing. What he finds is no one believes a frog can sing, so frog has to keep going until someone gives him a chance.

Keywords: amphibians, challenges, dreams, fear, feelings, frog, frustration, music, persistence, practice, racism, stereotypes

50 below zero | by Munsch, Robert

Jason is repeatedly awakened from the noises his father makes when he is sleep walking. The last straw is when he finds him outside in the snow with only his pajamas on.

Keywords: bath, bedtime, chaos, clothing, cold, conflict, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, five senses, frustration, goal setting, helping, illness, night, nonverbal communication, problem solving, protection, sleep, sounds, stress management, winter

Miss spider's tea party | by Kirk, David

Miss Spider is planning to have eight for tea. But what is she to do when the bugs are too scared to eat her cake?Ask Miss Spider how she makes friends with every moth, tick, and flea -- just by having cake and tea.

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