Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

When Africa was home | by Williams, Karen Lynn

A home is a place of security and happiness. Peter finds Africa to be more of a home than America. In Africa, Peter is treated with respect, politeness, and care. After learning more about the world, Peter gets to go home again.

The bunyans | by Wood, Audrey

A storyteller explains how Paul Bunyan and his family are responsible for Niagara Falls, Bryce Canyon, the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, and other natural wonders.

Keywords: author's note, fable, family, geography, mythical, nonverbal communication, parents, self esteem, siblings, storytelling, verbal communication

Abigail takes the wheel | by Avi

Every morning Abigail and her brother go to school on board their father's boat. One morning they see an accident and decide to help one of the boats. Abigail has to steer while her father helps on the other boat. On her way down the river, Abigail must make some quick decisions. With Captain Abigail in charge everyone arrives safely.

Keywords: accidents, adventures, author's note, boat, bodies of water, careers, cooperation, critical thinking, decision making, family, geography, maps, market, parents, river, school, ship, siblings, transportation, trust, verbal communication

Turtle spring | by Zagwyn, Deborah Turney

One summer, as young Clee finds herself lost in the shuffle with the arrival of a new baby brother, Uncle Fishtank Hal comes to the rescue when he asks her to care for his special southern-breed turtle. For Clee, caring for the turtle is like therapy to cope with the new changes in her life. That is until the turtle dies due to the harsh cold winter and Clee is forced to bury him out in the yard. Without the turtle, Clee spends time with her new brother and learns to enjoys his company. In spring however, the turtle springs back to like in the compost pile and Clee gains a new outlook on the…

Keywords: affection, author's note, autumn, baby, caring, change, closeness, cold, coping, disappointment, environment, excitement, family, feelings, friendship, geography, grief, guilt, happiness, hibernation, jealousy, loneliness, nonverbal communication, parents, radio, reptiles, sadness, seasons, siblings, snow, spring, stress management, summer, surprises, survival, technology, telephone, turtle, weather, wind, winter

Sea-fari deep | by Woodman, Nancy

The JASON Project is studies underwater life in Mexico. When Dusty finds out about this, she writes the scientists to ask if she can go along. During her adventures, Dusty learns all about deep sea plants and animals. It is the adventure of her life!

Keywords: adventures, animals, assertiveness, author's note, boat, bodies of water, car, careers, discovery, dolphin, exploration, family, fish, garden, geography, letters, lobster, maps, mexican, numbers, photograph, plants, science, sea, sequence, siblings, storm, temperature, transportation, travel, verbal communication, volcano, water, weather, whale

Follow the road | by Tresselt, Alvin

The road travels through many settings and environments and goes in many directions. It travels over hills, through valleys, across train tracks, and around parks--all over the world!

Keywords: bus, car, direction, environment, farm, geography, nature, park, transportation, travel, truck

Magic dogs of the volcanoes | by Argueta, Manlio

The people of El Salvador are protected by cadejos, which are magic dogs that are descendents of the volcanoes. Two ancient volcanoes help the cadejos when Don Tonio and his 13 brothers send soldiers to destroy the cadejos. This book contains both Spanish and English text.

Keywords: animals, conflict, cooperation, dog, family, geography, geology, helping, language, mountains, multicultural, siblings, spanish, survival, verbal communication, volcano

Just us women | by Caines, Jeanette

A young girl goes on a long trip with her aunt to North Carolina. They prepare their maps, their lunch, and plan all the fun things that they will do together. The trip is unique because they are just women spending time together.

Keywords: assertiveness, closeness, critical thinking, decision making, family, farm, food, gender, geography, goal setting, maps, nonverbal communication, nutrition, preparation, restaurant, shopping, stress management, travel, verbal communication

Good luck, mrs. k.! | by Borden, Louise

Mrs. K teaches Ann's third grade class. In class they are explorers, scientists, poets, and astronauts. They are always learning something new. One day, Mrs. K doesn't come to school. The students learn that she is in the hospital with cancer. For the rest of the year the third grade has a substitute. On the last day of school, Mrs. K comes back to surprise her students.

Keywords: animals, basketball, cancer, dancing, discovery, exercise, geography, guinea pig, hospital, illness, insects, learning, letters, listening, math, pets, practice, reading, school, science, sign language, skating, spelling, sports, surprises, teaching, travel, verbal communication, worm

Tomas and the library lady | by Mora, Pat

Tomas and his family are migrant workers who travel between Iowa and Texas to find work. Tomas loves to listen to his grandfather's stories but he knows all of them and decides to go to the library to learn some new stories. The librarian welcomes Tomas in and offers him cold water to drink and stories to read. Tomas visits the library lady whenever he can and even teaches her some of his native language, Spanish. When Tomas' family must leave the library lady gives Tomas a book to take with him.

Keywords: author's note, books, careers, dinosaur, family, farm, geography, grandparents, immigrants, language, library, mexican american, multicultural, parents, playing, reptiles, siblings, sleep, soccer, spanish, sports, storytelling, water, work

The fourth wise man | by Summers, Susan

Atraban is the fourth wise man who is to go see the new born King of the Jews. He never meets the Messiah, but during his travels he is able to help many people with the gifts he carries for the King. After years of travel, Artaban still hasn't met his King, but before both men die Artaban hears the voice of the Messiah.

Keywords: animals, astronomy, author's note, baby, birth, camel, charity, desert, determination, egyptian, faith, family, geography, giving, god, hebrew, helping, history, horse, hunger, illness, Jewish, learning, maps, multicultural, presents, religion, stars, travel, wealth

An ellis island christmas | by Leighton, Maxine Rhea

Krysia and her family leave Poland around Christmas to meet their father, who is already living in New York. It is a long trip on land and by water, but they eventually land at Ellis Island where their father is waiting.

Keywords: anticipation, boat, christmas, freedom, geography, holidays, immigrants, multicultural, polish, separation, transportation, travel

Oley the sea monster | by Hall, Marie Ets

Young Oley, the harbor seal, is separated from his mother near the shore and ends up on display in the Midwest. Oley soon grows homesick and is set free. However, before Oley is able to be reunited with his mother, he accidently causes everyone to think he is a sea monster.

Keywords: animals, boat, bodies of water, careers, conflict resolution, geography, lake, lost, monsters, newspaper, nonverbal communication, ocean, reunion, seal, storytelling, swimming, transportation

Hooway for wodney wat | by Lester, Helen

Rodney Rat is constantly made fun of by his classmates because he cannot pronounce his r's. Rodney saves the day and earns respect fromhis classmates when he saves them from the class bully.

Keywords: alliteration, animals, bully, conflict resolution, feelings, geography, numbers, peer resistance, playground, rat, sadness, school, self esteem, shyness, speech, teasing

The cloud eater | by Reeves, Katherine

Henry and his dog, Laura, live and travel with the circus. When a problem occurs with their newest member, a giraffe, Henry has to do some critical thinking to solve the problem. Henry becomes friends with the cloud eater in the process.

Keywords: african, animals, assertiveness, bones, books, car, circus, clouds, clowns, conflict resolution, cooperation, critical thinking, decision making, dog, elephant, family, geography, giraffe, horse, library, lion, monkey, multicultural, nature, nonverbal communication, parents, squirrel, stress management, teamwork, tiger, train, transportation, travel, verbal communication

Wilson's world | by Hurd, Edith Thacher

Wilson paints a picture of a beautiful world that becomes overrun by too many cities and people. Wilson decides the world he has painted is not suitable to live in and begins to paint what he wants his world to look like.

Keywords: animals, art, bodies of water, car, caterpillar, change, community, critical thinking, dinosaur, disappointment, environment, feelings, geography, happiness, history, insects, monkey, motorcycle, nonverbal communication, plants, river, sea, stress management, transportation, worm

Ellen's lion | by Johnson, Crockett

Twelve different stories teach lessons of politeness, geography, and life experiences. A young girl named Ellen is aided by her stuffed animal who helps her on her journey.

Keywords: animals, caring, companion, conflict resolution, decision making, differences, feelings, geography, kindness, lion, manners, storytelling, verbal communication

Tomorrow on rocky pond | by Reiser, Lynn

A child can't wait to go fishing on Rocky Pond so she can see animals and have picnics. It's a day full of adventure and fun.

Keywords: adventures, amphibians, animals, beaver, birds, boat, bodies of water, clothing, deer, dragonfly, duck, exercise, family, fish, fishing, five senses, food, frog, geography, insects, listening, maps, moose, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, observation, owl, parents, picnic, pond, rabbit, recreation, siblings, smell, spider, swimming, taste, touch, transportation, walking, woods

Which is willy? | by Bright, Robert

Willy the penguin wants to be different. He goes to the city, but he is too different than the people there. So he goes back to the South Pole and discovers he is different because of what he is inside.

As the crow flies: A first book of maps | by Hartman, Gail

The eagle has its favorite place to go, just like the rabbit, crow, horse, and seagull. All the animals do different things during their daily routines, but live in harmony under the same sky.

Keywords: activities, animals, birds, closeness, community, critical thinking, crow, day, direction, eagle, environment, geography, maps, moon, nonverbal communication, rabbit, self esteem

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