Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

On Sophia's seventh birthday, her grandfather gave her an olive tree. Sophia is a little disappointed by the gift and doesn't understand why her grandfather would give her an olive tree that she can't even see. After all, it is Greece and she lives in California! It isn't until her grandfather passes away that Sophia truly understands the importance and meaning of the gift when she and her mother visit the olive tree in Greece.

Children from all backgrounds move and dance to different rhythms of their culture. Dances range from tap to folk dances and from Native American dance to Tibetan dance. There are many forms, types, and styles of dance a person can do to express their emotions. There are different dances for men, women, animals, and puppets too!

Montsho struggles with the dark color of his skin. Everything around him that is black is considered bad. Thankfully, Muntsho's grandfather teaches him to appreciate his black skin by telling him stories about his African heritage.

The House of Wisdom, an ancient library in Baghdad, is the center for new ideas and a quest for knowledge from all parts of the world. As scholars study and translate the ancient manuscripts, one boy, Ishaq, learns the wisdom on Aristotle through his expedition and a special book.

When the family donkey finally has its baby, Niki can hardly wait to call the donkey her own. She is disappointed, though, when Niki's father insists that they sell the donkey. Through hard work and determination, Niki earns the money to buy the donkey from her dad!

When a child moves to a new school it can be frightening. Mari not only moved to a new school, but a new culture as well. Mari uses painted pictures to communicate her words and recalls her life through spoken memories.

Anayida falls asleep and dreams of baking baklava. When she buys the honey, she drops some of it on the sidewalk. A bee lands on the honey and a cat chases the bee. A dog chases the cat and they all run through the town. The whole town is turned upside down because of one drop of honey.