Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The lighthouse cat | by Stainton, Sue

In an old lighthouse, the keeper strives to keep the twenty-four candles burning, by tending to them every half hour. He was lonely until the day he was nose to nose with a cat. They both tended to the lighthouse together. On a dark and stormy night, the rapid wind blew the candles out. The cat called for other cats to help light the lighthouse with their yellow bright eyes.

Keywords: animals, birds, boat, bodies of water, careers, cat, change, critical thinking, direction, feelings, food, happiness, lighthouse, nonverbal communication, rain, sea, seagull, storm, teamwork, transportation, weather

My sister's wedding | by Mkatshaw, Dumazile

Nhlanhla is getting married and her cousin, Priscilla, is going to sing at the ceremony. The day before the ceremony Priscilla loses her voice. Priscillaﾒs family comes up with many different remedies, including eating raw eggs and drinking hot garlic. Upset, Priscilla cries over her lost voice and sits down on a box of pins! With a hearty scream, her voice returns and she can sing for the wedding.

Keywords: animals, celebration, critical thinking, family, feelings, five senses, flood, happiness, love, nonverbal communication, porcupine, pride, problem solving, sewing, sounds, taste, touch

Cluck's clock | by Gray, Kes

Day begins on the farm at 4 o'clock in the morning. The chickens stretch and begin breakfast followed by laying their eggs from 6 to 8 oﾒclock. At 2 o'clock, they play a game of hide-and-seek, and then visit the horses before dinner. As the sun sets, the chickens return to the coop and await the fox. When the fox arrives, a chicken lures him to a hole in the door then dirt is thrown on him to scare him away. At midnight, the chickens say good night.

Keywords: animals, birds, chicken, day, dog, duck, exercise, farm, fear, feelings, fox, happiness, horse, morning, night, nonverbal communication, numbers, sequence, time, tractor, transportation, walking

Elephant prince: The story of Ganesh | by Novesky, Amy

In this mythical story, that takes place in India, a girl grows up listening to her motherﾒs and grandmotherﾒs stories. As a princess, she meets her love and is married. He promises her a baby and has one within a year. When gods gather around the babyﾒs head vanishes. Another god helps save the baby with the help of an elephant offering his life. The little boy was saved and became the elephant prince, listening to his motherﾒs stories everyday.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, baby, bodies of water, elephant, family, feelings, god, goddess, happiness, india, loneliness, love, marriage, multicultural, mythical, parents, presents, river, sadness, storytelling, stress management, verbal communication, wish

Monster meets lady monster | by Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy are cleaning the house when the little boy sees a lady monster outside. Monster is happy and freshens up before asking the lady monster if he can play with her. The two monsters play together and fall in love.

Keywords: beauty, cleanliness, companion, excitement, feelings, goal setting, happiness, love, monsters, nonverbal communication, playing, relationship, sadness, success, verbal communication

Monster goes to the beach | by Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

On a nice sunny day, Monster and the little boy and little girl go to the beach. While relaxing near the water, all the children came over to ask Monster to play hide and seek. Monster hides, but the children always find him. They tell Monster to hide where he cannot be found, so he covers himself with sand. When the children canﾒt find him, they play on a sand hill. Soon, a boy begins to dig in the sand and found Monster.

Keywords: beach, bodies of water, bus, conflict resolution, critical thinking, feelings, food, glasses, happiness, monsters, newspaper, peace, reading, relaxation, sun, umbrella, verbal communication

Desser the best ever cat | by Smith, Margaret

A little girl learns all about the hardships of losing a pet. However, her love for Desser is not lost in his death. Instead, she chooses to keep her memories of Desser alive. Even after Ginger, the new kitten, joins the family the little girl still chooses to remember Desser as the best ever cat

Keywords: aging, animals, cat, companion, death, decision making, family, feelings, growing up, happiness, loss, memories, parents, pets, sadness, siblings, stress management

Monster and the toy sale | by Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy see an ad in the newspaper that reads ﾓTOY SALE TODAY!ﾔ Together, they bicycle to the store. On their journey, they are very helpful to others. Monster and the little boy serve as policemen to direct traffic, and as mangers at the toy store. They are so busy that they run out of time to shop for their own toys. Everyone is grateful for their unselfish behavior.

Jazzy Miz Mozetta | by Roberts, Brenda C.

One night Miz Mozetta decided that she felt like dancing. Her friends outside made excuses not to dance and the children across the street would not let her. Miz Mozetta sulks to her room, but soon enough her friends and the children show up in her memories ready to dance the jitterbug all night long.

Keywords: african american, aging, bedtime, beverage, clothing, colors, conflict resolution, dancing, exercise, feelings, friendship, happiness, memories, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, radio, sadness, sounds, verbal communication

Sometimes my mommy gets angry | by Campbell, Bebe Moore

When Annie wakes up in the morning, she is relieved to find her euphoric mother in the kitchen. They share a healthy breakfast, then her mother helps her get ready for school. After a fun day at school, Annie comes home to an angry and yelling mother. Annie copes by calling her grandmother to talk about her feelings. She takes care of herself and maintains a positive attitude with happy thoughts. She uses effective strategies to accept her motherﾒs bipolar disorder.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, affection, african american, anger, art, behavior, bipolar, body parts, caring, challenges, conflict resolution, confusion, coping, crisis, decision making, discipline, disobedience, emotions, empathy, encouragement, family, feelings, food, friendship, grandparents, happiness, health, helping, illness, independence, kindness, love, memory, misbehavior, moods, morning, neighbors, night, nonverbal communication, parents, pretend, rain, rhyme, sadness, school, stress management, sun, support, sympathy, teaching, teasing, understanding, verbal communication, walking, weather

Apples to oregon | by Hopkinson, Deborah

Loosely based on a true pioneer story, this tale describes the trip of apples across the country. When Papa decides to travel the Oregon Trail, he refuses to leave his beloved fruits, especially the apples. Building a wagon to carry his trees, the family forges rivers, endures hailstorms and droughts, and deals with nasty Jack Frost. Papa has the help of his children (and their clothing) to save his trees.

Keywords: animals, bodies of water, critical thinking, decision making, desert, exercise, family, feelings, food, frost, gold rush, happiness, history, instruments, maps, ox, parents, plants, relief, river, sadness, siblings, stress management, swimming, transportation, wagon, weather, wind

Food for thought: The complete book of concepts for growing minds | by Freymann, Saxton

Fruits and vegetables are strategically carved to emulate people and animals in order to teach shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites. Readers can learn these skills while being entertained by the creative use of healthy foods.

Keywords: airplane, alphabet, animals, ant, birds, cat, colors, counting, dog, duck, elephant, feelings, fish, flowers, food, frog, giraffe, guinea pig, happiness, insects, kangaroo, letters, numbers, opposites, penguin, sadness, shapes, sheep, sizes, snake, turtle, umbrella

So happy! | by Henkes, Kevin

A magic seed was planted, a rabbit wandered, and a little boy just wanted something to do. Just before it began to rain the seed became thirsty, the rabbit was lost, and the little boy was bored. The rain brought happiness to the boy and left the rabbit wet and scared. As the seed grew, the boy built a bridge to reach it and the rabbit used it to cross the creek to return to his family. The little boy returned home with the flower that grew from the seed as a present to his mother.

Keywords: animals, bodies of water, boredom, creek, family, fear, feelings, happiness, imagination, magic, multicultural, native american, nonverbal communication, parents, plants, rabbit, rain, seed, sun, weather

My teacher for president | by Winters, Kay

Oliver writes a letter to the local news station to nominate his teacher for president in the next election. He thinks she meets the requirements because she signs important papers, likes white houses, goes to meetings, acts quickly in a crisis, is used to being followed around, wants peace, cares for people and the environment, goes on trips, and deals with the media. The only downfall is he doesnﾒt want her to leave before the end of the year.

I like myself! | by Beaumont, Karen

An African American girl tells about the characteristics she likes about herself and the different circumstances in which she likes herself. She is proud of herself no matter where she is or what silly things she is doing. She knows what really counts is inside her and shares this knowledge in an energetic story with imaginative illustrations.

Keywords: african american, appreciation, assertiveness, body parts, confidence, differences, feelings, happiness, individuality, multicultural, nonverbal communication, rhyme, rhythm, self confidence, self esteem, stress management, uniqueness

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

The biggest soap | by Shaefer, Carole

Kessy loved to listen to stories told by his Mama and his cousins on laundry days. One laundry day, Kessy is asked to go to the store and bring back the biggest piece of laundry soap. Kessy returns and tells his story about the biggest soap.

Keywords: accidents, assertiveness, beach, cleanliness, clothing, colors, decision making, exercise, family, feelings, happiness, helping, injury, kindness, monsters, parents, peer resistance, play, running, sadness, storytelling, verbal communication, water

My first Chinese New Year | by Katz, Karen

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year! A Chinese child is getting ready for the Chinese New Year by decorating the walls with red, making an alter to honor ancestors, getting a new dress to wear, and getting a haircut to start the new year off fresh and new. They eat a New Year's Eve feast for the good health and finally the New Year's parade with lion dancers, drummers, and the dragon! Then, they wish each other Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Keywords: animals, beauty, china, chinese, clothing, dancing, dragons, family, feelings, food, grandparents, happiness, health, holidays, language, lion, money, multicultural, new year, nutrition, parade, parents, party, plants, self esteem, siblings, verbal communication, wish

Marsupial Sue | by Lithgow, John

Marsupial Sue is not a happy kangaroo. She does not enjoy the things kangaroos do. Marsupial Sue decides to go explore and find the place where she belongs. She tries to fit in with many other groups of animals. She finally discovers the place where she is happiest.

Keywords: animals, autumn, birds, bodies of water, climbing, conflict resolution, decision making, exercise, feelings, freedom, goal setting, happiness, health, hopping, illness, kangaroo, koala, learning, music, nonverbal communication, platypus, sadness, sand, sea, self esteem, song, summer, verbal communication, wallaby

Home now | by Beake, Lesley

How can Sieta feel happy with so many sad pictures inside her head? She remembers her real home far away over the mountains, her parents getting sick, and Aunty taking her to live in a new place she calls Home Now. There Sieta meets another orphan with memories like her own.

Keywords: africa, animals, community, death, diseases, elephant, empathy, family, feelings, flowers, friendship, happiness, home, illness, memories, orphan, parents, sadness, stars, sympathy

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