Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Still dreaming = Seguimos sonando | by Martinez, Claudia Guadalupe

Many workers from Mexico leave their homeland with their families to a land of opportunity where they dream to live a life without borders. A young boy and his parents drive their car far away until there are no city lights. Papa sings a sweet sad song on the side of the road where there are other people at a campfire. The boy eventually learns that the laborers worked in Alaska, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, and Chicago, and they cross the border together to find answers to their dreams.

Keywords: america, author's note, border, butterfly, California, car, farmer, fishing, food, geography, hard work, history, immigrants, language, maps, Mexico, moon, music, neighbors, newspaper, ship, sleep, spanish, stars, train, transportation, travel

Someone builds the dream | by Wheeler, sa

Many skilled workers, craftsmen, and tradesmen help to build each dream of a community in order for it to become a house, a park, or a bridge. After many many examples of how dreams are made and constructed, you learn how an author and illustrator are also a dream team that makes a book for you.

Keywords: books, bridge, buildings, careers, computer, construction, dreams, energy, hard work, library, machines, playground, reading, science, teamwork, technology, tools, tractor, transportation, truck

Strong | by Kearney, Rob & Rosewood, Eric

Rob dreams of becoming a champion strongman because his favorite sport was weightlifting. But there are lots of ways to be strong because he had to learn to overcome unkind words and criticisms for how he liked to dress in rainbow clothing with strong, bold colors. He trained hard and lifted huge tires, boulders, sandbags, and cars, so he could become the strongest man in the world. And one day we did just that by lifting a log over this head and was named the strongest person in North America!

Keywords: clothing, competition, differences, exercise, friendship, hard work, homosexuality, sports, weightlifting

A different pond | by Phi, Bao

A young boy accompanies his dad to catch fish for food before the sunrises and before other family members awake. The dad tells the bait man at the all-night store that he is starting a second job. The boy meets a Hmong man and a black man who are also fishing -- but this time, it is just the boy and his dad under the starlit sky. The boy learns to make a fire and to bait his hook and to honor the stories of his Dad as he explains how life was in Vietnam when he was a boy. When they return home, the dad and mom head to work while the boy looks after his brothers and sisters.

Keywords: african american, author's note, bicycle, bodies of water, counting, feelings, fire, fishing, food, hard work, hmong, illustrator's note, language, learning, loss, morning, multicultural, photograph, pond, poverty, refugee, responsibilities, sadness, siblings, sleep, storytelling, teeth, tree, vietnamese, war, work

Ain't nobody a stranger to me | by Grifalconi, Ann

As a girl and her grandfather walk to the family’s apple orchard, grandfather shares his experiences as a slave to explain how the apple orchard came to be. Her grandfather traveled north in pursuit of freedom and encountered members of the Underground Railroad who helped their family by providing food, shelter, and transportation. This allowed her grandfather, grandmother, and mother to cross the Ohio River and gain freedom, working until they had enough money to buy land and start their own apple orchard.

Keywords: ambition, bodies of water, challenges, courage, freedom, future, grandparents, growth, happiness, hard work, helping, kindness, memories, neighbors, plants, progress, protection, river, shelter, slavery, tree, underground railroad

My dentist, my friend | by Hallinan, P.K.

Take a tour through the sights, sounds, and care of the friendly dentist's office! After spending time in the waiting room and visiting with the oral hygienist, the children are seen by the dentist. Some of their teeth may need to get some x-ray scans during the dental checkup. After a successful appointment, the children are given the knowledge and tools to practice oral health behaviors at home.

Keywords: appearance, careers, critical thinking, dentist, education, hard work, health, helping, hygiene, nonverbal communication, responsibilities, role model, routine, teamwork, tools, verbal communication, work

My doctor, my friend | by Hallinan, P.K.

Explore the sights, sounds, and care that kids experience at the doctor's office. After explaining why they go to the doctor for a medical check-up, the children describe the different tests that are performed at every appointment to diagnose their illness. Afterwards, the children are much less afraid about going to the doctor. Kids want to feel better so they like going to their check-ups to see their doctor.

Keywords: appearance, careers, critical thinking, doctor, education, hard work, health, helping, hygiene, nonverbal communication, responsibilities, role model, routine, teamwork, tools, verbal communication, work

A day in the life of a dentist | by Adamson, Heather

Dr. Fong provides readers with an outline of what she does in her job as a dentist. Starting at the beginning of her day, Dr. Fong describes the various articles of clothing that she and the other office staff wears. This includes office managers and hygienists, who help the dentist when she cares for her patients. After eating her lunch, Dr. Fong demonstrates various techniques, including x-ray imaging and models, that she uses to visualize a patient's mouth. Finally, Dr. Fong shows the tools she uses when examining a patient and describes the importance of visiting dentists, like her,…

Keywords: appearance, careers, critical thinking, dentist, education, hard work, helping, history, hygiene, nonverbal communication, photographs, responsibilities, role model, routine, teamwork, teeth, tools, verbal communication, work

Brothers of the knight | by Allen, Debbie

Twelve brothers magically disappear every night even though their door is locked. Their father hires a housekeeper to figure out the mystery of his boys. She learns to listen, which turns out to be more powerful than simply solving a mystery.

Keywords: african american, bedtime, careers, church, conflict resolution, dancing, deception, exercise, family, generations, hard work, magic, multicultural, music, mystery, parents, relationship, secrets, siblings, stress management

Things that sometimes happen | by Avi

This collection of short stories are exaggerated to intrigue your imagination. The stories are full of odd events involving animals, traveling, and much more.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, adventures, animals, appearance, bear, beverage, camel, car, cat, critical thinking, decision making, dragons, elephant, excitement, feelings, friendship, goal setting, happiness, hard work, hippopotamus, home, humor, illness, imagination, individuality, kindness, monkey, repetition, self esteem, storytelling, success, teamwork, tiger, transportation, travel, verbal communication, water, weather

The patchwork quilt | by Flournoy, Valerie

Tanya loves spending time with her Grandma. Grandma teaches Tanya the importance of using old scraps of material to make unique and warm quilts. One day Grandma gets sick before the quilt is complete. Tanya must help Grandma finish the quilt.

Keywords: activities, african american, art, cooking, dancing, family, friendship, generations, grandparents, halloween, hard work, holidays, illness, patience, quilt, seasons, sharing, trust

Armadilly chili | by Ketteman, Helen

Billie decides to make armadilly chili. She asks her friends to help her but they are all busy and do not want to help. After Billie makes the chili, all of her friends knock on her door. Billie will not let them eat because they wouldn't help. She soon realizes her chili is missing something: her friends!

Degas and the little dancer: A story about Edgar Degas | by Anholt, Laurence

Marie dreams of being a famous dancer until one day her chance of being in the Christmas show diminishes when her father becomes ill. Marie begins to model for a painter to earn money for her family's lost income. One day, Maria's sculpture shows up in the art museum and becomes the famed sculpture of Edgar Degas.

Keywords: apology, art, careers, dancing, disappointment, dreams, excitement, fame, fear, hard work, illness, loneliness, museum, opera, poverty, practice, school, security, sympathy, teaching

God bless the child | by Holiday, Billie & Herzog, Arthur Jr.

Each day is a work day for which to be thankful and grateful. There's a lot of work to be done on this land. It's time to go and experience the city life up north where things are different. Dream on, my child!

Keywords: closeness, community, education, emotions, exploration, family, feelings, hard work, migration, parents, playing, reading, separation, siblings, skills, transportation, travel, wealth, work, worry

The blue ribbon day | by Couric, Katie

Ellie and Carrie are best friends in the second grade. They do everything together and this year they are trying out for the soccer team. Carrie does not make the team and feels left out. She finds a new hobby, the science fair.

Keywords: challenges, competition, confidence, feelings, friendship, goal setting, hard work, school, science, soccer, sports

The goat lady | by Bregoli, Jane

Two young children new to Lucy Little Road, help us reveal the simple yet important life of the goat lady; a life that many people in the town despise. Through the children's time spent helping the goat lady, they learn of her vast life experiences. It isn't until after the children's mother takes portraits of the goat lady, that the rest of the town see waht a truly wonderful person the goat lady is.

Keywords: acceptance, aging, animals, appreciation, art, assertiveness, barn, birds, cold, companion, coping, critical thinking, curiosity, decision making, discovery, emotions, environment, food, friendship, goal setting, goat, hard work, home, illness, listening, loyalty, neighbors, nonverbal communication, pets, pride, relationship, respect, support, teaching, trust, verbal communication

The milkman | by Cordsen, Carol Foskett

A milkman delivers eggs, milk and ice cream to various people in a small community. While on his route, he discovers a sign that says lost dog. He begins to look for the dog along the way.

Keywords: animals, community, critical thinking, dog, family, food, hard work, helping, lost, morning, neighbors, nonverbal communication, nutrition, rhyme, transportation, verbal communication

Five trucks | by Floca, Brian

A little boy observes how five different trucks assist in the preparation and take-off of his airplane. Description of the trucks and their duties are very clear. It takes many people working together to complete the goal of take-off!

Keywords: airplane, careers, cooperation, counting, critical thinking, diversity, fly, goal setting, hard work, machines, nonverbal communication, skills, tractor, transportation, travel, truck, verbal communication, work

Alec's primer | by Pitts-Walter, Mildred

Alec was a slave who wanted to be free. Ms. Josephine, one of his masters and three years older than him, told Alic if he wanted to be free he needed to learn to read. Ms. Josephine taught him to read and when Alec was old enough he couragously fights in the Civil War and obtained his freedom.

Keywords: accomplishment, african american, alphabet, ambition, assertiveness, author's note, biography, books, courage, critical thinking, freedom, goal setting, hard work, learning, multicultural, museum, peace, photograph, prejudice, racism, reading, self esteem, slavery, verbal communication, war

A song for ba | by Yee, Paul

A young, ambitious boy spends a lot of time with his grandfather learning how to sing and follow in the footsteps of his father who travels with a Chinese opera troupe. Wei, the little boy, loves to go to the opera and watch his father perform hoping one day, he too, will be a star. Through difficult times and financial loss, a young boy comes to the rescue of both his father and his cultural background.

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