Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Bird | by Elliot, Zetta

Mehkai struggles with the challenges of life: death of his grandfather and his older brother's drug addition. He soon learns how to cope and manage his stress through drawing. In fact, drawing is an outlet for Bird's emotions and imagination. Mehkai learns the benefits of perseverance, hard work, and family.

Keywords: african american, aggression, airplane, art, birds, buildings, crime, day, death, decision making, drawing, dreams, drugs, emotions, family, feelings, grandparents, hard work, imagination, instruments, loss, museum, music, park, problem solving, relationship, robbery, school, siblings, storytelling, stress management, technology

Arthur's new power | by Hoban, Russell

Arthur's family uses too much electricity and keeps blowing fuses. So Arthur, the chimp, learns how to use water power and he makes a generator for the family to use

Keywords: cooperation, critical thinking, family, hard work, learning, technology

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

Arthur's birthday party | by Hoban, Lilliam

Arthur's determination to have the best birthday party and be the best all-around gymnast causes him to be inconsiderate of the feelings of his sister and friends. When Arthur forgets to be fair and have fun at the competition, his younger sister is quick to point out that each chimpanzee has his or her own special skill to be honored with a medal at the birthday competition.

Dakota dugout | by Turner, Ann

A woman tells her grandchild about the hard times she and her husband had on the Dakota prairie. The first year was hard, but then the corn grew and they were able to build a house and buy dresses.

Keywords: clothing, family, farm, grandparents, hard work, marriage, pioneers, plants, seasons, shelter, storytelling

The silver slippers | by Koda-Callan, Elizabeth

A young girl is always out of step, but wishes to become a prima ballerina. Her mother gives her a silver slipper charm which raises her confidence to meet her dreams.

Keywords: assertiveness, conflict resolution, dancing, decision making, dreams, exercise, family, fear, feelings, goal setting, hard work, parents, performance, presents, recreation, self confidence, self esteem

Shaker boy | by Ray, Mary Lyn

At age six, Celeb comes to live with the Shakers and he spends the rest of his life in their unique culture. He learns their ways, their songs, and is inspired by angels.

Keywords: angel, animals, autumn, birds, chicken, cow, dancing, death, faith, family, food, goal setting, god, hard work, helping, manners, multicultural, music, mythical, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, parents, school, seasons, self esteem, shakers, siblings, skills, song, spring, summer, taste, toys, verbal communication, winter, woods

The whispering cloth | by Shea, Pegi Deitz

Mai loves to watch her grandmother and others sew something called a pa'ndau, a cloth from Thailand that tells of someone's story. Mai wants to learn how to stitch and spends much time practicing, but needs to find a story that goes along with her own pa'ndau. Find out what she comes up with.

Keywords: accomplishment, asian, clothing, family, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, language, multicultural, sewing, storytelling

Wilma unlimited | by Krull, Kathleen

As a young girl, Wilma Rudolph contracted polio. Through hard work, she is able to walk without her leg brace. She plays basketball in high school, goes to college on a track scholarship, and wins three gold medals in the 100, 200, and 4x100 meter dashes.

Keywords: african american, determination, disability, exercise, hard work, multicultural, olympics, persistence, running, sports

The secret of the stones | by San Souci, Robert D.

John and Clara work very hard all day, but they have no children to love. One night Clara finds two little white stones and brings them home with her. When they came home the next night all of the chores had been done, and John and Clara must find out who their helpers are and how to help them!

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, bones, cabin, chicken, conflict resolution, cow, decision making, escape, farm, folktale, food, hard work, magic, multicultural, nutrition, orphan, poverty, rocks, song, stream, verbal communication

Rocks in my pockets | by Harshman, M.//Collins, B.

The Woods family is a poor, farming family who lives on top of a windy mountain. They have little food, clothes, or money, but they work hard on the farm. They all carry rocks in their pockets while farming to keep their skinny bodies from blowing away. They also use rocks to heat and keep them warm in the winter. The rocks become shiny and smooth and are sold for money.

Keywords: clothing, family, food, geology, grandparents, hard work, helping, kindness, learning, money, parents, poverty, rocks, self esteem, siblings

Birdie's lighthouse | by Hopkinson, Deborah

Ten year-old Bertha, daughter of a lighthouse keeper, receives a diary for her birthday. She records significant family events such as their relocation to rugged Turtle Island and the time when her brother went to sea for a long time.

Keywords: author's note, birds, birthday, boat, bodies of water, bravery, calendar, careers, challenges, change, courage, diary, family, fishing, fog, growing up, hard work, helping, heroism, island, light, moving, ocean, recreation, responsibilities, sea, seagull, seal, ship, storytelling, stress management, transportation, verbal communication, weather, writing

Roberto the insect architect | by Laden, Nina

Being an architect is tough when you are a termite. But with hard work and dedication, Roberto is determined to become one.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, ambition, ant, architecture, assertiveness, bee, beetle, bias, buildings, butterfly, careers, caring, creativity, critical thinking, dedication, determination, disappointment, discrimination, dreams, flea, fly, friendship, goal setting, habitat, hard work, insects, ladybug, museum, newspaper, patience, photograph, self confidence, self esteem, spider, technology, termite, tick, time, tools

I have heard of a land | by Thomas, Joyce Carol

Moving across country must have been very hard. Pioneers often picked up their belongings and moved on toward a common goal: starting a new life!

In the middle of the night | by Henderson, Kathy

In the middle of the night while most people are asleep, some people are hard at work. For example, janitors, astronomers, bakers, postal workers, and parents of newborns.

Keywords: astronomy, baby, careers, critical thinking, differences, food, hard work, night, nutrition, parents, sleep

A good morning's work | by Zimelman, Nathan

When Mitsuo hoes his garden, he finds rare things in nature which he tries not to harm. All the while, his dad makes sure he's working.

Keywords: asian, beauty, critical thinking, decision making, family, garden, hard work, multicultural, nature, nonverbal communication, parents, plants, responsibilities, sight, sun, verbal communication

Miss nelson is missing! | by Allard, Harry//Marshall, James

The kids in Miss Nelson's class were misbehaving. They were so awful Miss Nelson decided to have a new teacher, Miss Swamp, come in the next day. She was a very mean teacher that made them do a lot of work. The kids missed Miss Nelson, so they looked for her. A couple of days later, Miss Nelson came back and the kids all behaved for her. She will now tell them that she was Miss Swamp.

Keywords: conflict resolution, coping, hard work, misbehavior, school

Ethan's favorite teacher | by Colman, Hila

A boy hates school because it is boring and the teachers never answer his questions. He would prefer to spend his time ate the zoo playing tic tac toe with an ape. Doing this, he works hard to learn how to beat the ape because he's having fun. He overcomes the doubts of his peers and teacher.

Keywords: animals, ape, assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, games, goal setting, hard work, learning, peer resistance, play, recreation, refusal skills, school, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Tsugele's broom | by Carey, Valerie Scho

A young girl is pressured by her parents to get married but she wants to find a man who is as reliable as her broom. Her broom turns into the man of her dreams and she marries him.

Keywords: decision making, hard work, helping, laziness, marriage, refusal skills, self esteem

Armien's fishing trip | by Stock, Catherine

A boy struggles to find his own place among the hard working people of Kalk Bay in Southern Africa.

Keywords: african, assertiveness, bodies of water, careers, decision making, hard work, multicultural, ocean, peer resistance

Browse Abstracts (156 total)