Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Silent movie | by Avi,

This black and white picture book vividly portrays a historical time when immigrants set sail for America. They hope for better lives and dream of prosperity. This journey comes from the immigrant's perspective, in the form of a movie, where language is a not a barrier.

Keywords: america, author's note, family, feelings, film, history, hope, illustrator's note, immigrants, language, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, poverty, sadness, shelter, siblings, sizes, stress management, sweden, symbols, theatre

On Noah's ark | by Brett, Jan

In preparation of the rains, Noah's granddaughter helps her family read the Ark and animals. Two-by-two the beautiful animals crowd into the Ark and she keeps herself busy making the animals comfortable hoping for the rains to stop.

Keywords: activities, animals, anticipation, birds, bodies of water, coping, determination, direction, dove, emotions, excitement, family, feelings, generations, grandparents, history, hope, preparation, rain, rainbow, religion, spiritual, stress management

Alicia has a bad day | by Jahn-Clough, Lisa

Since Alicia is typically a very happy little girl that likes to be silly, she does not like the miserable feeling she experiences one morning. Alicia first handles her emotions by sitting and moping. Later she goes outside to write about her dark and dreary feelings in her notebook, only to be interrupted by a storm. After some alone time under her bed and a lick from her dog, Alizie realizes the world is not so lugubrious and goes outside to play.

Keywords: anger, animals, awareness, clouds, coping, creativity, dog, emotions, feelings, hope, language, pets, playing, rain, sadness, weather, wood

The remembering stone | by Russell, Barbara Timberlake

As Ana holds the speckled lava stone (the remembering stone) that her mother has given her, she falls asleep and dreams of being able to fly like the blackbirds in their garden to her mother's homeland of Costa Rica to see their family. She awakens in the morning and joins her mother as they greet the blackbirds in their garden. Ana can almost feel herself lifting off the ground as they take flight.

Keywords: birds, blackbird, celebration, costa rica, culture, dreams, family, feelings, food, friendship, grandparents, hispanic, hope, jewelry, language, multicultural, nutrition, parents, travel, vocabulary

Hunter bunny saves Easter | by Weaver, Alexis Rae

Hunter Bunny, made fun of because of his limp leg, meets Clark, the duck who has trouble seeing and the two become best friends. The night before Easter, the two find the Easter bunny lying on the ground and it is now up to them to deliver the baskets around town. After successfully saving Easter, the return to the forest to find all the animals praising and cheering for them.

Keywords: animals, baby, differences, disability, discrimination, duck, easter, family, feelings, friendship, glasses, handicap, happiness, helping, heroism, holidays, hope, injury, learning, loneliness, moods, parents, playing, rabbit, sadness, siblings, sight, surprises, swimming, teaching, teasing, vision

Henrietta and the golden eggs | by Johansen, Hanna

Once upon a time, 3,333 chickens lived in a small, crowded chikcen yard and everyday Henrietta, the baby chicken, finds a way out and everyone follows. Soon the manager builds a large, open chicken house and Henrietta lays her first egg.

Keywords: celebration, chicken, colors, cow, escape, farm, five senses, frog, growing up, hope, noise, numbers, pond, practice, running, running away, sight, smell, sounds, swimming, water

Trudi & Pia | by Hegi, Ursula

Trudi dreams of being tall and feels there are no other dwarfs like her until she meets Pia who teaches her to accept the way she is and that she is not alone. Pia talks about when other drawfs from around the world in Russia, Italy, France and Portugal, Trudi learns to feel normal and beautiful.

Keywords: acceptance, animals, bicycle, birds, bravery, circus, clowns, courage, differences, dwarfs, elephant, fantasy, growing up, height, hope, imagination, lion, monkey, multicultural, night, parrot, sizes, skills, sleep, stars, uniqueness

Sky boys: How they built the empire state building | by Hopkinson, Deborah

A boy watches in amazement as the Empire State Building is built. When the building is completed he goes to the top with his father to see all of the New York City.

Keywords: accomplishment, ambition, architecture, beliefs, buildings, careers, ceremony, construction, day, determination, excitement, family, feelings, goal setting, hope, money, night, parents, sequence, sky, tools, transportation, truck, verbal communication, wish

Willie and the all-stars | by Cooper, Floyd

Willie is a young African American boy who learns about discrimination against black baseball players. Willie's fear of prejudice will prevent him from being a famous baseball player. Willie receives tickets to attend a Negro league game and realizes that maybe his dream is possible.

Keywords: accomplishment, african american, baseball, bat, body parts, buildings, car, celebration, creativity, discrimination, dreams, friendship, games, grandparents, history, hope, imagination, multicultural, neighbors, practice, prejudice, presents, pretend, radio, relationship

Lift every voice and sing | by Johnsson, James Weldan

Lift every voice puts pictures to the African American National Anthem. The lyrics tell the story of Black people's past struggles and the hope that Blacks will continue to have towards their future.

Keywords: africa, african american, bodies of water, body parts, courage, culture, day, diversity, family, fear, freedom, god, history, hope, illustrator's note, moon, multicultural, music, night, poetry, pride, relationship, rhythm, running, sea, ship, singing, sky, song, tree, violence, water

Wish come true cat | by Scamell, Ragnhild

The unlikely answer to a wish is a scruffy old cat that has to win the heart of a little girl. It takes a cold snowy day to make his wish come true.

Keywords: acceptance, affection, animals, appearance, attention, cat, communication, companion, conflict resolution, disappointment, friendship, homeless, hope, hunger, kindness, mistake, nonverbal communication, opposites, persistence, sadness, selfishness, snow, sounds, stars, understanding, uniqueness, wish

Sumi's first day of school ever | by Pak, Soyung

On Sumiﾒs first day of school, she experiences loneliness because she doesnﾒt know anyone and doesnﾒt understand the language of the other children. She also thinks school is a scary and mean place because the other children are loud and one boy even sticks his tongue out at her! Eventually, Sumiﾒs nice teacher makes her feel comfortable in her new environment. After meeting a new friend at recess, Sumi recognizes that school is not as lonely, scary, or mean as she originally thought.

Keywords: change, critical thinking, drawing, emotions, encouragement, family, feelings, friendship, helping, hope, korean, loneliness, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, playground, school, shyness, stress management, teaching, teasing, verbal communication

Silver threads | by Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk

Ivan and Anna flee from Ukraine and sail to Canada where they are promised land for farming. They begin a new life, but Canada soon joins World War I. Ivan tries to fight for Canada in the war, but they take him as a prisoner instead. Years pass and Anna waits alone until Ivan finally returns to the farm from an internment camp

Keywords: assertiveness, canada, christmas, conflict resolution, cooperation, escape, farm, food, history, holidays, hope, immigrants, love, loyalty, multicultural, patience, prayer, spider, stress management, ukrainian, war

The old africa | by Lester, Julius

An elderly slave uses the power of his mind to ease the suffering of his fellow slaves and eventually lead them back to Africa

Keywords: africa, african, boat, bodies of water, escape, farm, fear, feelings, freedom, history, hope, nonverbal communication, ocean, sadness, slavery, stress management, transportation, travel

I dream of trains | by Johnson, Angela

A young boy from Mississippi listens for the sound of the train whistle while doing his work as a sharecropper. As he picks cotton, he dreams of someday leaving on a train. He refers to the train whistle as a call to his soul.

Keywords: accidents, careers, dreams, family, farm, friendship, geography, hard work, history, hope, multicultural, parents, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, stress management, train, transportation

A castle on Viola street | by Disalvo, Dyanne

Andy's family lives in a small, cramped apartment, and his parents work long hours to support the family. He never thought that they would ever live in an actual house, but one day they find a flyer saying You too can own a home. The organization buys empty houses and allows families to fix-up houses and then other people will help fix up a house for them. Andy's family is so excited as they help clean, paint, put down hard wood flooring, and pass out lemonade. At the end of the year, they find out that the next house to be built will be theirs!

Keywords: author's note, celebration, change, community, construction, decision making, family, food, goal setting, hard work, home, hope, neighbors, safety, self esteem, teamwork

Hush harbor: Praying in secret | by Evans, Freddi Williams

Simmy is both excited and nervous for his job as Scout during the community meeting. Simmy is excited because this means the elders trust him, but he is nervous because slaves are not supposed to gather and sing together. Simmy must be very careful and listen for the master during the meeting.

Keywords: african american, anger, anticipation, author's note, bravery, cabin, closeness, communication, cooking, creativity, creek, critical thinking, culture, dancing, death, faith, family, folktale, forest, friendship, hard work, hearing, hope, horse, listening, missing, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, prayer, relief, religion, rhythm, river, running away, safety, secrets, slavery, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods, worry

Peacebound trains | by Balgassi, Haemi

Sumi, a young Korean girl, lives with her grandmother when her mother goes off to the army. Sumi watches the train go by each day, wishing her mother would come home soon. The train reminds her grandmother of the days of war when she had to leave her own husband.

Keywords: affection, aging, birthday, caring, change, chinese, coping, courage, death, destruction, dolls, family, feelings, freedom, grandparents, hope, korean, loss, multicultural, peace, presents, sadness, school, seasons, train, transportation, understanding, war, winter

Happy to be nappy | by Hooks, Bell

A whimsical rhythm of sweet jive jumps from watercolored illustrations on different pages to portray portraits of little girls who celebrate their African American culture. Hooray for the frizzy, fuzzy, nappy, twisty hair!Hooray for the sizzling semblance and fantastic flare that shines in every hair on every head. Beauty lies everywhere.

Keywords: african american, appearance, appreciation, awareness, beauty, body parts, caring, celebration, child care, cleanliness, closeness, colors, comparisons, confidence, creativity, culture, day, differences, family, feelings, fun, happiness, health, hope, images, individuality, multicultural, parents, play, pride, rhythm, self confidence, self esteem, shapes

After charlotte's mom died | by Spelman, Cornelia

Charlotte lost her mother only six months ago, so she and her father still grieve a lot over the death. Charlotte gets into a fight at school and has to see a therapist, Anna. Anna helps Charlotte to bring out her emotions which establishes a better bond between her and her father.

Keywords: accidents, affection, aggression, author's note, car, careers, communication, conflict resolution, confusion, coping, death, depression, emotions, family, feelings, fight, guilt, helping, hope, listening, loss, parents, school, stress management, transportation, verbal communication

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