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

Clifford y el dia de accion de gracias | by Bridwell, Norman

Emily goes to visit her grandmother for the Thanksgiving holiday. Clifford is staying with neighbors and becomes homesick. He decides to visit his mother as a surprise.

Keywords: animals, bodies of water, dog, family, food, grandparents, holidays, homesickness, language, nonverbal communication, parents, river, spanish, thanksgiving, train, transportation

Arturo escribe un cuento | by Brown, Marc

A teacher gives Arthur and his class a writing assignment. Arthur goes from one topic to the next, thinking each one is not exciting enough. Each new topic becomes more funny than the last, until he writes his last copy.

Keywords: aardvark, animals, books, critical thinking, family, grandparents, language, letters, library, parents, rabbit, restaurant, school, siblings, spanish, writing

Halmoni and the picnic | by Choi, Sook Nyul

Yunmi wants her grandmother, Halmoni to feel at home in New York City. However, Halmoni is having trouble adjusting to the American customs that differ so much from the customs of her native Korea. Yunmi's friends suggest that Halmoni chaperone the annual class picnic to Central Park. It may be an opportunity to open-up and feel comfortable in her new home.

I have an olive tree | by Bunting, Eve

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.

Keywords: appreciation, birthday, communication, community, culture, customs, dedication, disappointment, emotions, exploration, family, feelings, generations, geology, giving, grandparents, greece, greek, grief, immigrants, instruments, language, learning, loss, love, memories, memory, misunderstanding, music, parents, plants, presents, resentment, sadness, traditions, travel, tree, understanding, verbal communication

Ruby's wish | by Bridges, Shirin Yim

Ruby is known for wearing red and being an exceptionally bright student. Even during a time in China when ...most girls were never taught to read and write. However, Ruby's grandfather hires a teacher to come to the house, making it possible for any grandchild living in the house to learn. This initiates a desire in Ruby to attend university, a place that women in China were not encouraged to go.\r\n*Based on a true story of the author's grandmother.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, ambition, appreciation, art, asian, assertiveness, beliefs, change, china, chinese, conflict, conflict resolution, courage, culture, customs, decision making, dedication, depression, determination, disappointment, emotions, encouragement, equality, excitement, family, frustration, generations, giving, goal setting, grandparents, happiness, independence, individuality, intelligence, kindness, language, learning, listening, new year, nonverbal communication, obedience, parade, patience, persistence, poetry, prevention, progress, reading, recognition, refusal skills, relationship, relief, resentment, resolution, role model, school, self confidence, self esteem, skills, stress management, support, symbols, sympathy, teaching, traditions, understanding, verbal communication, wealth, wish, writing

When Catherine the Great and I were eight! | by Best, Cari

Sara, her mother, and Russian grandmother Catherine the Great, pile into Mr. Minsky's car along with a few of their other neighbors. They make their way to the beach to escape the heat of the hot summer day. Although they find it takes longer than planned to reach the beach, everyone has fun along the way.

Keywords: anticipation, beach, bodies of water, car, closeness, community, companion, conflict, conflict resolution, culture, dancing, exercise, family, food, friendship, games, grandparents, immigrants, language, neighbors, newspaper, ocean, patience, picnic, problem solving, recreation, relationship, russian, summer, swimming, travel, verbal communication

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

Rachel, a Hutterite girl | by Maendel, Rachel

A young Hutterite girl named Rachel explores her farm home. On her journey, she learns facts about the natural world as well as the social traditions and cultural customs of her Hutterite family and community.

Keywords: animals, bull, chicken, cow, customs, dutch, family, farm, friendship, german, goose, grandparents, language, multicultural, neighbors, parents, pets, quakers, religion, responsibilities, siblings, unselfish

Dot, el perron bombero | by Desimini, Lisa

Dot, a fire dog, lives everyday with the firefighters. She puts on gear with the firemen when the alarm sounds. She saves a kitten. She does everything the firemen do.

Keywords: animals, careers, dog, fire, fire engine, language, multicultural, nonverbal communication, rescue, safety, spanish, stress management, transportation, water

Mathematickles | by Franco, Betsy

Explore the magic of each season through mathematical equations. Discover things in nature that have mathematical qualities.

Keywords: autumn, change, counting, critical thinking, cycle, decision making, education, language, learning, math, nature, numbers, poetry, problem solving, riddle, seasons, sequence, spring, summer, winter

One candle | by Bunting, Eve

A Jewish family spends Hanukkah that same way every year. Traditions are passed from generation to generation. After a family meal, grandma and great-aunt Rose tell their story. One very special candle is lit in honor of their memories.

Keywords: family, feelings, food, generations, grandparents, hanukkah, history, holidays, Jewish, language, memories, multicultural, nutrition, parents, prayer, sadness, siblings, stars, storytelling

Three cheers for catherine the great! | by Best, Cari

A family moves from Russia to America. The grandma of the family has a birthday and she does not want presents. Her grand-daughter spends hours trying to figure out the perfect no present for her grandma.

Keywords: baby, birthday, celebration, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dancing, decision making, exercise, family, food, goal setting, grandparents, holidays, language, multicultural, music, nutrition, opera, parents, party, poetry, presents, russian, self esteem, song, stress management, travel, verbal communication

Monsoon | by Krishnawami, Uma

A young girl in India waits with her family and friends for the monsoon season to begin. The importance of the monsoon in her culture is revealed to the radio, television, newspaper, and stories of the people.

Keywords: animals, author's note, cow, exercise, faith, family, feelings, food, games, hindu, india, language, market, monsoon, multicultural, newspaper, ox, radio, rain, seasons, taxi, television, temple, transportation, weather

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

The girl who wore too much: A folktale from Thailand | by MacDonald, Margaret Read

This folktale from Thailand follows Aree as she prepares to go to a dance. Shes believes that by wearing all of her pretty dresses and fine jewelry, she will look her best. She realizes that too many clothes can be hot and cumbersome and does not make it to the dance with her friends. After missing the dance, she gives many of her nice things away and decides that it is better to wear one simple dress than to try too hard to look special with all her pretty dresses and fine jewelry.

Keywords: author's note, celebration, clothing, colors, family, feelings, folktale, friendship, language, multicultural, temperature, thai

Look what i see! Where can i be? At the Synagogue | by Michels, Dia L.

Baby travels with her family to the Synagogue and learns and sees many things related to the Jewish religion and customs.

Keywords: author's note, celebration, ceremony, culture, dancing, family, Jewish, language, learning, parents, photograph, religion, school, sight, sleep, wedding

Best best colors | by Hoffman, Eric

Nate finds it difficult to decide which color is his favorite. Every time he sees a new color, he likes it better than the other. He learns that he can have more than one favorite color.

Keywords: animals, art, author's note, birds, bluejay, cat, caterpillar, clothing, colors, comparisons, conflict, conflict resolution, differences, dreams, family, fight, fish, flood, flowers, language, ocean, picnic, rabbit, rainbow, rocks, shopping, sky, spanish, stereotypes, tiger, tree, turtle, whale

Suddenly alligator: An adverbial tale | by Walton, Rick

A young boy decides it is time to buy a new pair of socks to replace the smelly one's he's worn for three years. He travels to town via the swamp discovering items he's lots along the way. He encounters an alligator and a chase ensues. The alligator gets hold of the boys' shoe and when the shoe cocmes off, the odor from the socks, stuns the alligator. The boy continues on his way to buy new socks. With each step along his journey, he experiences an adverbial action.

Keywords: alligator, anger, animals, bodies of water, body parts, bravery, challenges, clothing, fear, feelings, five senses, happiness, language, learning, running, smell, spelling, stream, swamp

Mung-mung | by Park, Linda Sue

Animal sounds in different languages such as Turkish, Chinese and Hindu are shared. Open the flap to find out what animal it is.

Keywords: animals, arabic, birds, cat, chicken, chinese, conflict resolution, dog, duck, english, filipino, french, frog, german, hindu, horse, italian, japanese, korean, language, norwegian, pig, polish, russian, spanish, swedish, turkish, verbal communication, vietnamese

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