Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Tap-dance fever | by Brisson, Pat

Annabelle Applegate had Tap-dance fever. Her feet are constantly on the move, tapping everywhere she goes. The townsfolk are very aggrevated by her dancing. However, once tourists come to hear and see her tao-dance with the rattlesnakes, the townsfolk believe she was an asset to the community.

Keywords: anger, animals, business, community, dancing, exercise, feelings, happiness, mischief, performance, persistence, rhythm, snake, success, wealth

Meet wild boars | by Rosoff, Meg

Borris, Morris, Horace, and Doris are wild boars. They lack manners and kindness. Do not try to be friends with them because all they will do is cause trouble.

Keywords: animals, boar, conflict resolution, decision making, disobedience, hygiene, manners, misbehavior, mischief, nonverbal communication, rhyme, rude, selfishness

Animals should definitely not wear clothing | by Barett, Judi

Wouldn't it be silly if animals wore clothing? It would probably make the lives of animals much more difficult. Enjoy exactly why clothes for animals are completely unnecessary. Would you want your new dress ruined by your porcupine quills?

Keywords: animals, birds, camel, chicken, clothing, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, elephant, feelings, frustration, giraffe, goat, kangaroo, mischief, moose, mouse, nonverbal communication, opossum, pig, porcupine, refusal skills, reptiles, self esteem, sheep, snake, stress management, walrus

Arthur's pen pal | by Hoban, Lillian

Arthur longs to be his pen pal's big brother, so they can wrestle and do karate. He does not like having to jump rope with his little sister. But one day, he learns something very surprising about his pen pal.

Susan shouted shark | by Smith, Raymond//Schoenheimer, Henry

A little girl tells so many lies about sharks being around that people finally didn't believe her. When she shouted shark and no one believed her, a man is killed by a shark.

Keywords: death, deception, fear, fish, misbehavior, mischief, shark, truth

The day jimmy's boa ate the wash | by Noble, Trinka Hakes

Jimmy and his classmates go on a trip to a farm. The trip is boring until Jimmy takes out his boa constrictor to meet the farm animals. The farm turns into total chaos. In all the rush to get back on the bus, Jimmy forgets his boa constrictor. Jimmy is not left without a pet because there was a pig left on the bus.

Keywords: adventures, animals, barn, chaos, chicken, cow, farm, fight, fun, mischief, pig, revenge, school, snake, travel, verbal communication

The wreck of the zephyr | by Van Allsburg, Chris

A young boy's dream of being the greatest sailor brings him to ruin when he misuses his ability to sail his boat above land.

Keywords: assertiveness, boat, bodies of water, careers, determination, magic, mischief, peer resistance, sea, storm, transportation, verbal communication, weather

Racing against the odds: The story of Wendell Scott, stock car racing's African-American champion | by Weatherford, Carole Boston

Wendell O. Scott made history as the only black driver to win a race in a NASCAR Grand National division. Using secondhand Fords that he fixed up in his garage, he competed in five hundred races in NASCAR'S top division. This is the story of a man who worked full time while racing on the side. A man who didn't just dust the competition, he blazed the trail.

Keywords: accidents, alcohol, body parts, car, careers, competition, food, games, history, language, mischief, school, segregation, skating, transportation, war

The slumber party | by Wild, Margaret

It is an exciting time for eight good friends as a birthday slumber party turns into an all night adventure. A frog named Cannibal, a mouse named Curly, and a yellow monkey make this night a night to remember.

Keywords: adventures, birthday, celebration, conflict resolution, family, friendship, mischief, nonverbal communication, parents, verbal communication

The gruffalo | by Donaldson, Julia

A cunning mouse is able to deceive a fox, owl, and a snake into thinking he has a gruffalo as a friend. Things look bad for the mouse when the gruffalo actually appears and wants him for a meal. Using his wits, the mouse is able to convince the gruffalo that he, the mouse, is the scariest creature in the woods.

Keywords: animals, birds, bodies of water, communication, critical thinking, deception, dishonesty, fear, food, fox, interpretation, mischief, monsters, mouse, owl, perspective, sly, snake, stream, trick, wilderness, wildlife, wind, woods

Carnival of the animals | by Lithgow, John

A young boy sneaks off from a school field trip. He is left in the history museum overnight where he discovers his classmates, family, and acquaintances take on new forms.

Keywords: animals, baboon, badger, birds, cattle, chicken, cuckoo, dinosaur, dreams, elephant, family, feelings, ferret, fish, fox, happiness, hyena, kangaroo, lion, mischief, museum, nonverbal communication, sadness, swan, turtle, weasel

Dog biscuit | by Cooper, Helen

Bridget ate a biscuit, but it was a dog biscuit. Her babysitter, Mrs. Blair, found out and told her she would turn into a dog. The rest of the day, Bridget could feel things changing and she even starts acting like a dog, but even her mom did not notice. During the night, she goes out and plays with other dogs and is finally happy about eating the dog biscuit until she thinks about her family. She starts howling, until she finds herself back in her bed with her mom by her side. When she confesses, her mom assures her Mrs. Blair was teasing and the next day Mrs. Blair agrees and gives her human…

Keywords: animals, decision making, dog, dreams, family, fear, feelings, food, guilt, hunger, mischief, pretend, recipe, relief, verbal communication

Hattie the bad | by Devlin, Jane

Hattie had a reputation for being bad. All her school classmates love her because she does exciting bad things, but her parents don't agree. When her friends aren't allowed to play with her anymore, she decides to be good. But just when she is about to get an award for the Best-Behaved Child ever, she does something that shocks everyone.

Keywords: assertiveness, behavior, competition, decision making, excitement, feelings, goal setting, misbehavior, mischief, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, recognition, sadness, self esteem, technology, television

April fool! Watch out at school! | by DeGroat, Diane

It's April Fool's Day so Gilbert is excited to trick his friends. Throughout the day, his friends keep on tricking him, but he can't seem to trick anyone else. Gilbert doesn't give up though: he has one more trick in mind. The rest of the afternoon, he's extra nice to Lewis. Lewis gets so nervous about what Gilbert's trick is, the other classmates manage to trick him. At the end of the day, Lewis finds out Gilbert didn't have a trick after all. He had been tricked!

Keywords: accidents, animals, anticipation, assertiveness, books, creativity, critical thinking, feelings, food, frustration, humor, mischief, opposites, patience, reading, school, self esteem, sequence, sounds, trick, verbal communication

My painted house, my friendly chicken, and me | by Angelou, Maya

Thandi, an eight-year-old Ndebele girl who lives in a village in South Africa with her mother, aunts, sisters, and mischievous younger brother, shares her secrets with her best friend, a chicken.

Keywords: africa, african, animals, art, bicycle, chicken, colors, customs, dragonfly, family, friendship, jewelry, language, mischief, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, pattern, photograph, play, siblings, storytelling, village

Whatever | by Bee, William

Billy is a very difficult child. Billy's father tries to please him by showing him the world's curliest trumpet, bounciest castle and smokiest train. He even takes Billy to the edge of outer space, but all Billy can say is whatever. In the end, Billy will get a taste of his own medicine.

Keywords: acceptance, affection, animals, appreciation, communication, conflict resolution, family, giraffe, misbehavior, mischief, respect, stress management, taste, tiger

In the time of the drums | by Siegelson, K.

Raised by his grandmother Twi, a young boy named Mentu learns of the toils and tragedies of slavery and how one day he too will have to be strong in the cotton fields. As Mentu grows, Twi shares her talks of living in Africa through the use of drums. When Twi's spirit calls her home to Africa, Mentu's day to be strong arrives.

Keywords: africa, african, aging, author's note, beliefs, boat, bodies of water, customs, escape, family, fear, garden, grandparents, hard work, history, island, language, memories, mischief, music, running away, ship, slavery, spanish, storytelling, transportation, travel, verbal communication, water

Curious George rides a bike (Georges fait du velo) | by Rey, H.A.

Curious George, a monkey from Africa, receives a new bicycle from a man who wears a yellow hat. He has many interesting adventures on his new bike, including riding into a rock when he watches boats travel down the river.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, bear, bicycle, birds, boat, bodies of water, car, clothing, conflict resolution, critical thinking, curiosity, decision making, duck, excitement, exercise, feelings, fish, friendship, guilt, happiness, helping, heroism, misbehavior, mischief, monkey, nonverbal communication, problem solving, refusal skills, river, sadness, self esteem, toys, transportation, zoo

The rotten book | by Rodgers, Mary

As Simon and his family are having breakfast one morning, Simon's parents talk about a horrible child they know. Simon begins to wonder what this horrible child could have done. He imagines all kinds of trouble the boy could have caused. Simon begins to appreciate the delicious breakfast he is eating instead of complaining about it.

Keywords: books, curiosity, family, food, imagination, mischief, nutrition, parents, siblings

Maggie and the monster | by Winthrop, Elizabeth

Every night a monster comes into Maggie's room and messes it up. Maggie asks the monster what she wants and the monster tells Maggie that she is looking for her mother. Maggie helps the monster find her mother in the hall closet.

Keywords: bedtime, conflict resolution, family, helping, lost, mischief, monsters, night, nonverbal communication, parents, refusal skills, verbal communication

Browse Abstracts (94 total)