Browse Items · Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

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The patchwork path: A quilt map to freedom

Stroud, Bettye

Hannah and her father are slaves who decide to escape to freedom. They use the patterns in the quilt made by her mother, who passed away, to follow the Underground Railroad.

Off to the sweet shores of Africa: And other talking drum rhymes

Unobagha, Uzo

African-inspired nursery rhymes.

Tags

africa, animals, beach, birds, bodies of water, camel, cattle, celebration, chicken, community, cooking, desert, dog, donkey, eagle, elephant, fable, fish, fruit, giraffe, goat, grasshopper, instruments, lion, mice, monkey, multicultural, music, ocean, parade, play, rainbow, rhyme, rhythm, river, sand, song, tree, village, zebra

What the animals were waiting for

London, Jonathan

The story of the dramatic cycles of life on the African savanna, one of the last great, wild places on earth.

Tags

africa, animals, bodies of water, celebration, crocodile, elephant, family, giraffe, grandparents, language, lightning, lion, moon, multicultural, nature, night, patience, river, storytelling, wisdom, zebra

The first bear in africa

Ichikawa, Satomi

The animals of the African savanna help Meto as he tries to return the toy bear left behind by a young tourist.

Tags

africa, african, animals, bear, discovery, elephant, exploration, family, giraffe, goat, helping, hippopotamus, language, lion, love, multicultural, parents, photography, thanksgiving, travel, verbal communication, village

The best beekeeper of lalibela: A tale from africa

Kessler, Cristina

In the Ethiopian mountain village of Lalibela, famous for its churches and honey, a young girl determines to find a way to be a beekeeper despite being told that is somethign only men can do.

Tags

africa, animals, bee, business, careers, critical thinking, determination, discrimination, dreams, family, feelings, forest, insects, inventions, language, market, mountains, multicultural, sadness, siblings, tree, village, work

Lake of the big snake

Olaleye, Isaac

Two boys outwit a hungry snake in an African rain forest village.

Tags

africa, animals, argument, bodies of water, chores, conflict resolution, disobedience, family, fear, feelings, forest, friendship, lake, multicultural, nigerian, parents, play, reptiles, responsibilities, snake, stress management, teamwork, village

The heart of the lion

Watson, Pete

An American boy comes to understand and admire the rich culture and traditions of West Africa.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, baboon, butterfly, chicken, cooking, courage, culture, customs, dog, elephant, family, food, friendship, hunting, lion, magic, multicultural, parade, parents, scorpion, sharing, teasing, traditions, tree, uniqueness, verbal communication, village

Kofi and his magic

Angelou, Maya

A young Ashanti boy describes some of the wonders of his life in and around the West African village of Bonwire.

Tags

africa, beach, bodies of water, celebration, colors, culture, customs, dancing, differences, dreams, imagination, instruments, language, magic, multicultural, music, ocean, pattern, photograph, travel

My little round house

Baasansuren, Bolormaa Adapted by: Mixter, Helen

Baby Jilu talks through his first year in the world, from when he is born to when he is a year old. he is born into a round world, with a round bed in a round home in Mongolia. His family comes to meet him, and they travel to their autumn quarters. Once snow begins to fall, Jilu's family moves on to their winter campground and soon celebrate Tsagaan Sar, meaning Spring will come again. In the spring, Jilu can ride on the camel saddle with his mother, and he will not have to wear boots again until after summer.

Tags

animals, autumn, baby, birthday, camel, clothing, community, critical thinking, day, decision making, family, food, goat, grandparents, growing up, home, moving, multicultural, night, safety, seasons, sequence, sheep, snow, spring, summer, survival, travel, weather, winter

Drumbeat in our feet

Keeler, Patricia//Leitao, Julio T.

Informative passages and lyrical verse explore the history and rhythmic qualities of traditional African dance as performed long ago and today.

Tags

africa, african, african american, america, animals, celebration, ceremony, colors, congo, dancing, elephant, ethnic, exercise, generations, geography, history, instruments, learning, maps, monkey, multicultural, music, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, performance, rhythm, storytelling, traditions, village

Ashanti to zulu: African traditions

Musgrove, Margaret

Explains some traditions and customs of twenty-six African tribes beginning with the letters from A to Z.

Tags

africa, african, alphabet, animals, boat, bodies of water, cattle, celebration, clothing, community, crocodile, dancing, family, farmer, fishing, geography, instruments, language, maps, multicultural, music, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, parrot, play, prayer, river, symbols, traditions, transportation

Afro-bets: First book about africa

Ellis, Veronica

Mr. Amegashie explores the cultural diversity, rich history, and the beautiful and exciting land of Africa.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, bodies of water, business, camel, celebration, ceremony, culture, customs, dancing, desert, discrimination, diversity, egypt, family, forest, geography, ghana, history, horse, hyena, independence, instruments, islam, learning, leopard, library, maps, mountains, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, photograph, religion, river, school, ship, slavery, storytelling, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, water, zimbabwe

Bintou's braids

Diouf, Sylviane

When Bintou, a little girl living in West Africa, finally gets her wish for braids, she discovers that what she dreamed for has been hers all along.

Tags

africa, african, america, animals, beach, birds, bodies of water, celebration, chicken, clothing, critical thinking, dreams, envy, family, feelings, fish, food, fruit, grandparents, moon, multicultural, parents, prayer, pride, sadness, sea, selfishness, siblings, sleep, sounds, stars, storytelling, stress management, sun, traditions, tree, village

Emeka's gift: An african counting story

Onyefulu, Ifeoma

As Emeka sets off to visit his grandmother in the next village, he wonders what he can take her for a present. He passes through the market and sees lots of things Granny would like - there were four brooms, five big hats to keep the sun off, six necklaces, eight water pots. But with no money, Emeka can not buy anything. Will Granny understand?

Tags

africa, african, decision making, dreams, family, food, friendship, games, geography, giving, grandparents, jewelry, jungle, market, money, multicultural, music, numbers, photograph, photography, play, traditions, travel, work

Ogbo: Sharing life in an african village

Onyefulu, Ifeoma

Ogbo are a special part of village life in Nigeria, uniting children of the same age in a lifelong fellowship - a group with whom they celebrate festivals, share day-to-day chores, and face the challenges of growing up. A young girl named Obioma helps us understand what belonging to an ogbo means. Growing, working, and relaxing together, the ogbo weave the fabric of village life.

Tags

africa, african, celebration, chores, cleanliness, community, customs, death, family, friendship, grandparents, instruments, language, multicultural, music, nigerian, parents, photograph, respect, responsibilities, singing, song, storytelling, traditions, village, work

A child story in a south african city

Wulfsohn, Gisele

Presents a day in the life of a child living in Johannesburg, discussing the social life, customs, religion, history, and language of South Africa.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, bath, cooking, dancing, dog, exercise, family, food, friendship, games, history, instruments, language, learning, market, multicultural, music, photograph, play, rabbit, routine, school, soccer, sports, technology, work

The blind hunter

Rodanas, Kristina

A blind African hunter teaches a young man how to see by using his other senses.

Tags

africa, african, animals, birds, blindness, bodies of water, feelings, five senses, flowers, forgiveness, friendship, garden, happiness, humor, hunting, leopard, multicultural, nonverbal communication, pond, pride, respect, rhinoceros, song, storytelling, teaching, tree, village, wart hog

Wild animals of Africa, abc

Ryden, Hope

African animals are photographed in alphabetical order ranging from aardvark to zebra.

Tags

african, alphabet, animals, multicultural, sequence

A triangle for Adaora: An African book of shapes

Onyefulu, Ifeoma

When Adaora's cousin promises to find a triangle for her, he does'nt realize just how difficult the task might be. As they search through their village, the cousins encounter a variety of other shapes - heart-shaped leaves, circular elephant drums, crescent-shaped plantains - everything but the shape they seek. Just when the children are too tired to look anymore, they find a perfect triangle...and a great surprise to go along with it!

Tags

africa, african, community, family, food, fruit, jewelry, multicultural, music, plants, problem solving, shapes, siblings, traditions, verbal communication, village

First come the zebra

Barasch, Lynne

In the Kenyan grassland, Abaani, a Maasai boy takes his cattle out to graze. While he is out he sees a vegetable stand with a young boy from the Kikuyu farms, who are rivals of his tribe because they destroy their land. While arguing, a group of Kamba women and children approach to trade for fruits and vegetables, and one baby wanders toward three warthogs. Abaani sees this and knows he can save the baby himself so he calls to Haki to help. Together they save the boy, which is the beginning of a growing friendship. They learn how to appreciate one another and hope to teach their families to be friends.

Vacation in the village: A story from west africa

Njeng, Pierre Yves

A boy discovers and takes pride in the customs of his people when he visits his family's village in West Africa.

Tags

affection, africa, books, boredom, buildings, construction, customs, discovery, dreams, family, fear, feelings, fish, fishing, forest, friendship, games, grandparents, happiness, history, hunting, multicultural, parents, reptiles, school, siblings, storytelling, traditions, train, transportation, travel, turtle, vacation, village, work, worry

Africa brothers and sisters

Kroll, Virginia

At lunchtime Daddy and Jesse play their favorite game: a question and answer game about people who live in Africa and the ways in which they are connected to Jesse.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, clothing, community, critical thinking, dancing, family, farm, fishing, games, geography, giraffe, jewelry, maps, multicultural, parents, recreation, siblings, storytelling, traditions, verbal communication, village

Jamari's drum

Bynum, Eboni//Jackson, Roland

Jamari grows up drawn to the beating of the djembe, the keeper of the peace, the great drum of his Mali village. Jamari grows older and becomes the drummer of the djembe. He eventually gets caught up in other aspects of village life. When the village is once again threatened by the nearby angry mountain, Jamari returns to his post as drummer for village peace.

Tags

africa, african, clothing, community, dedication, fable, family, five senses, harmony, instruments, language, marriage, mountains, multicultural, music, peace, rhythm, storytelling, traditions, village

Boundless grace

Hoffman, Mary

According to the stories Grace read, her family is not normal. Grace's father lives in Africa while she and her mother live in America. Grace visits her father to learn about his new family and the African culture in Gambia. Grace's visit to Africa helps her to understand that her family is normal.

Tags

african, african american, change, comparisons, crocodile, divorce, family, grandparents, letters, love, multicultural, parents, reptiles, shopping, siblings, storytelling, travel, vacation, verbal communication

African beginnings

Haskins, James//Benson, Kathleen

Come explore and celebrate the powerful impact people of African descent have made on world history and on the American experience.

Tags

africa, african, animals, architecture, art, bodies of water, business, clothing, culture, dancing, death, desert, discrimination, donkey, egypt, europe, flood, food, geography, ghana, hard work, history, instruments, islam, leadership, lizard, maps, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, ocean, religion, river, ship, slavery, time, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, work, zimbabwe

How the moon regained her shape

Heller, Janet Ruth

Influenced by Native American folktales, this fascinating story deals with bullying, self-confidence, and understanding the phases of the moon. After the sun insults and bullies her, the moon gets very upset and disappears - much to the chagrin of rabbits who miss their moonlight romps. With the help of her friends, the moon gains more self-confidence each day until she is back to her full size.

Tags

animals, beauty, dancing, depression, feelings, folktale, forest, friendship, happiness, moon, multicultural, native american, night, rabbit, self esteem, song, sun

Song of the boat

Graham, Lorenz

An African father and a son from West Africa build a boat from a special tree. They work together to find the perfect tree to use.

Tags

african, assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, determination, family, goal setting, hard work, language, multicultural, parents, refusal skills, self esteem, teamwork, traditions, transportation

Can you hear the sea?

Cumberbatch, Judy

Sarah's grandpa gives her a special shell and says if she listens carefully she can hear the sea, but all she hears are every day village noises.

Tags

africa, african, animals, beliefs, bodies of water, cooking, family, food, fruit, grandparents, instruments, listening, monkey, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, persistence, river, sea, shells, sounds, trust, village

Burro's tortillas

Fields, Terri

Burro finds it hard to get any help from his friends as he diligently works to turn corn into tortillas. Expect repetition, puns, and an accurate picture of the traditional way that tortillas are made.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, central america, cooking, coyote, donkey, fable, feelings, food, friendship, hard work, language, Mexico, multicultural, nutrition, pattern, plants, rabbit, repetition, sadness, spanish

Pierre's dream

Armstrong, Jennifer

Is it all a dream? Pierre thinks so. He is the star of the circus, daring to do things he wouldn't do if he was awake. Pierre tames a lion, walks on a high wire, and all sorts of other scary or dangerous things. As the star of the circus, Pierre proves to the people of Apt that he is not just a lazy, foolish man.

Tags

acrobat, animals, circus, dreams, excitement, feelings, french, fun, happiness, horse, laziness, lion, multicultural, self esteem, sleep, surprises

Madoulina: A girl who wanted to go to school: A story from south africa

Bognomo, Joel Eboueme

Madoulina has dreams of becoming a doctor. She doesn't, however, go to school because her mother needs her to sell fritters in the marketplace to earn money. Madoulina meets her brother's new teacher, who convinces her mom to find a way to let her go to school.

Monkey for sale

Stanley, Sanna

Two little girls in Africa look forward to their village market day in the Congo. They must make wise choices for their spending. They make initial purchases, but later find a monkey they want to rescue. They creatively work together to find a solution.

Tags

african, animals, clothing, conflict resolution, congo, critical thinking, decision making, family, food, friendship, goal setting, market, money, monkey, multicultural, negotiation, parents, problem solving

Where are you going manyoni?

Stock, Catherine

Manyoni, a little girl living near the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe, sees many different animals and wildlife on her walk to school.

Tags

african, animals, baboon, bodies of water, clothing, exercise, food, language, leopard, multicultural, plants, river, school, siblings, sleep, walking, zimbabwe

Bitter bananas

Olaleye, Isaac

Yusuf is a boy who lives in a jungle in Africa. His favorite drink is palm sap, and he sells what he doesn't drink. A family of baboons begins to steal his sap, so he tries many things to keep the baboons away.

Tags

african, animals, baboon, careers, decision making, fable, family, food, forest, jungle, learning, market, multicultural, nutrition, problem solving, rain, sounds, tree, weather

The wisdom bird: A tale of Solomon and Sheba

Oberman, Sheldon

Queen of Sheba, the wisest woman in the world, travels to Jerusalem after hearing about King Solomon, the wisest man in the world. She hopes to learn something new, but after asking for a palace made out of bird beaks, they both learn something important. This folktale is derived from Jewish, African and Biblical tales.

Tags

africa, african, birds, critical thinking, culture, folktale, israelian, Jewish, leadership, multicultural, religion, riddle, royalty, self esteem, ship, storytelling, teaching, transportation, travel, wisdom

Earth mother

Jackson, Ellen

The day begins by Mother Earth tending to her plants and animals. As the day progresses, Mother Earth comes upon a man, a frog, and a mosquito. Each tell Mother Earth what can be changed in their life.

Tags

african, animals, appreciation, assertiveness, birds, communication, cycle, decision making, dedication, diversity, earth, environment, fantasy, firefly, frog, frustration, hawk, insects, loyalty, mosquito, multicultural, nature, nonverbal communication, otter, peace, plants, seasons, snow, summer, verbal communication, whale, wildlife, winter

The hunter

Geraghty, Paul

Jamina goes looking for honey in the bush with her grandfather. She hopes to see an elephant, but her grandfather tells her that it is not likely since the hunters have come. Jamina tells her grandfather that she wants to be a hunter. When she helps a little elephant whose mother was shot by hunters, she realizes she never wants to be a hunter.

Tags

african, animals, community, elephant, family, grandparents, helping, hunting, lion, lost, multicultural, nature, recreation, rescue, rhinoceros, village, violence

Arijole

Mashiri, Pascal

Arijole's stepsisters are envious of her beauty. They do not want Arijole to be chosen as a wife in a nearby village, so the stepsisters turn her into a dog. When only Arijole (the dog) is left, a mother takes her home for her son to hunt. Soon they realize that Arijole is not a dog but a beautiful woman. She and Obondo are then married.

Tags

africa, beauty, conflict resolution, culture, envy, family, folktale, jealousy, love, marriage, multicultural, nonverbal communication, obedience, parents, respect, self esteem, siblings, stepmother, storytelling

A is for africa

Onyefulu, Ifeoma

The author, a member of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, presents text and her own photographs of twenty-six things, from A-Z, representative of all African peoples.

Tags

affection, africa, african, alphabet, bodies of water, colors, exercise, family, food, friendship, games, grandparents, home, jewelry, jumping, jungle, language, multicultural, music, muslim, nonverbal communication, photograph, play, religion, river, school, spiritual, traditions, verbal communication, work

Food and festivals: West Africa

Brownlie, Alison

Describes the West African culture of food, including the kinds of food grown and eaten, and various feast days like Ramadan, Easter, naming ceremonies, and yam festivals.

Tags

africa, african, baby, beach, bodies of water, camel, cattle, celebration, ceremony, chicken, community, cooking, dancing, family, farm, food, friendship, fruit, ghana, goat, hard work, holidays, language, multicultural, music, muslim, parade, preparation, religion, respect, river

Skippyjon Jones and the treasure hunt

Schachner, Judy

Have you ever been on a treasure hunt? Join Skippyjon Jones and friends as they make their way through Mexico in search of the treasure. They'll look for matching pairs and see new sights along the way.

Tags

animals, cat, five senses, friendship, games, language, multicultural, spanish, touch, word association

Somewhere in Africa

Mennen, Ingrid//Daly, Niki

A boy named Ashraf lives in a city in South Africa. He compares the city to the countryside of Africa.

Tags

africa, african, assertiveness, body parts, books, community, comparisons, critical thinking, dancing, differences, flowers, geography, imagination, instruments, library, multicultural, music, rhyme, song

Elephant moon

Letord, Bijon

In the plains of Eastern Africa, elephants live in great open spaces, eat many different things, and share their land with lots of other animals. The elephants take care of each other and are beautiful and peaceful animals.

Tags

african, animals, conservation, moon, multicultural, night, survival

Gift of the sun: A tale from south africa

Stewart, Dianne

Thulani is a South African farmer who keeps trading his animals in order to please his wife until all he has is a pocket full of sunflower seeds. The sunflowers produce many more seeds, which are also used to feed the animals and eventually lead to more wealth for the family than ever before.

Tags

africa, animals, boredom, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, excitement, family, farm, feelings, garden, multicultural, self esteem, sheep, stress management, symbols, verbal communication

The talking cloth

Mitchell, Rhonda

Aunt Phoebe has a collection of many wonderful things, each having an interesting story. The little girl's favorite thing is an adinkra cloth from Ghana. It has many colors and symbols to represent feelings, faith, power, and love.

To be a drum

Coleman, Evelyn

Daddy Wes whispers to his two young children about the history of Africans forced into slavery and how the pulse of the drum has moved through them over time. Daddy Wes promises his children that as long as they can hear the heartbeat of the earth, they will be free.

Tags

africa, african, art, bodies of water, careers, colors, community, culture, dance, five senses, freedom, hearing, history, instruments, language, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, ocean, playing, pride, rhythm, sea, ship, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, symbols, time, verbal communication, war

Painted dreams

Williams, Karen Lynn

Ti Marie loves to paint, but her family is too poor to afford paint so she uses bricks, stones and charcoal. One day, as she is walking to the river, she sees Msie Antoine painting a snake and admires his art supplies. Later on in the night she decides to look through his trash to see if he has any left over supplies. She uses them to paint on the wall behind her family's place at the Haitian market. Find out how the people at the market react.

Tags

art, careers, culture, customs, food, haitian, investigation, jungle, language, market, multicultural, nutrition, parents, responsibilities, river, self esteem, siblings, spiritual, success

Somebody has done it, why can't you?

Annoh, G. Kwesi

Two sisters in Ghana pursue their dreams of becomming career women. They receive help from their parents and teachers, and work hard to study math and science. Abena becomes a mathematician and Akousa becomes a medical officer in public health.

Tags

african, careers, courage, determination, education, equality, family, fear, feelings, gender, ghana, health, math, multicultural, pregnancy, religion, school, science, stereotypes, teaching

The village of round and square houses

Grifalconi, Ann

In a village in West Africa, women live in round houses and men live in square houses. After supper, grandmother tells a story about the origin of these houses aand how it is related to the rupturing of volcanic mountain, Naka.

Tags

african, celebration, coping, family, folktale, generations, grandparents, mountains, multicultural, nature, parents, respect, shapes, siblings, storytelling, traditions

I lost my tooth in africa

Diakite, Penda

Amina and her parents take a trip to Mali to visit family. On the way, Amina realizes that her tooth is loose! While visiting her father's family, Amina loses the tooth and places it under a calabash tree. She receives a hen and a rooster from the African Tooth Fairy.

Tags

africa, african, airplane, animals, birds, body parts, cattle, change, chicken, community, cooking, cow, culture, differences, donkey, family, food, games, garden, goat, grandparents, language, loss, maps, morning, multicultural, music, night, parents, pattern, pheasant, play, prayer, recipe, singing, sleep, song, storytelling, teeth, traditions, travel, tree, vacation, village, wish

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