Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

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.

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

Big jabe | by Nolan, Jerdine

Momma Mary goes back in time and tells stories of a unique young man named Jabe, who is responsible for creating magic among the slaves of the Plenty Plantation. He is described as a hero with the strength of fifty men, a big heart, and a wondrous gift at leading slaves away to freedom.

Keywords: african, african american, animals, bee, chicken, cow, fable, fantasy, feelings, fish, fishing, flood, food, freedom, generations, happiness, heroism, horse, hunger, magic, multicultural, mystery, nonverbal communication, plants, recreation, river, slavery, storytelling, tornado, tree, uniqueness, unselfish, weather, wind

Three days on a river in a red canoe | by Williams, Vera B

A boy and his brother Sam take a canoe trip with their mother and aunt and engage in a variety of adventurous activities along the way.

Keywords: birds, boat, bodies of water, camping, car, cat, family, fire, fish, fishing, fog, food, heron, island, listening, maps, moose, morning, mosquito, preparation, rainbow, recipe, recreation, rescue, river, safety, shelter, shopping, sky, sleep, stars, storytelling, sun, swimming, travel, water, weather

The tremendous tree book | by Brenner, Barbara // Garelick, May

Characteristics of different trees are given with descriptions of different leaves. Tree history, tree survival strategies and uses of trees by both humans and wildlife are shared.

Keywords: autumn, classification, food, forest, geography, habitat, identification, nature, nutrition, observation, plants, recreation, reproduction, rhyme, seasons, seed, spring, temperature, tree, wildlife, woods

Chipper's choices | by Boegehold, Betty

Chipper makes up five stories, riddles, and songs for his friends so they can have something to do when the winter season comes.

Keywords: assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, differences, fear, friendship, imagination, individuality, recreation, seasons, self esteem, song, storytelling, winter

Have you seen wilhelmina krumph? | by Chasek, Judith

Everyday, Wilhelmina Krumph disappears when she should be washing her windows like all the other housewives. They follow her one day and discover that she rides a motorcycle along a dirt road everyday. They see what fun it is and join her.

Keywords: assertiveness, careers, decision making, independence, motorcycle, peer resistance, play, recreation, responsibilities, transportation, verbal communication

Frog and toad | by Lobel, Arnold

Frog and Toad are friends, and they have many adventures together. They run, play and swim together. They cheer each other up when they are feeling down.

Keywords: adventures, amphibians, feelings, friendship, frog, play, recreation, self esteem, toad

Africa brothers and sisters | by 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.

Keywords: 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

The hunter | by 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.

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

John Willy and Freddie Mcgee | by Meade, Holly

Two guinea pigs, John Willy and Freddy McGee, are bored of sitting in their cage where nothing ever changes. One day, when their cage door is left open, the guinea pigs decide to go exploring throughout the house. They end up traveling through the tunnel of a pool table and run for their lives when pool balls start rolling through the tunnel. The guinea pigs run for the safety of their cage but when they get there and see how everything is the same, they leave to start a new adventure.

Keywords: adventures, animals, boredom, cat, colors, courage, discovery, dog, escape, exploration, games, guinea pig, independence, recreation, sounds

How I captured a dinosaur | by Schwartz, Henry

Liz captures an Albertosaurus dinosaur while in Baja, California with her family. Albert soon becomes a friend and moves back to Los Angeles with them where he enjoys running through the sprinkler.

Keywords: critical thinking, dinosaur, family, friendship, nonverbal communication, play, recreation, travel

Molasses man | by May, Kathy L.

A young boy and his family make molasses every summer. This summer the sourghum turns into a recipe that the boy's Grandfather has perfected. The boy spends his summer days helping his family make molasses and playing outside during the cooking process. While some molasses is cooling, Mama and her sisters pour it into glass jars and set up a stand near the road for passers-by.

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, books, community, cooking, family, farm, five senses, food, games, generations, glasses, grandparents, happiness, hard work, horse, moving, mule, neighbors, noise, observation, plants, playing, pretend, recreation, sequence, smell, teamwork, traditions

Pig william | by Dubanevich, Arlene

William takes his time doing everything. One day he messes around so long that he misses the bus and also the school picnic. At home, William takes his fish and radio outside for his own picnic. At the school picnic, it starts to rain and the picnic is cancelled. By the time his brothers arrive home, it stopped raining and they join in his picnic.

Keywords: decision making, family, music, picnic, play, procrastination, rain, recreation, school, self esteem, siblings, time, transportation, weather

Winter rescue | by Valgardson, W.D.

Thor wants to stay inside and watch cartoons on T.V. One day his grandfather needs help ice fishing and Thor is volunterred to help. Thor goes with grandfather, and the two ice fish for the entire day in the bitter cold. Thor ends up saving a man who falls through the ice.

Keywords: accidents, bodies of water, clothing, cold, culture, emergency, fishing, food, ice, injury, lake, neighbors, nutrition, recreation, rescue, snow, storytelling, technology, television, weather, wind, winter

Song and dance man | by Ackerman, Karen

When the children go to visit their grandpa, he takes them to the attic to show his three grandchildren what he used to do for entertainment before television was invented. He dresses up in his hat, vest, and cane, then begins to dance and sing for his grandchildren. When they go downstairs, they wonder how much he misses the good old days.

Keywords: aging, clothing, dancing, exercise, family, grandparents, imagination, memories, nonverbal communication, play, recreation, respect, self esteem, technology, television

The pig in the pond | by Waddell, Martin

Neligan's pig jumps into the pond on a hot summer day. Neligan sees his pig and decides to go for a swim himself. All the other animals jump in for one giant splash!

Keywords: animals, bodies of water, conflict resolution, exercise, friendship, pig, play, pond, recreation, seasons, summer, swimming

A river dream | by Say, Allen

Mark is sick in bed. He opens a box from his uncle and finds many wonderful things to prepare him for a boat trip with his uncle.

Keywords: boat, family, goal setting, illness, nature, presents, recreation, surprises, transportation

A near thing for captain najork | by Hoban, Russell

Tom finds that Captain Najork is not as hard to beat at games after all. Tom wins at more than games.

Keywords: competition, conflict resolution, determination, games, imagination, play, recreation, success

My yellow ball | by Lillegard, Dee

Five times a young girl throws her ball into the sky. With each throw, her imagination grows more and more as her ball travels to different parts of the world where it encounters various people and animals. On her last throw, the ball strikes a star and the girl makes a delightful wish.

Keywords: animals, birds, chimpanzee, coyote, desert, fish, geography, hawk, imagination, jungle, octopus, pets, play, recreation, seal, stars, swordfish, toys, travel, tuna

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