Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Odd velvet | by Whitcomb, Mary E.

Velvet is different from all her other classmates. After thinking she is quite odd, that students decide she's not reall that different after all. They admire Velvet's picture of an apple and love going to her unique birthday party.

Keywords: art, birthday, celebration, collection, creativity, differences, dolls, envy, flowers, food, friendship, imagination, jealousy, party, plants, presents, pretend, rocks, school, teaching, uniqueness, volcano

Hill of fire | by Lewis, P. Thomas

Bored of his day-to-day lifestyle, a farmer complains to his wife and son how nothing ever hannpens. One day while plowing, the farmer comes across an explosion coming from his field. It turns out to be a volcano erupting and the farmer's field becomes a place in history.

Keywords: beverage, boredom, bull, bus, church, dancing, depression, farm, fire, food, helping, market, mexican, mountains, night, noise, ox, party, prayer, rocks, running, sadness, safety, school, spanish, toys, truck, volcano, work

The little brute family | by Hoban, Russell

It isn't until Baby Brute finds a lost good feeling in a field of daisies that the family becomes happy and friendly. In the springtime, they flew thier kites together. In summer, they swam together. In fall, they gathered nuts and acorns. And in winter, they sang songs together. When spring came again, the little Brute family changed their name to nice.

Keywords: autumn, baby, change, family, feelings, fight, flowers, food, kite, manners, nature, parents, pony, school, seasons, siblings, sledding, sleep, snow, song, spring, summer, sun, swimming, winter, woods

The meanest thing to say | by Cosby, Bill

Little Bill meets a new boy at school who challenges him to play a game to find the meanest thing to say. When Bill learns a new strategy from his dad, he decides to avoid the game and ignore the criticism. Soon the new boy gets embaressed, but Bill reaches out to make him his friend.

Keywords: african american, anger, basketball, confidence, conflict, fight, flood, forgiveness, friendship, frog, frustration, games, grandparents, illness, jumping, noise, parents, school, sports, teaching, teasing, walking

Pictures for Miss Josie | by Belton, Sandra

A young boy is introduced by his father to Miss Josie, who as first freightens him. As he grows up, he learns to admire her and the two develop a special friendship. Soon the grown boy passes on his memories to his own son and introduces Miss Josie to him.

Keywords: african american, aging, airplane, art, celebration, church, contentment, dancing, dreams, family, fear, giants, listening, marriage, memories, multicultural, radio, role model, school, skills, teeth, telephone, train, transportation, walking, worry

May'naise sandwiches & sunshine tea | by Belton, Sandra

Big Mama shares family memories of her childhood with her grandchild about a special friendship she had with Bettie Jean. Little Miss and Big Mama share the pages of a scrapbook which tells the favorite story of May'naise sandwiches and sunshine tea.

Keywords: african american, books, careers, clothing, dancing, dentist, doctor, dreams, flowers, food, friendship, garden, hunger, imagination, memories, nutrition, parents, photograph, picnic, play, rain, running, school, sun, teaching, technology, telephone, tree, water

Degas and the little dancer: A story about Edgar Degas | by Anholt, Laurence

Marie dreams of being a famous dancer until one day her chance of being in the Christmas show diminishes when her father becomes ill. Marie begins to model for a painter to earn money for her family's lost income. One day, Maria's sculpture shows up in the art museum and becomes the famed sculpture of Edgar Degas.

Keywords: apology, art, careers, dancing, disappointment, dreams, excitement, fame, fear, hard work, illness, loneliness, museum, opera, poverty, practice, school, security, sympathy, teaching

The blue ribbon day | by Couric, Katie

Ellie and Carrie are best friends in the second grade. They do everything together and this year they are trying out for the soccer team. Carrie does not make the team and feels left out. She finds a new hobby, the science fair.

Keywords: challenges, competition, confidence, feelings, friendship, goal setting, hard work, school, science, soccer, sports

Elephants can paint too! | by Arnold, Katya

Comparisons are made between human students and elephants who are learning how to paint. Photographs of elephants and their artwork are shared. Children learn that these elephants have many similarities to humans and must take part in the same learning process as them in order to achieve goals.

Keywords: animals, art, body parts, colors, communication, comparisons, creativity, elephant, food, friendship, goal setting, jungle, learning, nonverbal communication, playing, school, self esteem, similarities, teaching, wildlife

Elephant games and other playful poems to perform | by Bagert, Brad

An entertaining and exciting array of poems cover many issues that children face. Gleeful elephants help explore child-friendly issues such as bullying, feelings, nutrition, parents, animals, dreams, school, pets, trouble-makers and sports. Entertaining illustrations and catchy poems invite the reader to continue exploring.

Sergio and the hurricane | by Wallner, Alexandra

A young boyﾒs family prepares for a hurricane in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At first, Sergio is excited, but after a whole day of getting ready for the storm, he falls asleep exhausted. The hurricane hits in the middle of the night so Sergio joins his parents in their bed, Papa tells him a story to ease his fears. For many weeks after the storm, the San Juan community clears the damage left by the wind and flooding. When school resumes, Sergioﾒs teacher gives a science lesson on hurricanes.

Keywords: author's note, beach, bedtime, cleanliness, community, destruction, family, fear, feelings, flood, hurricane, maps, parents, plants, preparation, puerto rico, radio, safety, school, shopping, storm, storytelling, technology, television, tree, water, writing

Natural disasters: Hurricanes and tornadoes | by Jennings, Terry

This informational text discusses hurricanes and tornadoes by photographs and diagrams. Weather researchers use satellites to circle the earth and take photographs of cloud patterns and the ground. Tornadoes are born in thunderclouds. Learn how tornadoes and hurricanes are tracked and studied, including the damage these natural disasters cause.

Keywords: bangladesh, careers, clouds, comparisons, destruction, disasters, electricity, energy, england, geography, glossary, hurricane, index, jamaica, maps, multicultural, nonfiction, numbers, photograph, research, school, science, storm, technology, temperature, tornado, united states, weather, wind

Emma's magic winter | by Little, Jean

When a new neighbor named Sally moves in, Emma learns to overcome her shyness and her fear of reading out loud to her schoolmates. Early readers can explore their friendships and activities during winter then spring.

Keywords: clothing, exercise, family, food, friendship, imagination, jumping, magic, mountains, nature, neighbors, play, reading, school, seasons, self esteem, shyness, siblings, sledding, snow, spring, verbal communication, weather, winter

The windy day | by Karas, G. Brian

One day, a gust of wind whooshes into a tidy little town and blows everything all over. Little Bernard takes in a breath of the wind only to realize that the wind has been in historical places all over the world.

Keywords: adventures, day, food, history, learning, school, verbal communication, weather, wind

Snow day | by Fain, Moira

Maggie is very embarrassed when her teacher, Sister Agatha Ann, punishes her for drawing on her desk. She must write a poem and recite it for the class the following day. All night she worries about her unfinished homework, but the next day she wakes up to a snow day!Through her fun in the snow and the help from her teacher, Maggie discovers her own special way of writing poetry.

Keywords: accomplishment, conflict resolution, discovery, disobedience, embarrassment, exercise, feelings, fun, helping, poetry, school, seasons, self esteem, sledding, snow, stress management, verbal communication, weather, winter, worry

Snow day! | by Joosse, Barbara M.

Robby awakes to find school is cancelled because of snow. Many fun things happen on his unexpected day off.

Keywords: activities, family, fun, parents, school, siblings, snow, surprises, weather

Toni and the tomato soup | by Haddon, Mark

Toni only likes to eat tomato soup. One day a genie grants her wish for more tomato soup, and she finds out that she can have too much tomato soup.

Keywords: animals, bus, exercise, family, food, nutrition, rain, school, swimming, transportation, weather

Sleds on boston common: A story from the american revolution | by Borden, Louise

It's 1774 and British troops are occupying Boston. King George closes Boston Harbor to punish people who speak out against his laws. Henry, a young boy from Boston, hopes to try out his new sled on his birthday. But when he and his brothers and sister get to the hill they find that the troops have set up camp there. After building up enough courage, Henry asks General Gage to move his troops because Boston Common is for everyone. Being a kind man of his word, General Gage agrees and the children can once again sled.

Keywords: american, assertiveness, author's note, beliefs, birthday, boat, british, courage, england, exercise, family, giving, history, play, presents, royalty, school, sharing, skating, sledding, snow, transportation, verbal communication, war

Trashy town | by Zimmerman, Andrea//Clemesha, David

Mr. Gilly gets up every morning to go to work. He drives the trash truck which cleans up the garbage all around town. When he is finished he has to clean up one more thing...himself!

Keywords: bath, careers, cleanliness, community, environment, hard work, nonverbal communication, park, pollution, school, transportation, truck, verbal communication

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

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