Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Lizzie nonsense | by Ormerod, Jan

Living life in the Australian bush during the pioneer period proves rough for Papa, Mama, Lizzie and Baby. Lizzie transforms the daily routine tasks through her imagination. Her mother calls it nonsense: Lizzie nonsense. Family ties may not be the only thing an imagination of their own.

Keywords: animals, australian, baby, bravery, dingo, family, food, imagination, multicultural, nutrition, parents, pioneers, self esteem, sewing, siblings, snake, verbal communication, work

My sister's wedding | by Mkatshaw, Dumazile

Nhlanhla is getting married and her cousin, Priscilla, is going to sing at the ceremony. The day before the ceremony Priscilla loses her voice. Priscillaﾒs family comes up with many different remedies, including eating raw eggs and drinking hot garlic. Upset, Priscilla cries over her lost voice and sits down on a box of pins! With a hearty scream, her voice returns and she can sing for the wedding.

Keywords: animals, celebration, critical thinking, family, feelings, five senses, flood, happiness, love, nonverbal communication, porcupine, pride, problem solving, sewing, sounds, taste, touch

Death in a nut | by Maddern, Eric

Jackﾒs mother tells him she is dying. He stops the grim reaper from taking her by fighting him. He realizes death has to occur to survive, because he needs to eat. Grim reaper allows Jackﾒs mother to live longer.

Keywords: beach, bodies of water, conflict resolution, critical thinking, death, decision making, exercise, family, farm, food, illness, ocean, parents, sewing, survival, verbal communication, walking

The balloon sailors | by Swanson, Diana

When bickering princes take the throne, the kingdom is split in two by a wall so that each brother rules half. The kingdom is divided and it is illegal for people to cross the wall. Since Tamala and Abalon are forbidden to see their grandmother and cousin on the other side of the wall, they decide to float over it in a hot air balloon. They work with their parents to collect materials, build the balloon, and wait for the perfect weather conditions. The family departs during the night, escapes military fire from soldiers, and surprises their relatives in the morning. This adventure is…

Keywords: accomplishment, argument, balloon, barn, bodies of water, bravery, challenges, church, clothing, conflict resolution, cooperation, correspondence, cow, creativity, crisis, dog, emotions, family, germany, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, helping, history, love, multicultural, parents, patience, pets, politics, pond, prison, quilt, reunion, royalty, rules, sadness, separation, sewing, spy, teamwork, train, transportation, verbal communication, weather, wind, writing

Jamela's dress | by Daly, Niki

Jamela's mama has just bought some beautiful fabric for a new dress. While she's watching it dry outside in the South African air, Jamela wraps it around herself and starts parading down the street. Everyone is watching her, she is so proud. When she gets home, Jamela finds her mama very upset because her fabric is ruined. With the help of a friend, Jamela buys her mama more fabric. At this South African wedding, both Jamela and her mama are beautiful in their new dresses.

Keywords: african, animals, birds, celebration, chicken, clothing, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dog, forgiveness, friendship, games, helping, language, love, market, money, multicultural, photograph, pretend, sewing, shopping, verbal communication, wedding

What!Cried granny: An almost bedtime story | by Lum, Kate

It is Patrick's first time to sleep over at Granny's house. When it is time for him to go to bed, Patrick tells his Granny that he does not have a bed, so Granny chops down some trees for wood and makes him a bed. Patrick then tells his Granny that he did not have a pillow at her house, so Granny collected feathers from her chickens and made him a pillow. Granny also has to make Patrick a blanket and teddy bear, but by the time she is finished, it is morning.

Keywords: animals, bedtime, chicken, dog, family, frustration, grandparents, hard work, night, preparation, sewing, sheep, sleep, tools, tree

Kindle me a riddle: A pioneer story | by Karm, Roberta

Jack, Constance, Mama, and Papa play a riddling game which helps them understand life on the frontier. Their riddles are about their log cabin, food, icehouse, candles, and baskets.

Keywords: alphabet, bee, bodies of water, cabin, critical thinking, duck, family, fire, neighbors, pioneers, pond, school, sewing, sheep, teaching, transportation, verbal communication, wagon

The whispering cloth | by Shea, Pegi Deitz

Mai loves to watch her grandmother and others sew something called a pa'ndau, a cloth from Thailand that tells of someone's story. Mai wants to learn how to stitch and spends much time practicing, but needs to find a story that goes along with her own pa'ndau. Find out what she comes up with.

Keywords: accomplishment, asian, clothing, family, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, language, multicultural, sewing, storytelling

The honest-to-goodness truth | by McKissack, Patricia C.

Libby lies to Mama about feeding the cow. When she is caught and punished, Libby vows to tell the truth from then on. She ends up hurting her friends when she tells it like it is. Can Libby tell the truth and get her friends back?

When jessie came across the sea | by Hest, Amy

Jessie and her Grandmother are very close family to each other because there are no other relatives. Grandmother teachers Jessie to sew and Jessie teaches Grandmother to read. One day, Jessie is requested to travel to America by the rabbi. Her journey by ship is hard, but she meets a young man, Low, who she finds again in America and marries. Grandmother travels to America on the money that Jessie earned sewing lace for three years.

Keywords: american, challenges, communication, correspondence, decision making, english, family, friendship, illness, immigrants, Jewish, language, marriage, money, monuments, multicultural, religion, school, sewing, ship, spiritual, stress management, transportation, travel, work

A band of angels: A story inspired by the jubilee singers | by Hopkinson, Deborah

A young girl listens to a story told by her aunt. Her story is about the young girl's great great grandmother and how she used her voice and dedication to fight for her education after the slaves were freed. The story was also tells how a group of singers toured and sang slave songs. They were trying to save their school, but ended up creating a university.

The bobbin girl | by McCally, Emily Arnold

Ten-year old Rebecca works all day in a hot and noisy cotton mill. She's grateful to be able to help her struggling family, but not all the girls at the boarding house feel the same way. Some girls are starting to get sick. Judith, an older girl that is Rebecca's idol, wants to protest the mill's recent paycut but the troublemakers are fired. Does Rebecca have the courage to join?

Keywords: assertiveness, business, careers, conflict resolution, coping, courage, critical thinking, decision making, family, history, illness, money, peer resistance, problem solving, sewing, verbal communication, work

Nothing | by Inkpen, Mick

A little stuffed animal is left behind when a family moves to a bigger house. During the toy's journey to finding his owner, he encounters the family cat who takes him to his new home.

Keywords: animals, attention, baby, cat, change, fox, frog, grandparents, identification, lost, mouse, moving, sewing, toys, travel, verbal communication

Aunt minnie mcgranahan | by Prigger, Mary Skillings

Aunt Minnie McGranahan lives alone and has a very orderly life. She has a system for doing everything from cleaning to feeding her animals. One day, Minnie receives a telegram from across the country telling her that her nieces and nephews need someone to raise them and take care of them. Despite her neighbors' doubts that nine children could never fit into her perfectly ordered schedule, Minnie and the children work as a team and live together quite nicely.

Keywords: animals, car, cat, chicken, cleanliness, correspondence, cow, critical thinking, dancing, discipline, family, farm, food, garden, horse, music, nutrition, orphan, play, problem solving, responsibilities, rules, sequence, sewing, siblings, stress management, teamwork, train, transportation, travel

A name on the quilt: A story of remembrance | by Atkins, Jeannine

A family remembers an uncle that died of AIDS by constructing a quilt. Each panel reminds the family of a memory shared with Uncle Ron.

Keywords: affection, aids, art, author's note, dancing, death, diseases, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, letters, memories, nonverbal communication, photograph, quilt, sadness, sewing, siblings, skating, stress management, symbols, verbal communication

Cherry pies and lullabies | by Reiser, Lynn

A young girl does four different things with three generations of her family. With her great grandmother, grandmother, and mother, she makes cherry pies, flower wreaths, and quilts. They also sing a lullaby. Each person does the same thing, but each of their products are different.

Keywords: activities, author's note, bedtime, comparisons, cooking, family, flowers, food, generations, grandparents, individuality, love, numbers, nutrition, quilt, sequence, sewing, similarities, song, uniqueness

King long shanks | by Yolen, Jane

King Long Shanks is known for his fine, long and strong legs and he is quite proud of them. One day two tailors arrive at the palace promising they can make an outfit to show off his legs!The outfit also promises to be a true test of loyalty for the people of the kingdom.

Keywords: acceptance, amphibians, assertiveness, attention, business, celebration, communication, confidence, curiosity, embarrassment, entertainment, fable, fly, frog, humor, insects, nonverbal communication, rhyme, royalty, self esteem, sewing, support, trick

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