Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Three cheers for catherine the great! | by Best, Cari

A family moves from Russia to America. The grandma of the family has a birthday and she does not want presents. Her grand-daughter spends hours trying to figure out the perfect no present for her grandma.

Keywords: baby, birthday, celebration, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dancing, decision making, exercise, family, food, goal setting, grandparents, holidays, language, multicultural, music, nutrition, opera, parents, party, poetry, presents, russian, self esteem, song, stress management, travel, verbal communication

I was born to be a brother | by Michels-Gualtieri, Zaydek G.

A big brother describes the duties he has when teaching his little sister. He has many responsibilities to uphold and for the most part gets along well with his baby sister. There are times, however, when siblings get in the way, but in the end a little sister is the best thing in the world. (With music CD)

Keywords: anger, baby, careers, caring, child care, closeness, companion, family, feelings, food, friendship, growing up, helping, injury, learning, music, pets, play, relationship, responsibilities, role model, safety, siblings, song, teaching, technology, teeth, television, toys

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 way to start a day | by Baylor, Byrd

Morning time is a sacred time. The beginning of a new day is about to unfold. There's a lot of movement around the world. Wake up to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Keywords: activities, adventures, africa, exercise, five senses, health, magic, multicultural, music, seasons, song, sounds, sun, symbols, time, weather

Matunje and the wooden spoon | by Mashiri, Pascal

During a time of famine, Matunje goes looking for food. He finds mangoes which fall into the water and are carried out to sea. Matunje follows and is led to the sea king who gives him a magical wooden spoon to feed his country.

Keywords: assertiveness, celebration, community, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dancing, famine, feelings, food, fruit, happiness, helping, magic, mythical, nutrition, song, spiritual, tree

My mountain song | by Crum, Shutta

Observe a relationship that blossoms between competing cousins over their grandparents. Enjoy the scenic illustrations of summer life on the mountains while reading about a legacy being passed down.

Keywords: companion, conflict resolution, family, farm, generations, grandparents, growing up, nature, nonverbal communication, relationship, seasons, sharing, song, summer

If you're happy and you know it! | by Ormerod, Jan

A young girl and a collection of different animals make up their own versions of the popular song, If you're happy and you know it! Characters do their own thing and express themselves in different ways while participating in a social activity.

Keywords: animals, birds, crocodile, dog, elephant, feelings, gorilla, happiness, hyena, individuality, kangaroo, nonverbal communication, parrot, song, toucan, uniqueness, verbal communication

The baby beebbe bird | by Massie, Diane Redfield

All day long, the zoo animals roar and make noise. When they lay down to go to sleep, something keeps them awake: a new baby beebee bird isn't tired and sings all night long. When morning comes, all the animals are still tired. To prove their point, the animals make noise all day, keeping the bird awake. The next night all the animals, including the baby beebee bird, are fast asleep.

Keywords: animals, bear, bedtime, birds, conflict resolution, cooperation, critical thinking, eagle, elephant, five senses, giraffe, leopard, lion, morning, night, noise, respect, sleep, song, sounds, zoo

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

The unbeatable bread | by Hoopes, Lyn Littlefield

Uncle Jon is determined to melt away the winter with his unbeatable bread. The wonderful aroma from his bread lures children and wild animals out of the cold winter morning into his kitchen.

Keywords: ambition, animals, cooking, determination, five senses, food, health, moon, music, nutrition, rhyme, seasons, sleep, smell, song, sun, verbal communication, winter

Junk pile! | by Borton, Lady

When Jamie Kay helps her dad in their magical junk yard, Robert Haines and other kids make fun of her. Jamie Kay has to find a way to show the kids that her junkyard is magical. But most of all, Jamie has to find a way to make a friend.

Keywords: acceptance, assertiveness, bus, careers, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, disability, dog, family, forgiveness, friendship, imagination, magic, song, teasing, transportation, work

The seals on the bus | by Hort, Lenny

A group of people get onto a bus that takes them around to different places in town. At each stop a different type of animal gets on. Each animal has a distinctive sound that goes with the rhyme. Finally the people flee off the bus from the animals.

Keywords: animals, birds, bus, conflict resolution, decision making, escape, excitement, feelings, fish, goose, monkey, noise, nonverbal communication, rabbit, repetition, seal, sheep, skunk, snake, song, sounds, tiger, transportation

Freedom school, yes! | by Littlesugar, Amy

Jolie shows courage in her community by protecting the school that will educate her and others. Jolie is afraid others will burn down the school. Jolie never gives up hope, and learns about famous African Americans who were brave and made a difference in their community, just like Jolie.

Keywords: african american, anger, art, body parts, books, bravery, buildings, careers, change, church, community, courage, education, family, fire, freedom, god, hard work, history, music, neighbors, poetry, quilt, relationship, religion, running, school, slavery, song, spiritual, stars, teaching

Pieces of another world | by Rockliff, Mara

A father and child go on a nighttime excursion to watch a meteor shower. Through the eyes of the child, who has no idea where they are going or why, enjoys the trip with her father. In the middle of the night, they stand in the middle of a field watching the tiny bits of other distant worlds, blazing into their own world.

Keywords: animals, astronomy, bodies of water, curiosity, deer, exercise, family, feelings, fishing, fox, lake, learning, mountains, night, owl, parents, raccoon, song, swimming, verbal communication

Tree of hope | by Littlesugar, Amy

Florrie is named after a famous African American actress of the 1920's. Florrie learns the importance of working hard. Having big dreams will help Florrie and her family achieve anything. They learn that the Tree of Hope reflects the glory days of Harlem's Lafayette Theatre- a time when a black man shines through the Great Depression.

Keywords: actor, african american, art, body parts, buildings, caribbean, creativity, dancing, daydreaming, haitian, happiness, hunger, performance, play, relationship, rhythm, singing, song, theatre, tree, wish

Lift every voice and sing | by Johnsson, James Weldan

Lift every voice puts pictures to the African American National Anthem. The lyrics tell the story of Black people's past struggles and the hope that Blacks will continue to have towards their future.

Keywords: africa, african american, bodies of water, body parts, courage, culture, day, diversity, family, fear, freedom, god, history, hope, illustrator's note, moon, multicultural, music, night, poetry, pride, relationship, rhythm, running, sea, ship, singing, sky, song, tree, violence, water

The children of LIR | by MacGill-Callahan, Sheila

When King Lir's evil new wife becomes jealous of his children and turns them into swans, the two sets of twins must make new friends and problem solve to go back to their beloved father.

Keywords: animals, birds, celebration, dancing, direction, evil, family, folktale, friendship, happiness, ireland, light, magic, mountains, problem solving, royalty, siblings, song, swan, whale

In the time of the drums | by Siegelson, Kim L.

Mentu and Twi tell the story of an African family newly arrived in the Americas. Twi never gives up on returning to her native Africa. Twi tells stories of cooking, planting, music and dancing from her native land.

Keywords: african, african american, bodies of water, community, creek, culture, escape, farm, feelings, five senses, folktale, freedom, generations, grandparents, history, home, instruments, island, language, magic, music, mythical, relationship, repetition, rhythm, sadness, secrets, ship, slavery, song, sounds, storytelling, transportation

Swamp song | by Ketteman, Helen

Down in the swamp where the cypress grows, Old Man Gator starts tapping his toes...Pretty soon, all the swamp animals are moving and swaying to Gator's beat. Sing along with the river otter, bullfrog, dragonfly, and many other swamp animals as their music swells into the natural chorus of croaking, whirring, and buzzing. These swamp singers are all brought to life by colored ink and acrylic paint illustrations.

Keywords: alligator, amphibians, animals, bear, birds, boar, bodies of water, dancing, dragonfly, fox, frog, insects, mosquito, otter, pig, rhyme, snake, song, squirrel, storks, swamp, tree, woodpecker

Up home | by Grant, Shauntay

A young woman of African decent recalls her childhood in her native homeland of Preston, Canada. She remembers long hot days of summer playing with cousins, singing on Sunday mornings, climbing trees and picking blueberries. Gatherings with her family are special celebrations.

Keywords: african american, body parts, canada, celebration, church, climbing, clothing, cooking, family, flowers, food, friendship, fun, garden, glasses, grandparents, history, instruments, love, memory, multicultural, music, nutrition, park, quilt, seasons, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods

Browse Abstracts (167 total)