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

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Roy makes a car: Based on a story collected by Zora Neale Hurston

Lyons, Mary

Roy Tyle is known around town as the best mechanic in Florida. Roy makes it his mission to create a car that will be accident proof. No one in the town believes him, but Roy proves them wrong time and time again. Roy's creativity and perseverance leads to the making of the best cars in the area.

Bird

Elliot, Zetta

Mehkai struggles with the challenges of life: death of his grandfather and his older brother's drug addition. He soon learns how to cope and manage his stress through drawing. In fact, drawing is an outlet for Bird's emotions and imagination. Mehkai learns the benefits of perseverance, hard work, and family.

Tags

african american, aggression, airplane, art, birds, buildings, crime, day, death, decision making, drawing, dreams, drugs, emotions, family, feelings, grandparents, hard work, imagination, instruments, loss, museum, music, park, problem solving, relationship, robbery, school, siblings, storytelling, stress management, technology

Winter rescue

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.

Tags

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

Gullible's troubles

Shannon, Margaret

Gullible believes everything he hears when his aunt, uncle, or cousin tells him stories. For example, he believes that there are monsters in the basement. When his family tries to trick him again, the joke ends up being on them.

Tags

animals, beliefs, clothing, critical thinking, deception, family, garden, gerbil, helping, monsters, relationship, shadows, soccer, sports, storytelling, trick

Midnight moon

Watson, Clyde

This book tells children that when they fall asleep, the sandman takes them to visit the man in the moon. Sandman tells stories of all the wonderful things he has seen on earth. Then the children go back to their beds.

Tags

bedtime, critical thinking, moon, night, nonverbal communication, sleep, storytelling, verbal communication

The wonderful tree: A story of the seasons

Holl, Adelaide

A young boy's interest in nature leads his grandfather into a discussion about the seasons. Changes in the trees, celebrations, and life events are shared through the grandfather's stories.

Tags

autumn, celebration, family, grandparents, nature, seasons, snow, spring, storm, storytelling, summer, weather, winter

Josefina

Winter, Jeanette

Josefina spends her whole life shaping soft clay into a story. She looks out at the world and makes what she sees until her story is complete.

Tags

creativity, family, feelings, flowers, fun, happiness, imagination, love, nonverbal communication, sadness, storytelling, verbal communication

I was born about 10,000 years ago

Kellogg, Steven

A young boy tells some tall tales by claiming that he's been alive for 10,000 years. He explains how he ate part of the apple with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, how he married Queen Elizabeth, and how he flew to the moon. Even though he stretches the truth quite a bit, it's fun to learn about some important events in history.

Tags

adventures, creativity, faith, history, imagination, learning, moon, pretend, pride, royalty, storytelling

Tyrannosaurus tex

Birney, Betty

A friendship grows between a group of cowboys and a giant beast. It is an exciting legend.

Tags

cowboys, decision making, dinosaur, friendship, storytelling, verbal communication

Milo and the magical stones

Pfister, Marcus

Milo lives in a cave on a small island. One cold winter day, he discovers a glowing rock to keep his cave warm. When he tells the other mice about it, do they become greedy and take all of the rocks, or do they take only what they need?You choose the ending and decide what the mice will do.

Tags

animals, cave, decision making, feelings, friendship, greed, happiness, island, mouse, peer resistance, rocks, sadness, seasons, sharing, storytelling, summer, winter

Go to sleep, nicholas joe

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman

Nicholas Joe refuses to go to bed. Instead he visits parents and children all over the United States, putting them to bed, and listening to their bedtime excuses.

Tags

bedtime, determination, family, health, parents, sleep, storytelling, travel

Milo y las piedras magicas

Pfister, Marcus

Milo lives in a cave on a small island. One cold winter day, he discovers a glowing rock that keeps his cave warm. When he tells the other mice about it, do they become greedy and take all the rocks, or do they take only what they need?You get to chose the ending and decide what the mice will do.

Tags

animals, decision making, feelings, friendship, greed, happiness, island, language, mouse, multicultural, peer resistance, rocks, sadness, seasons, sharing, spanish, storytelling, summer, winter

Mouse tales

Lobel, Arnold

Papa Mouse is asked to tell bedtime stories to his two children.

Tags

animals, bedtime, conflict resolution, decision making, family, imagination, mouse, parents, storytelling, verbal communication

The chinese siamese cat

Tan, Amy

In this beautifully illustrated book, Ming Miao tells her kittens the tale of why they look like siamese cats, but are truely Chinese. This tale goes back thousands of years to their ancestor, Sagwa Miao of China.

Tags

animals, asian, cat, chinese, conflict resolution, multicultural, peer resistance, problem solving, resolution, royalty, self esteem, storytelling, verbal communication

Laura charlotte

Galbraith, Kathryn O.

Laura's mother sits close to her on the bed and tells stories full of traditions and past generations to help her fall asleep.

Tags

affection, bedtime, family, feelings, generations, love, parents, reading, sleep, storytelling

Homeplace

Shelby, Anne

A grandmother explains to her grandaughter the history of the house she lives in. She begins her story at the beginning when great-great-great-great grandpa built the house. She explains how they planted corn and cooked on a wood buring stove. The story ends with the way the house looks now.

Tags

animals, cow, family, farm, food, grandparents, history, horse, memories, nutrition, parents, sheep, shelter, storytelling

My dad is really something

Osborn, Lois

Harry and his friend Ron compare their fathers. Harry becomes upset because Ron's father seems to be so much better than his father. As is turns out, Ron is making everything up because his dad had died a few years ago.

Tags

conflict resolution, confusion, coping, death, deception, decision making, feelings, friendship, loss, memories, refusal skills, role model, self esteem, storytelling, verbal communication

How my parents learned to eat

Freidman, Ina R.

A little girl tells the story of how her mother and father met. Her father was a sailor and he met his future wife in Japan. She teaches him how to eat with chopsticks and he teaches her how to eat with silverware.

Tags

family, food, japanese, multicultural, nutrition, parents, restaurant, siblings, storytelling

Together in pinecone patch

Yezerski, Thomas

Keara and Stefan are from Ireland and Poland, respectively, and each tell the stories of their families. They meet in the United States in Pinecone Patch, PA. They overcome deep stereotypes and prejudices to be married and bring two families together.

Here comes the mystery man

Sanders, Scott Russell

The Goodwin children wait impatiently for the arrival of Merchant Meeks. When Meeks arrives, he brings presents, prizes, and stories to the family. His stories and presents tell of far away places the Goodwins have never seen before. He makes the world look bigger.

Tags

anticipation, family, imagination, presents, storytelling, travel, verbal communication

Why does it always rain on sukkot?

Youdoin, S.S.

Each of the Jewish holidays are explained through a story. The chief angel gives each holiday a gift which explains its meaning.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, holidays, Jewish, multicultural, presents, self esteem, storytelling, verbal communication

Do you want to play?A book about being friends

Kolar, Bob

Do you want to play?These two children have lots of ideas about what they can do. They can play together or alone or even in a big group. The park is fun, so is a board game, There are so many things to do with a friend, the possibilities are endless!

Tags

apology, body parts, conflict resolution, cooperation, fight, food, friendship, games, health, helping, instruments, listening, music, nutrition, park, play, playground, playing, reading, relationship, self esteem, sharing, storytelling, understanding, verbal communication

Going to my nursery school

Kuklin, Susan

Heath describes his day playing with his classmates at nursery school. The children play with the water table, the class rabbit, and the blocks. After their snack, they run, climb, ride, slide, bounce balls, play chase and pretend games on the rooftop playground.

Tags

accidents, animals, cleanliness, climbing, exercise, food, games, injury, music, nutrition, play, pretend, rabbit, running, school, self esteem, sharing, song, storytelling

Grandmother bryant's pocket

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs

Sarah's best friend is her dog Patches. Patches dies in a barn fire and every night after the fire, Sarah has nightmares and wakes up calling for Patches. Sarah goes to her Grandparent's house hoping to cure her from her nightmares. To comfort Sarah, Grandmother gives Sarah her old pocket filled with herbs, scissors, and gold buttons and embroidered with the words no fear, to wear under her skirt. In the meantime Sarah befriends a stray one-eyed cat. Sarah is not cured alone by the pocket full of herbs and the cat's friendship. It is only after a mean neighbor's accident that Sarah becomes more brave and confident and the nightmares stop.

Tags

animals, bravery, cat, death, dog, dreams, family, farm, fear, fire, food, garden, grandparents, grief, loss, medicine, neighbors, nutrition, parents, pig, plants, self esteem, storytelling

Dakota dugout

Turner, Ann

A woman tells her grandchild about the hard times she and her husband had on the Dakota prairie. The first year was hard, but then the corn grew and they were able to build a house and buy dresses.

Tags

clothing, family, farm, grandparents, hard work, marriage, pioneers, plants, seasons, shelter, storytelling

The storytellers

Lewin, Ted

Abdul and his grandfather travel the streets of Fez, Morocco on the way to work. After passing merchants, carpenters and other citizens hard at work, grandfather spreads out a carpet to begin his job, telling stories to a crowd.

Tags

animals, arab, birds, careers, chicken, citizen, community, family, grandparents, hawk, horse, language, market, money, moroccan, multicultural, photograph, pigeon, sounds, storytelling, sun, walking, wool, work

Seashore story

Yashima, Taro

Come learn about the old legend of Urishima, which tells about the birth of the sun.

Tags

beach, birth, bodies of water, critical thinking, japanese, multicultural, sea, storytelling, stress management, sun, teaching

The whispering cloth

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.

Tags

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

The storyteller

Weisman, Joan

Lottie moves from her Indian Pueblo village to the city. She misses her Pueblo life until she meets an old woman with whom she shares old Pueblo stories. A new friendship is made when they share their stories.

Tags

change, coping, friendship, loneliness, loss, memories, moving, multicultural, native american, sharing, storytelling

Birdie's lighthouse

Hopkinson, Deborah

Ten year-old Bertha, daughter of a lighthouse keeper, receives a diary for her birthday. She records significant family events such as their relocation to rugged Turtle Island and the time when her brother went to sea for a long time.

Tags

author's note, birds, birthday, boat, bodies of water, bravery, calendar, careers, challenges, change, courage, diary, family, fishing, fog, growing up, hard work, helping, heroism, island, light, moving, ocean, recreation, responsibilities, sea, seagull, seal, ship, storytelling, stress management, transportation, verbal communication, weather, writing

Strega nona: Her story as told to Tomie dePaola

dePaola, Tomie

A little girl name Nona is born, and her Grandma Concetta says that she will teach her the ways of a strega who gives cures and advice on many things. Nona grows up and attends the convent school and the Academy of Stregas in the city. Nona eventually returns to the country to take her Grandma's place after she retires.

Tags

birth, decision making, grandparents, health, illness, italian, language, magic, multicultural, school, secrets, storytelling

Kevin's grandma

Williams, Barbara

A young boy tells tales about visits with his grandma.

Tags

airplane, birthday, car, celebration, family, feelings, grandparents, happiness, holidays, honesty, imagination, storytelling, transportation, verbal communication

The true story of the 3 little pigs!

Scieszka, Jon

Learn how the pigs really died in the story of the Three Little Pigs. The wolf has a cold and when he sneezes, the pig's houses fall down. Since the pigs are already dead, the wolf decides that he might as well eat them.

Tags

animals, family, hunger, illness, pig, siblings, storytelling, violence, wolf

The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales

Scieszka, Jon//Smith, Lane

A collection of about fifteen different children's stories. All the stories have a humorous twist to them.

Tags

activities, adventures, change, chaos, humor, storytelling

The gingerbread doll

Tews, Susan

Rebecca lived during the Depression when times were hard, so when she gets a gingerbread doll instead of the porcelain doll she has always wanted, she understands and loves the doll. When times get better, Rebecca eventually gets a porcelain doll, but remembers the love she had for her gingerbread doll.

Tags

acceptance, appreciation, christmas, dolls, family, grandparents, holidays, love, memory, moving, parents, poverty, siblings, storytelling, toys

Six by seuss

Seuss, Dr.

A compilation of six stories by Dr. Seuss including And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Horton Hatches the Egg, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Lorax. Each story includes rhyme which makes it fun and easy to read.

Tags

animals, christmas, curiosity, holidays, imagination, reptiles, rhyme, seasons, storytelling, turtle

The great encounter: A special meeting before columbus

Piercy, Patricia A

An African American tells the story of the discovery of America from a different point of view. He brings new knowledge to an excited and interested elementary classroom while telling the historical story.

Tags

acceptance, african american, critical thinking, discovery, diversity, fear, feelings, history, multicultural, native american, nonverbal communication, school, self esteem, storytelling

A christmas story

Wildsmith, Brian

The traditional Christmas story is told through the eyes of a young girl and her donkey. They try to find Mary and Joseph and follow their trip to Bethlehelm.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, christmas, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, donkey, history, holidays, lost, spiritual, storytelling, traditions, travel

Waiting for hannah

Russo, Marisabina

Hannah wants to know how her mother spent her time before she was born. Hannah's mother talks about the hot summer when she got proper exercise, food, and recreation so she could have a good delivery.

Tags

excitement, exercise, family, food, health, love, nutrition, parents, pregnancy, storytelling, summer, verbal communication

The snail house

Ahlberg, Allan

Grandma calls in her three grandchildren to tell a story. A boy, a girl, and their baby brother all shrink until they can sneak out of the house unnoticed. They move into a snail house for a day where they have adventures with an earthquake, a disappearing baby, and a scary bird. After the adventures, they thank the snail and return home to become their normal size.

Tags

adventures, animals, baby, birds, cat, disappearance, earthquake, fox, grandparents, insects, lost, plants, radio, rain, safety, snail, storytelling, tiger

The summer my father was ten

Brisson, Pat

A father and his daughter plant a garden every year, and every year she hears the story of how the ritual started. When her father was ten, he and some friends destroyed a neighbor's garden. In the father's guilt, he makes amends with the neighbor and gains a friend.

Tags

aging, baseball, behavior, community, conflict resolution, decision making, feelings, flowers, food, forgiveness, friendship, garden, growing up, italian, mischief, multicultural, neighbors, nutrition, opera, sadness, sharing, sports, storytelling, summer, tobacco, traditions

A special trade

Wittman, Sally

When Nelly was a baby, Bartholomew would push her in her stroller and tell her stories. Now that he is in a wheelchair and she is older, she pushes him around.

Tags

aging, baby, change, coping, disability, friendship, growing up, handicap, happiness, helping, illness, play, self esteem, sharing, storytelling, verbal communication

Bread is for eating

Gershator, David//Gershator, Phillis

When a little boy leaves bread on his plate, his mother reminds him how important bread is and the hard work that goes into making it. Through a song, children learn why they should not waste food, and how to be thankful for grain and bread.

Tags

appreciation, awareness, careers, critical thinking, culture, decision making, farm, farmer, food, health, hispanic, hunger, language, machines, money, multicultural, music, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, parents, plants, poverty, rain, rainbow, snow, song, spanish, storytelling, sun, teaching, verbal communication, weather, winter

Grandma's latkes

Drucker, Malka

Molly tries to beat her grandmother at grating potatoes, but her grandma is too fast. As Molly and her grandmother make latkes for Hanukkah, her grandmother tells a story about why they celebrate Hanukkah.

Tags

celebration, family, food, grandparents, hanukkah, holidays, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, preparation, recipe, storytelling, traditions

Staying with grandma

Roe, Eileen

A little girl tells what staying with her grandmother means for her. It means catching frogs, picking vegetables from the garden, shelling peas for supper, and having peach jam on toast.

Tags

amphibians, family, food, frog, garden, grandparents, helping, nutrition, running, storytelling, vegetables

Faraway drums

Kroll, Virginia

Jamila has the important responsibility of watching her little sister when their mom goes to work. While trying to ignore unfamiliar creepy sounds, Jamila comforts her sister and herself by recalling their grandmother's stories about their native homeland, Africa.

And if the moon could talk

Banks, Kate

A young child gets ready for bed. Her father reads her a book, and her mother tucks her into bed. Soon, she is fast asleep and dreaming. The moon watches from outside as the world prepares for nightfall.

Tags

animals, beach, bedtime, boat, books, crab, desert, donkey, dreams, family, fire, five senses, lion, lizard, moon, night, parents, rabbit, reading, sleep, stars, storytelling, wind

The worry stone

Dengler, Marianna

When growing up, Amanda loved her Grandfather and his stories. But now that Amanda is old, she feels lonely. One day at the park she befriends a lonely boy. She is able to give the boy something very special. Then he gives her something in return.

Tags

aging, author's note, death, family, feelings, folktale, fossil, giving, grandparents, hope, loneliness, memories, multicultural, native american, park, rocks, self esteem, sharing, storytelling, verbal communication, worry

Amazing grace

Hoffman, Mary//Binch, Caroline

Grace loves to act out stories or fantasies. When her school decides to put on a production of Peter Pan, she wants to be Peter. Everyone says she cannot because she is a black girl. She dances and practices a lot for the audition and at the audition it is evident that she will be the best Peter Pan.

Tags

acceptance, acting, african american, bias, confidence, dancing, Days of The Week, determination, exercise, fantasy, goal setting, multicultural, performance, school, self esteem, stereotypes, storytelling

Ig lives in a cave

Chapman, Carol

This is a collection of stories about a caveboy named Ig. In each story he learns a new lesson. These lessons are about sharing, love, bravery, politeness, and becoming a big brother.

Tags

bravery, conflict resolution, decision making, family, growing up, learning, refusal skills, self esteem, sharing, siblings, storytelling, verbal communication

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