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

Tags: african

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Africa calling

Adlerman, Dan

A young girl dreams of all the animals in Africa. The animals seem to capture her attention through their actions. The animals frolick in the dusk of beautiful Africa.

Tags

african, animals, dreams, elephant, hippopotamus, imagination, lion, monkey, multicultural, nature, night, rhinoceros, rhyme, sleep, snake, survival, zebra

Dancing feet

Agell, Charlotte

Diversity in the world is shown through rhythmical lyrics and warm pictures. Diversity also includes the names of major body parts and functions.

Tags

acceptance, african, asian, body image, body parts, community, dancing, diversity, equality, exercise, family, food, friendship, lyrics, multicultural, poetry, rhyme, walking

My painted house, my friendly chicken, and me

Angelou, Maya

Thandi, an eight-year-old Ndebele girl who lives in a village in South Africa with her mother, aunts, sisters, and mischievous younger brother, shares her secrets with her best friend, a chicken.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, bicycle, chicken, colors, customs, dragonfly, family, friendship, jewelry, language, mischief, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, pattern, photograph, play, siblings, storytelling, village

Somebody has done it, why can't you?

Annoh, G. Kwesi

Two sisters in Ghana pursue their dreams of becomming career women. They receive help from their parents and teachers, and work hard to study math and science. Abena becomes a mathematician and Akousa becomes a medical officer in public health.

Tags

african, careers, courage, determination, education, equality, family, fear, feelings, gender, ghana, health, math, multicultural, pregnancy, religion, school, science, stereotypes, teaching

We hide, you seek

Aruego, Jose//Dewey, Ariane

Take an active part in playing hide-and-seek with the pictures in this book! (A Wordless Book)

Tags

african, animals, chameleon, desert, geography, giraffe, leopard, multicultural, rhinoceros, swamp

This is the way we eat our lunch

Baer, Edith

Time for lunch! What will it be? Come along - let's taste and see! Journey across the world as children eat lunch. Discover many new foods and recipes you can make and eat.

Tags

african, american, australian, british, canadian, chinese, columbian, differences, egyptian, feelings, food, friendship, hunger, indian, israelian, italian, japanese, maps, moroccan, nutrition, puerto rican, recipe, rhyme

Gifts

Bogart, Jo Ellen

Whenever Grandma goes on a trip, she brings back a present. Sometimes it's something tangible and other times it's just a memory. No matter what Grandma brings, it's always special and can be shared.

Tags

african, australian, british, chinese, family, giving, grandparents, hawaiian, indian, memories, mexican, multicultural, presents, travel, verbal communication

Madoulina: A girl who wanted to go to school: A story from south africa

Bognomo, Joel Eboueme

Madoulina has dreams of becoming a doctor. She doesn't, however, go to school because her mother needs her to sell fritters in the marketplace to earn money. Madoulina meets her brother's new teacher, who convinces her mom to find a way to let her go to school.

Food and festivals: West Africa

Brownlie, Alison

Describes the West African culture of food, including the kinds of food grown and eaten, and various feast days like Ramadan, Easter, naming ceremonies, and yam festivals.

Tags

africa, african, baby, beach, bodies of water, camel, cattle, celebration, ceremony, chicken, community, cooking, dancing, family, farm, food, friendship, fruit, ghana, goat, hard work, holidays, language, multicultural, music, muslim, parade, preparation, religion, respect, river

Beautiful blackbird

Bryan, Ashley

Colorful birds in the forest want to be like the blackbird. The blackbird teaches the other birds that each one is beautiful in its own unique way and that beauty does not come from a color.

Tags

african, assertiveness, beauty, birds, colors, comparisons, dancing, differences, envy, exercise, feelings, multicultural, poetry, rainbow, rhyme, rhythm, self esteem

Jamari's drum

Bynum, Eboni//Jackson, Roland

Jamari grows up drawn to the beating of the djembe, the keeper of the peace, the great drum of his Mali village. Jamari grows older and becomes the drummer of the djembe. He eventually gets caught up in other aspects of village life. When the village is once again threatened by the nearby angry mountain, Jamari returns to his post as drummer for village peace.

Tags

africa, african, clothing, community, dedication, fable, family, five senses, harmony, instruments, language, marriage, mountains, multicultural, music, peace, rhythm, storytelling, traditions, village

One child, one seed: A south african counting book

Cave, Kathryn

Play a simple counting game. Watch a pumpkin grow. Follow young Nothando and discover the rhythms of her daily life in her South African village.

Tags

africa, african, cattle, chicken, cleanliness, cooking, counting, cow, dog, family, farm, friendship, games, garden, hard work, home, language, numbers, parents, photograph, plants, play, preparation, siblings, summer, walking

To be a drum

Coleman, Evelyn

Daddy Wes whispers to his two young children about the history of Africans forced into slavery and how the pulse of the drum has moved through them over time. Daddy Wes promises his children that as long as they can hear the heartbeat of the earth, they will be free.

Tags

africa, african, art, bodies of water, careers, colors, community, culture, dance, five senses, freedom, hearing, history, instruments, language, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, ocean, playing, pride, rhythm, sea, ship, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, symbols, time, verbal communication, war

The most important gift of all

Conway, David

Ama wants to honor her newborn baby brother with a special gift, as is the custom of the people in her village. When Grandma Sisi suggests the gift of love Ama sets off in search of this important present, but how will she know when she has found it? This story celebrates a young girl's discovery of the most important gift of all.

Tags

africa, african, animals, baby, birds, birth, celebration, clouds, community, critical thinking, discovery, dreams, family, giraffe, grandparents, lion, love, multicultural, parents, rain, siblings, stars, tree, village

It takes a village

Cowen-Fletcher, Jane

Young Yemi's responsibility is to look after her brother, Kokou, while at the market with her mother. Yemi quickly loses sight of her brother, but Kokou is safe with the neighbors in the community. Yemi learns that It takes a village to raise a family.

Tags

africa, african, animals, community, conflict resolution, family, feelings, food, friendship, lost, multicultural, neighbors, nutrition, parents, shopping, siblings, traditions, verbal communication

Can you hear the sea?

Cumberbatch, Judy

Sarah's grandpa gives her a special shell and says if she listens carefully she can hear the sea, but all she hears are every day village noises.

Tags

africa, african, animals, beliefs, bodies of water, cooking, family, food, fruit, grandparents, instruments, listening, monkey, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, persistence, river, sea, shells, sounds, trust, village

For you are a Kenyan child

Cunnane, Kelly

Follow a little Kenyan boy through his village on a typical but eventful day in Kenya. He learns an important lesson about listening to his elders as he visits with the neighbors in his village.

Tags

africa, african, animals, beetle, butterfly, chicken, cow, dog, dove, family, forgetful, forgiveness, friendship, games, goat, grandparents, hunting, insects, kenyan, lion, lizard, monkey, moth, multicultural, parents, pride, respect, siblings, sleep, traditions, tree, village

Jamela's dress

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.

Tags

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

Where's Jamela?

Daly, Niki

A young girl named Jamela is upset when hearing the news from her mother that they will be moving to a new house. When itﾒs time to leave, everyone wonders where Jamela is and begin to search for her everywhere. Suddenly, she jumps out of a box from the back of the truck and agrees to go with her mother. On reaching her new house, she starts to like it and settles down in her room.

I saw your face

Dawes, Kwame

A poem and child portraits illustrate the shared beauty and heritage of African people living throughout the world.

Tags

africa, african, animals, birds, body parts, games, geography, ghana, history, identity, maps, market, multicultural, park, play, travel, tree

I lost my tooth in africa

Diakite, Penda

Amina and her parents take a trip to Mali to visit family. On the way, Amina realizes that her tooth is loose! While visiting her father's family, Amina loses the tooth and places it under a calabash tree. She receives a hen and a rooster from the African Tooth Fairy.

Tags

africa, african, airplane, animals, birds, body parts, cattle, change, chicken, community, cooking, cow, culture, differences, donkey, family, food, games, garden, goat, grandparents, language, loss, maps, morning, multicultural, music, night, parents, pattern, pheasant, play, prayer, recipe, singing, sleep, song, storytelling, teeth, traditions, travel, tree, vacation, village, wish

Bintou's braids

Diouf, Sylviane

When Bintou, a little girl living in West Africa, finally gets her wish for braids, she discovers that what she dreamed for has been hers all along.

Tags

africa, african, america, animals, beach, birds, bodies of water, celebration, chicken, clothing, critical thinking, dreams, envy, family, feelings, fish, food, fruit, grandparents, moon, multicultural, parents, prayer, pride, sadness, sea, selfishness, siblings, sleep, sounds, stars, storytelling, stress management, sun, traditions, tree, village

Otto in Africa

du Bois, William Pene

Otto is a huge dog. His master takes him to Africa because he is too large for their town. They travel to Africa and help to win a war. Otto receives a medal for saving the town.

Tags

african, animals, community, conflict resolution, dog, helping, loyalty, multicultural, pets, travel, verbal communication, war

Afro-bets: First book about africa

Ellis, Veronica

Mr. Amegashie explores the cultural diversity, rich history, and the beautiful and exciting land of Africa.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, bodies of water, business, camel, celebration, ceremony, culture, customs, dancing, desert, discrimination, diversity, egypt, family, forest, geography, ghana, history, horse, hyena, independence, instruments, islam, learning, leopard, library, maps, mountains, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, photograph, religion, river, school, ship, slavery, storytelling, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, water, zimbabwe

The hunter

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.

Tags

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

A day with daddy

Girimes, Nikki

A young African American boy living with his mother spends the day with his father. They spend time together doing a variety of activities that leave the boy satisfied with his life.

Tags

african, baseball, basketball, family, food, happiness, memories, neighbors, nutrition, parents, play, playground, relationship, role model, sleep, sports, understanding

Song of the boat

Graham, Lorenz

An African father and a son from West Africa build a boat from a special tree. They work together to find the perfect tree to use.

Tags

african, assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, determination, family, goal setting, hard work, language, multicultural, parents, refusal skills, self esteem, teamwork, traditions, transportation

A country far away

Gray, Nigel

This is a story comparing two young boys who live in Africa and the United States. Their lives are identical even though they live in different countries.

Tags

african, america, bicycle, birth, celebration, comparisons, critical thinking, differences, friendship, geography, goal setting, growing up, maps, multicultural, school, soccer, sports, swimming, village

The village of round and square houses

Grifalconi, Ann

In a village in West Africa, women live in round houses and men live in square houses. After supper, grandmother tells a story about the origin of these houses aand how it is related to the rupturing of volcanic mountain, Naka.

Tags

african, celebration, coping, family, folktale, generations, grandparents, mountains, multicultural, nature, parents, respect, shapes, siblings, storytelling, traditions

Lazy lion

Hadithi, Mwenye & Kennaway, Adrienne

Lazy lion orders everyone to build him a house, but he is not satisfied with it. When a big rain comes, all the other animals go into the house that was built for the lion to keep dry. This is why lions must roam the earth.

Tags

aardvark, african, animals, ant, assertiveness, badger, bee, birds, conflict resolution, critical thinking, crocodile, decision making, folktale, geography, goal setting, insects, laziness, lion, rain, refusal skills, reptiles, shelter, teamwork, weather

African beginnings

Haskins, James//Benson, Kathleen

Come explore and celebrate the powerful impact people of African descent have made on world history and on the American experience.

Tags

africa, african, animals, architecture, art, bodies of water, business, clothing, culture, dancing, death, desert, discrimination, donkey, egypt, europe, flood, food, geography, ghana, hard work, history, instruments, islam, leadership, lizard, maps, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, ocean, religion, river, ship, slavery, time, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, work, zimbabwe

Boundless grace

Hoffman, Mary

According to the stories Grace read, her family is not normal. Grace's father lives in Africa while she and her mother live in America. Grace visits her father to learn about his new family and the African culture in Gambia. Grace's visit to Africa helps her to understand that her family is normal.

Tags

african, african american, change, comparisons, crocodile, divorce, family, grandparents, letters, love, multicultural, parents, reptiles, shopping, siblings, storytelling, travel, vacation, verbal communication

Grandpa, is everything black bad?

Holman, Sandy Lynne

Montsho struggles with the dark color of his skin. Everything around him that is black is considered bad. Thankfully, Muntsho's grandfather teaches him to appreciate his black skin by telling him stories about his African heritage.

Tags

activities, africa, african, african american, animals, bedtime, colors, confusion, death, discrimination, egypt, emotions, friendship, glasses, grandparents, greek, history, identity, instruments, inventions, language, playing, pride, relationship, rhythm, royalty, self esteem, sounds, storytelling, television, traditions, understanding, witches

The first bear in africa

Ichikawa, Satomi

The animals of the African savanna help Meto as he tries to return the toy bear left behind by a young tourist.

Tags

africa, african, animals, bear, discovery, elephant, exploration, family, giraffe, goat, helping, hippopotamus, language, lion, love, multicultural, parents, photography, thanksgiving, travel, verbal communication, village

Earth mother

Jackson, Ellen

The day begins by Mother Earth tending to her plants and animals. As the day progresses, Mother Earth comes upon a man, a frog, and a mosquito. Each tell Mother Earth what can be changed in their life.

Tags

african, animals, appreciation, assertiveness, birds, communication, cycle, decision making, dedication, diversity, earth, environment, fantasy, firefly, frog, frustration, hawk, insects, loyalty, mosquito, multicultural, nature, nonverbal communication, otter, peace, plants, seasons, snow, summer, verbal communication, whale, wildlife, winter

Drumbeat in our feet

Keeler, Patricia//Leitao, Julio T.

Informative passages and lyrical verse explore the history and rhythmic qualities of traditional African dance as performed long ago and today.

Tags

africa, african, african american, america, animals, celebration, ceremony, colors, congo, dancing, elephant, ethnic, exercise, generations, geography, history, instruments, learning, maps, monkey, multicultural, music, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, performance, rhythm, storytelling, traditions, village

My great-grandmother's gourd

Kessler, Cristina

Residents of a Sudanese village rejoice when a traditional water storage method is replaced by modern technology, but Fatima's grandmother knows there is no substitute for the reliability of the baobab tree.

Tags

africa, african, celebration, community, dancing, family, feelings, grandparents, hard work, helping, language, progress, rain, sadness, teamwork, technology, traditions, tree, village, water, wisdom

Welcoming babies

Knight, Margy Burns

People celebrate the gift of a new baby in different ways around the world. Babies are welcomed into their families using different customs like singing, kissing, touching, blessing, naming, and other special actions.

Tags

adoption, afghani, african, cambodian, correspondence, customs, family, food, glossary, grandparents, indian, iranian, Jewish, korean, language, multicultural, muslim, native american, pakistani, parents, puerto rican, quakers, siblings, spanish, spiritual, traditions, vietnamese

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.

Africa brothers and sisters

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.

Tags

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 old Africa

Lester, Julius

An elderly slave uses the power of his mind to ease the suffering of his fellow slaves and eventually lead them back to Africa

Tags

africa, african, boat, bodies of water, escape, farm, fear, feelings, freedom, history, hope, nonverbal communication, ocean, sadness, slavery, stress management, transportation, travel

Elephant moon

Letord, Bijon

In the plains of Eastern Africa, elephants live in great open spaces, eat many different things, and share their land with lots of other animals. The elephants take care of each other and are beautiful and peaceful animals.

Tags

african, animals, conservation, moon, multicultural, night, survival

How sitali learned a lesson

Mashiri, Pascal

As the oldest in his family Sitali is supposed to hunt and provide for his younger sisters. He learns a lesson about self-control and hard work after being made chief and then losing it all.

Tags

african, african american, apathy, conflict resolution, critical thinking, family, folktale, laziness, multicultural, obedience, parents, peer resistance, refusal skills, responsibilities, river, siblings, storytelling, village

Two friends: A story from Zambia

Mashiri, Pascal

Two friends need sleep. Unfortunately, snoring becomes a problem for one of them. The friend that solves the problem doesnﾒt get the sleep.

The golden rain

Mashiri, Pascal

A young child learns from his mother's stories about decision making and choices. He comes to understand that choices make some people happy and leave some disapointed. The child also realizes that help is sometimes needed for the decision making, but ultimately it is up to the individual.

Why the chameleon had two toes

Mashiri, Pascal

An older woman, named Gogo Senne, tells interesting stories to the children of a small, quiet South African village. She weaves the mythical take of how the chameleon got his two toes and red eyes. Read about the value of strong friendships, the importance of trust, communication and respecting each other.

Tags

african, chameleon, communication, companion, conflict resolution, feelings, folktale, food, friendship, loneliness, peer resistance, refusal skills, respect, trust, truth

Molly bannaky

McGill, Alice

After spilling a bucket of milk and being brought before the court, Molly Walsh is sent from England to America as an indentured servant. After seven long years she gains her freedom, a farm of her own, and an African slave who becomes her husband.

Tags

african, animals, author's note, boat, books, compromise, cow, crime, critical thinking, determination, family, farm, freedom, friendship, hard work, history, marriage, multicultural, ox, plants, reading, royalty, self esteem, settlers, slavery, tobacco, travel, verbal communication

Seven spools of thread

Medearis, Angela

Whether working on their family farm or eating dinner, the seven Ashanti brothers always fight amongst themselves to the dismay of their father. However, when their father passed away, the seven Ashanti brothers were tasked with creating gold from seven different color spools of thread. After completing this seemingly impossible task by working together, the brothers taught their community the value of the lessons they learned.

Tags

african, argument, author's note, colors, communication, community, culture, fable, farm, ghana, language, peace, problem solving, siblings, success, support, teamwork, vocabulary, weaving

Somewhere in Africa

Mennen, Ingrid//Daly, Niki

A boy named Ashraf lives in a city in South Africa. He compares the city to the countryside of Africa.

Tags

africa, african, assertiveness, body parts, books, community, comparisons, critical thinking, dancing, differences, flowers, geography, imagination, instruments, library, multicultural, music, rhyme, song

The talking cloth

Mitchell, Rhonda

Aunt Phoebe has a collection of many wonderful things, each having an interesting story. The little girl's favorite thing is an adinkra cloth from Ghana. It has many colors and symbols to represent feelings, faith, power, and love.

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