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

Tags: author's note

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A band of angels: A story inspired by the jubilee singers

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.

A castle on Viola street

Disalvo, Dyanne

Andy's family lives in a small, cramped apartment, and his parents work long hours to support the family. He never thought that they would ever live in an actual house, but one day they find a flyer saying You too can own a home. The organization buys empty houses and allows families to fix-up houses and then other people will help fix up a house for them. Andy's family is so excited as they help clean, paint, put down hard wood flooring, and pass out lemonade. At the end of the year, they find out that the next house to be built will be theirs!

Tags

author's note, celebration, change, community, construction, decision making, family, food, goal setting, hard work, home, hope, neighbors, safety, self esteem, teamwork

A child's day in a Ghanaian city

Provencal, Francis & McNamara, Catherine

Nii Kwei gets up with the sun, and at half past five, he's already hard at work chasing the chickens and sweeping the compound clean with his straw broom. As the city begins to wake up, he washes, changes into his school uniform, and sits down to chocolate milk and sandwiches for breakfast. Photographs capture the lively rhythms of West African daily life, and this delightful dawn-to-dusk journal will encourage young readers, wherever they live, to compare and contrast Nii Kwei's day with their own.

Tags

africa, african, author's note, band, bath, bodies of water, chores, cooking, family, ghana, hygiene, language, math, multicultural, music, parents, play, school, sea, siblings, soccer, sports

A different pond

Phi, Bao

A young boy accompanies his dad to catch fish for food before the sunrises and before other family members awake. The dad tells the bait man at the all-night store that he is starting a second job. The boy meets a Hmong man and a black man who are also fishing -- but this time, it is just the boy and his dad under the starlit sky. The boy learns to make a fire and to bait his hook and to honor the stories of his Dad as he explains how life was in Vietnam when he was a boy. When they return home, the dad and mom head to work while the boy looks after his brothers and sisters.

Tags

african american, author's note, bicycle, bodies of water, counting, feelings, fire, fishing, food, hard work, hmong, illustrator's note, language, learning, loss, morning, multicultural, photograph, pond, poverty, refugee, responsibilities, sadness, siblings, sleep, storytelling, teeth, tree, vietnamese, war, work

A gift for abuelita: Celebrating the day of the dead

Luenn, Nancy

Rosita and her grandmother are very close. Rosita's grandmother teaches Rosita how to braid, garden, and make tortillas. When Rosita's grandmother dies, Rosita feels a great loss without her around and misses her terribly. Her family tells Rosita that she can make a gift to give to her grandmother on the Day of the Dead. Rosita braids a cord that is filled with love and memories for her grandmother.

Tags

author's note, change, culture, death, family, food, garden, grandparents, language, loss, love, mexican american, multicultural, nutrition, parents, presents, reunion, siblings, spanish, stress management, traditions, verbal communication

A home in the barn

Brown, Margaret Wise

In the winter, it is too cold for the animals to be outside but the barn is warm. All the horses, cattle, mice, birds, and cats stay there together to keep away from the cold. Even though there are a lot of animals in the barn, they all get along and help to keep each other warm.

Tags

african american, animals, author's note, baby, barn, birds, birth, bluejay, cardinal, cat, chicken, cold, community, cow, dog, farm, goat, horse, insects, mouse, multicultural, night, onomatopoeia, pig, pony, problem solving, rhyme, rhythm, sparrow, squirrel, time, wasp, winter

A is for...?

Horenstein, Henry

Each letter of the alphabet is represented with a partial picture of an animal that begins with that letter. (A Wordless Book).

Tags

alphabet, animals, author's note, birds, duck, elephant, giraffe, horse, letters, monkey, ostrich, parrot, photograph, quail, sequence, turtle, vulture, zebra

A land of books: Dreams of young Mexihcah word painters

Topnatiuh, Duncan

Aztec artists living in Mesoamerica painted beautifully crafted books to keep the knowledge, culture, and history of the Mexihcah (also known as the Aztec). The process of making paper and obtaining dyes from plants, animals, and rocks is explained, then the way that a painter of words and images will share their work to be sung by a reader in a land of books.

Tags

art, author's note, books, calendar, careers, colors, culture, history, images, interpretation, language, native american, nature, sequence

A name on the quilt: A story of remembrance

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.

Tags

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

A picnic in october

Bunting, Eve

Tony and his extended family celebrate the birthday of the Statue of Liberty every October. They travel out to Libery Island to have a picnic and show their appreciation to the meaning the statue brings. Tony is embarrassed by his family's dedication, but in the end realizes the meaning of the statue.

A seed grows

Hickman, Pamela

Sam plants a seed that grows into a tasty treat - a watermelon! Flaps open on this book to reveal factual information about the progression of the seed's growth. This interactive adventure engages children to explore the world around them.

Tags

author's note, bee, bug, critical thinking, cycle, decision making, flowers, food, garden, goal setting, insects, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, plants, science, seed, sun, verbal communication

A star shines through

Desnitskaya, Anna

A young girl and her mother find change when they leave Russia for Israel. They leave a big city apartment during the war for a different apartment with a different language and different food. They make a cardboard star by cutting and gluing it so they can place the star in the window. When the girl returns from music lessons in the evening, she recognizes the star shining brightly.

Tags

art, author's note, change, city, community, differences, food, home, language, loss, music, night, perspective, stars, war

A string of beads

Reid, Margarette

A young girl and her grandma spend time together making necklaces from beads. Beads can come in all different shapes, sizes, textures, and materials. They were used by many cultures throughout time. When she puts her necklaces together she learns about each bead.

Tags

appearance, appreciation, archeology, art, author's note, beauty, celebration, colors, creativity, diversity, egyptian, family, fossil, grandparents, history, multicultural, native american, plants, shapes, sizes, spiritual, storytelling, symbols

A sweater for Duncan (Un sueter para Duncan)

Malone, Margaret

Little Duncan penguin is proud of his fuzzy coat. He sticks out his chest as he waddles among the other penguins. He knows he is the handsomest one in the frozen south. Trouble jumps in when his fuzz flies off in clumps and floats on the wind like butterflies. His mother agrees to knit him a sweater, but will that solve the problem? The sweater is just too small. What is he to do? Finally, his mother leads him to a mirror like a piece of ice, where a happy surprise awaits. He is all grown up and is again the handsomest penguin in the frozen south.

Tags

animals, antarctica, author's note, clothing, family, identity, knitting, language, mirror, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, penguin, problem solving, self confidence, self esteem, sewing, spanish, surprises

A symphony of whales

Schuch, Steve

A young girl named Glashka has the gift of hearing whale songs in her dreams. Upon discovering thousands of trapped blue whales in a freezing channel, it is up to Glashka and her small community to save them.

A tree is a plant

Bulla, Robert Clyde

Trees are the biggest growing plants; they come in a variety, and most grow from seeds. The seeds are planted, and stay in the ground throughout winter. They begin to grow during Spring time, and blossom for only a few days. When Autumn comes, the leaves die and fall to the ground, leaving trees bare, then the process repeats itself.

Tags

assertiveness, author's note, autumn, critical thinking, food, ice, nonverbal communication, nutrition, plants, rain, rainbow, science, seasons, seed, snow, spring, summer, tree, water, weather

A very important day

Herold, Maggie Rugg

A snowstorm adds to the wonder and excitement of this very important day during which 219 people become U.S. citizens.

ABC safari

Lee, Karen

Go on an around-the-world rhyming journey with animals, in different habitats, biomes, and geographic regions. From the cold tundra to the hot deserts and from the jungles of Africa to the high mountains, find the hidden safari boy and his pet parrot in each illustration.

Tags

alligator, alphabet, amphibians, animals, author's note, beaver, birds, classification, dolphin, elephant, frog, gorilla, hippopotamus, iguana, koala, lion, mountains, newt, owl, parrot, penguin, pets, quail, rabbit, rhinoceros, snow, tiger, vulture, wolf, yak, zebra

Abigail takes the wheel

Avi

Every morning Abigail and her brother go to school on board their father's boat. One morning they see an accident and decide to help one of the boats. Abigail has to steer while her father helps on the other boat. On her way down the river, Abigail must make some quick decisions. With Captain Abigail in charge everyone arrives safely.

Tags

accidents, adventures, author's note, boat, bodies of water, careers, cooperation, critical thinking, decision making, family, geography, maps, market, parents, river, school, ship, siblings, transportation, trust, verbal communication

Across the wide dark sea: The mayflower journey

Van Leeuwen, Jean

A young boy and his family leave England with many other people to search for a new life in a new land. They dream of finding a place where they can worship God in their own way. During their journey, everyone endures many hardships, but they find what they are looking for.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, author's note, autumn, birds, boat, bodies of water, cat, death, dog, english, family, fear, feelings, food, garden, goal setting, god, happiness, illness, multicultural, native american, nonverbal communication, nutrition, ocean, parents, pilgrims, religion, seasons, self esteem, siblings, snow, spring, storm, transportation, travel, verbal communication, weather, wind, winter

Action! How movies began

McCarthy, Meghan

Movies are an important part of our society today, but they have not always been what we see in theaters. From the Kinetoscope to black and white film, and from soundless productions to special effects, the movie industry has evolved over time to make what we see and enjoy today!

Tags

african american, author's note, careers, colors, emotions, five senses, generations, history, inventions, movies, multicultural, nonfiction, photograph, photography, sequence, shadows, sounds, technology, time, vision

After charlotte's mom died

Spelman, Cornelia

Charlotte lost her mother only six months ago, so she and her father still grieve a lot over the death. Charlotte gets into a fight at school and has to see a therapist, Anna. Anna helps Charlotte to bring out her emotions which establishes a better bond between her and her father.

Tags

accidents, affection, aggression, author's note, car, careers, communication, conflict resolution, confusion, coping, death, depression, emotions, family, feelings, fight, guilt, helping, hope, listening, loss, parents, school, stress management, transportation, verbal communication

Alec's primer

Pitts-Walter, Mildred

Alec was a slave who wanted to be free. Ms. Josephine, one of his masters and three years older than him, told Alic if he wanted to be free he needed to learn to read. Ms. Josephine taught him to read and when Alec was old enough he couragously fights in the Civil War and obtained his freedom.

Alejandro's gift

Albert, Richard

A lonely man plants a garden full of vegetables in the middle of the desert. A wide array of desert wildlife finds their way to his garden and watering hole. He wants to be friends with the animals and help them.

Tags

animals, author's note, badger, birds, cactus, caring, coyote, critical thinking, deer, desert, donkey, dove, feelings, fox, friendship, garden, habitat, hummingbird, loneliness, mouse, plants, presents, rabbit, rat, responsibilities, shelter, skunk, sparrow, squirrel, tortoise, vegetables, wildlife, woodpecker, wren

Alia's mission

Stamaty, Mark A.

Alia is the librarian of the Central Library in Basra, Iraq. When the war in Iraq begins to move closer and closer to Basra, Alia makes an important decision and takes huge risks to preserve the historical literaure of her country, as well as many other books in the library. The war progresses and Alia enlists the help of friends to do all they can to move and protect the contents of the library.

All different now: Juneteenth, the first day of freedom

Johnson, Angela

A young girl wakes up on what she believes to be a normal day, working with her family to complete the daily tasks of her work as a slave. Then, everyone is told that slavery has been abolished and that now they are finally free people. The young girl celebrates with her family and community, excited by the prospects of what their future, independent life will bring.

Tags

author's note, bodies of water, celebration, community, depression, discrimination, farm, five senses, freedom, illustrator's note, ocean, picnic, prejudice, racism, slavery, storytelling, vocabulary

All my stripes: A story for children with autism

Rudolph, Shaina & Royer, Danielle

Zane worries that his "autism stripes" makes him stand out from his peers. Zane's mom helps him understand the different ways that he unique from other kids his age. Whether it is art, math, or science class, Zane learns to do his best. And his mom reminds him to use his pilot stripe, caring stripe, honesty stripe, and curiosity stripe to be himself at school.

Tags

author's note, autism, caring, communication, curiosity, differences, direction, fear, feelings, food, honesty, learning, love, perspective, school, science, zebra

All-of-a-kind family hanukkah

Jenkins, Emily

Gertie, the youngest of five children, wants to help her mother cook for their family dinner on the first night of Hanukkah in New York City’s Lower East Side. After many attempts of trying to help in the busy kitchen, Gertie is sent to her room by her mother and is eventually called down for dinner by her dad. In order to get her to come downstairs, Gertie’s father asks for her helping to light the candles of the menorah for the first time and Gertie happily accepts the offer.

Tags

author's note, body parts, books, celebration, cooking, family, fire, food, freedom, frustration, hanukkah, hebrew, helping, history, holidays, illustrator's note, Jewish, learning, numbers, nutrition, parents, preparation, siblings, singing, traditions

Almost gone

Jenkins, Steve

All living things are related in some way. The reality of human destruction, and its impact on the survival of animals are key components to the extinction of many animals in our environment. As each species disappears, the world as we know it, forever is changed. Will the little bird who visits your morning windowsill be next?

Amelia to zora

Chin-Lee, Cynthia

Explore in an alphabet formula, biographies that examine different successes and triumphs of famous women in history from Amelia Earhart to Zora Neale.

Amelia's road

Altman, Linda Jacobs

Amelia, the daughter of migrant farm workers, is tired of moving around and dreams of a permanent home. She finds a special place for herself so she doesn't feel so bad about leaving. The family continues to harvest peaches, apples, carrots, and tomatoes.

Tags

author's note, family, farm, food, garden, mexican american, moving, multicultural, nutrition, parents, plants, school, secrets

An apple pie for dinner

VanHecke, Susan

Wishing to bake an apple pie, Old Granny Smith sets out with a full basket, trading its contents for a series of objects until she get the apples she needs.

Tags

animals, author's note, cat, cooking, dog, fable, five senses, food, hunger, illustrator's note, money, nutrition, recipe, smell, tree

An edible alphabet

Christensen, Bonnie

Each letter of the alphabet is described using a type of food or plant. The pictures of this book are clear and vivid.

Tags

alphabet, author's note, food, garden, nutrition, plants, sequence

Animalogy: Animal analogies

Berkes, Marianne

Compare and contrast different animals through predictable analogies that rhyme. Find the similarities between even the most incompatible animals....bat is to flit as eagle is to soar; dog is to bark as lion is to roar. Comparisons include sounds, physical adaptations, behaviors, and animal classifications.

Tags

amphibian, analogy, animals, ant, arachnid, author's note, bat, bear, beaver, biology, birds, bodies of water, body parts, book, camping, cat, chicken, classification, comparisons, deer, dog, eagle, family, fire, fish, flowers, frog, garden, giraffe, goldfish, goose, hippopotamus, illustrator's note, insects, lion, mammals, moose, mountains, mouse, numbers, parents, plants, rabbit, reading, reptile, robin, rooster, science, sequence, sizes, skunk, snake, spider

Animals are sleeping

Slade, Suzanne

Lyrical text provides fascinating information onnimals such as location, position, and duration of their sleep patterns on animals living in different habitats. Learn about the interesting sleeping habits of different animals that live on land, in water, and fly through the air.

Tags

animals, author's note, bear, bodies of water, cat, elephant, fish, flamingo, giraffe, groundhog, habitat, lion, lizard, otter, owl, reptiles, rhyme, rhythm, sea, sleep, sloth, snow

Anna's art adventure

Sortland, Bjorn

Anna is at the museum with her uncle and comes into contact with many new friends. Anna befriends all of the painters whose art is inside the museum. All of these encounters take place because Anna needs to find a toilet.

Annushka's voyage

Tarbescu, Edith

When Tanya and Annushka's mother dies, their father has no choice but to leave Russia for the streets paved with gold. Several years later, the girls' father sends two tickets for their own voyage to America. Before the girls leave, their grandmother gives them each a Sabbath candlestick which will light their way to the New World. Tanya and Annushka's voyage is filled with many sick and sleepless nights. The girls unite with their father by raising their candlesticks.

Tags

animals, author's note, birds, bodies of water, colors, cow, death, doctor, dolls, excitement, family, feelings, grandparents, happiness, horse, illness, immigrants, island, Jewish, letters, loneliness, loss, lost, multicultural, nonverbal communication, ocean, pigeon, prayer, russian, ship, smell, stress management, traditions, train, travel, verbal communication, writing

Arthur's nose

Brown, Marc

Arthur does not like his nose! Although his friends and family like Arthur's nose just the way it is, he feels that it is always getting in the way and decides to get a new nose!

Baby owl's rescue

Curtis, Jennifer Keats

What if you found a baby owl in your backyard? Would you know what to do? Where would you go to find help? Join young Maddie and Max as they learn a valuable lesson. Includes For Creative Minds section.

Tags

author's note, baseball, noise, owl, parents, rescue, siblings, sounds, sports, tree, truck

Baby sea otter

Tatham, Betty

A baby sea otter and her mother spend their days searching for food and playing. They spend time in a raft with a group of otters and escaping predators. Soon the baby grows up and ventures out on her own. All of the life lessons she learned will be used when she becomes a mother herself.

Tags

animals, author's note, baby, bodies of water, critical thinking, decision making, family, fear, feelings, happiness, nature, nonverbal communication, ocean, otter, parents, plants, science, self esteem

Basket moon

Ray, Mary Lynn

When a young boy learns through nature his purpose in life, he has a hard time dealing with it. He has to overcome peoples' judgement on the career he chooses. But in the end he comes to se the true meaning of his work.

Tags

author's note, autumn, bias, bodies of water, critical thinking, decision making, family, feelings, food, market, nature, nonverbal communication, parents, rain, river, sadness, seasons, snow, spring, stress management, summer, time, tree, weather, wind, winter, woods, work

Be bop-a-do walk

Hamanaka, Sheila

Emi and Martha go on a very long walk with Emi's dad. After many stops they reach Central Park, where Emi's dad makes them paper sail boats and hats. They are too tired to walk home so they take the bus. Emi's dad makes paper cranes for everyone.

Beep beep, vroom vroom!

Murphy, Stuart J.

Molly wants to play with her big brother's brightly colored toy cars just like him. But her family thinks she is too little to share Kevin's cars and besides, he likes to keep them in a special order. Each family member catches Molly playing with Kevin's cars and they help her put them back the way Kevin likes them. In the end, Molly gets a surprise of her own!

Tags

animals, author's note, birthday, car, colors, disobedience, dog, family, fun, helping, parents, playing, sequence, siblings, sizes, sounds, transportation

Bessie Smith and the night riders

Stauffacher, Sue

Emmarene always loved to listen to Blues music. When Bessie Smith comes to town, Emmarene can't wait to hear Bessie sing. Not everyone likes Bessie though. Emmarene and Bessie Smith have to stand up against people who tried to destroy their nights. And boy, could Bessie sing on stage and off!

Tags

african american, anger, author's note, bravery, clothing, courage, dancing, discrimination, feelings, fire, flowers, happiness, history, multicultural, music, nature, night, performance, sadness, show, singing, stars

Best best colors

Hoffman, Eric

Nate finds it difficult to decide which color is his favorite. Every time he sees a new color, he likes it better than the other. He learns that he can have more than one favorite color.

Tags

animals, art, author's note, birds, bluejay, cat, caterpillar, clothing, colors, comparisons, conflict, conflict resolution, differences, dreams, family, fight, fish, flood, flowers, language, ocean, picnic, rabbit, rainbow, rocks, shopping, sky, spanish, stereotypes, tiger, tree, turtle, whale

Big cat, little kitty

Cohn, Scotti

Big cats are fierce predators that roam the world from the mountains to the deserts. How are these wild cats that hunt for their food the same as pet cats that might chase a mouse or ball of yarn? How are they different? The award-winning prequel to this book, One Wolf Howls, introduces children to counting and the months of the year as they watch the seasons changing. This sequel introduces children to the days of the week as they travel to seven different world habitats to meet the big cats, and then back home to compare and contrast the domestic cat's behavior to that of its relative. Compare and contrast big cat predators to little kitty cats each day of the week.

Tags

adaptation, amphibians, animals, arachnid, author's note, biology, birds, bobcat, bodies of water, body parts, cardinal, cheetah, comparisons, cougar, crocodile, Days of The Week, dog, endangered, five senses, forest, frog, garden, geography, illustrator's note, jaguar, lake, leopard, lion, month, mouse, plants, pond, reptile, science, sequence, sheep, smell, spider, tiger, tree, wart hog

Big dreams, small fish

Cohen, Paula

In this New York neighborhood, a store sells gefilte fish but no one wants to buy it. Shirley's family thinks she is too young to help market the gefilte fish. In a timely moment, Shirley gives a surprise to each customer who buys something from the store. The customers come back eager for gefilte fish - much to her parents' surprise.

Tags

animals, author's note, cat, cleanliness, culture, family, fish, food, glossary, Jewish, language, leadership, market, money, neighbors, numbers, photograph, problem solving, recipe, Yiddish

Big moon tortilla

Cowley, Joy

Marta Enos finishes her homework and accidentally knocks it out the window. She doesn't know what to do so she asks her grandmother for help. With a song and a warm tortilla, Grandmother helps Marta feel better.

Tags

accidents, animals, author's note, birds, coping, decision making, desert, dog, eagle, family, feelings, food, glasses, grandparents, happiness, hard work, hunger, lion, multicultural, native american, nature, nutrition, problem solving, sadness, song, storytelling, stress management, symbols, vision

Biggest frog in australia

Roth, Susan L.

The biggest frog in Australia just woke up, and he is very thirsty!After he drinks all the water in the ground and the sky, there isn't any left for the other animals. The other animals now have to come up with a plan to get the water out of the frog!

Bird talk

Jonas, Ann

Come hear the enchanting sounds of the wild in all its wonder by taking a walk through nature. Shh!Quiet!Listen!The language of birds has many connections to the language of people.

Tags

author's note, birds, bluejay, canary, cardinal, chickadee, crow, food, language, listening, mockingbird, nature, nonverbal communication, owl, robin, seagull, song, sounds, sparrow, turkey, woodpecker

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