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

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Child of the civil rights movement

Shelton, Paula Young

As a child of the civil rights movement, a little girl recounts the story of her parents growing up with Jim Crow laws which said that black people had to sit in the back of the bus, the last car of the train, and the balcony of the movie theatre. From New York to Georgia, the girl and her family moves back home to find that restaurants would not let them come in to eat. Families gather at friends houses to eat while organizing a peaceful protest to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The people start at Brown Chapel AME Church with thousands of others - which included Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, and Baptist ministers. It took four days to march the fifty miles as people watched them on TV. On the sixth of August, President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into the history books. The children march on to other causes.

Tags

african american, analogy, anger, author's note, biography, car, church, civil rights, equality, family, famous, feelings, flag, freedom, grandparents, history, instruments, law, marching, multicultural, music, peace, protest, religion, restaurants, swimming, technology, television, transportation, travel, walking

Jovita wore pants: The story of a Mexican freedom fighter

Salazar, Aida

Jovita is a brave young girl who joins the fight for religious freedom in Mexico during the Cristero War. Although girls are supposed to wear dresses and skirts, Jovita joins her brothers and father to become a revolutionary in so many ways. Jovita is a Mexican Freedom Fighter who fights dangerous battles against the government and eventually surrenders peacefully after fighting hard for six years. She is remembered by a song written in her honor.

Tags

animals, author's note, birds, bodies of water, cave, church, clothing, courage, death, dog, dreams, family, fight, fire, freedom, government, history, home, hope, horse, illustrator's note, justice, loss, memories, mexican, Mexico, multicultural, nature, parents, persistence, photography, plan, plants, running, secrets, shelter, siblings, stars, war

The youngest marcher: The story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a young civil rights activist

Levinson, Cynthia

Audrey is a very confident and brave nine-year-old girl who knows all about segregation. She sees how others treat black people, and she wants to speak up and go to places like anybody else. After a church service, Audrey volunteers to go to jail to make a statement about freedom. Jail was quite hard, and the food was awful. After five days, Audrey is released to go home. Two months later, the City of Birmingham Alabama wipes segregation laws off the books. From then on, Audrey Faye Hendricks is known as the "Civil Rights Queen" and the youngest known marcher in the Children's March in May 1963. Audrey can now enjoy her ice cream at the parlor counter like everybody else.

Tags

african american, author's note, children, church, civil rights, comparison, discrimination, equality, faith, family, food, freedom, grandparents, history, marching, multicultural, parents, prison, recipe, signs, timeline

A small miracle

Collington, Peter

This Christmas narrative is a moving visual narrative without words. A hungry, old woman leaves her home to find food in the snow but is sad to give up her treasured accordion for sale when no one gives her money for playing music in the village street. She experiences a theft in the streets and then observes vandalism in the church by a man on a motorcycle. The woman reassembles the nativity scene in the church for Christmas and later earns the mercy and support from the participants when she collapses in the snow. This story of Christmas has a surprise ending (A wordless book).

Tags

accordion, christmas, church, holidays, instrument, miracle, money, motorcycle, music, nativity, performance, poverty, robbery, seasons, shopping, sleep, snow, surprise, town, transportation, walking, winter

Voice of freedom Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the civil rights movement

Weatherford, Carole Boston

No woman could be braver and have more courage than Fannie Lou Hamer. For the fearless fight that Fannie demonstrated as the "the country's number one freedom-fighting woman", we learn how her story written in themed prose serves as a chronicle of her life of civil rights. From being the last born of a large Mississippi family to being a speaker at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Fannie went on to cofound the National Women's Political Caucus. By learning that she had a right to vote, Fannie used her voice to advocate for voting rights for others.

Sweet justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery bus boycott

Rockliff, Mara

Georgia Gilmore heard about Mrs. Rosa Parks who had been arrested when she wouldn't give up her seat to a black man on a city bus in 1955. But something was also cooking in Montgomery, Alabama about the same time -- a woman who cooked to feed and fund the people willing to participate in the Montgomery fun boycott. Georgia knew there was no justice under segregation so she boycotted the arrest of Mrs. Parks by staying off the city buses for one day. In order to get others to stay off the buses for one day, Georgia cooked and sold her crispy chicken, sandwiches, cakes, and pies to pay off the fines that people got when participating in the boycott. After testifying in court, Dr. Martin Luther King encouraged Georgia to keep cooking. On December 20, 1956, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional.

Tags

african american, author's note, boycott, bus, change, church, civil rights, courage, food, government, history, justice, law, leadership, money, multicultural, perspective, segregation, transportation

Quinnie blue

Johnson, Dinah

Hattie wonders about the activities of her grandmother Quinnie Blue when she was little. Trips to Carolina, singing, eating, reciting poems, and braiding hair with her family come to mind.

Tags

african american, author's note, body parts, celebration, church, easter, family, food, games, generations, grandparents, identity, instruments, multicultural, music, nutrition, picnic, song, traditions, trees

You and me and home sweet home

Lyon, George Ella

A young girl helps her family build a new home. The family celebrates the new milestone by sharing a meal together. The family then adjusts to the new house together.

Sunday week

Johnson, Dinah

A community describes each day of their weekly routine. The community is constantly looking forward to their Sunday traditions. Sunday is rich with family time, the Lord, and storytelling.

Tags

african american, books, car, careers, choir, church, Days of The Week, exercise, faith, family, god, hard work, hunger, jumping, love, market, multicultural, music, neighbors, newspaper, practice, prayer, promise, quiet, reading fish, rest, routine, school, sequence, singing, spiritual, traditions, transportation, travel

Who will I be, Lord?

Nelson, Vaunda Michaeaux

A young girls outlines the careers and callings of her family members. She questions the Lord on what she will become. As she realizes that her family dreams of being more than anything they are now, she then understands that she can be anything she wants to be, because it is up to her.

Tags

careers, church, dreams, family, god, investigation, music, radio, reasoning, rules, storytelling, talent, technology, television

Brothers of the knight

Allen, Debbie

Twelve brothers magically disappear every night even though their door is locked. Their father hires a housekeeper to figure out the mystery of his boys. She learns to listen, which turns out to be more powerful than simply solving a mystery.

Tags

african american, bedtime, careers, church, conflict resolution, dancing, deception, exercise, family, generations, hard work, magic, multicultural, music, mystery, parents, relationship, secrets, siblings, stress management

Angelo

Macauley, David

A man is repairing when he comes upon an injured pigeon. He nurses the pigeon back to health and a friendship fast emerges. The pigeon helps the man fulfill his lifelong dream and is surprised to find an addition to the building.

Tags

aging, ambition, birds, careers, church, death, food, friendship, health, italian, kindness, monuments, multicultural, music, pigeon, teamwork, work

My big brother

Cohen, Miriam

A little boy idolizes his big brother and wants to be exactly like him. They do everything together. When his family cannot pay for college, the older child joins the army. His little brother then takes his place being big brother to their youngest sibling.

Tags

african american, basketball, car, church, correspondence, family, feelings, food, happiness, loss, love, multicultural, nutrition, sadness, siblings, sports, television, transportation, writing

Kaddish for grandpa in Jesus' name amen

Howe, James

A young girl finds her own spirituality while observing the differing social customs of her Jewish and Christian relatives following her grandfather's sudden death. She interacts with her family to remember her grandfather in special ways at home, at church, and before bed.

Tags

aging, angel, art, baby, bath, bedtime, behavior, church, dancing, emotions, exercise, family, feelings, food, grandparents, grief, hebrew, hygiene, Jewish, multicultural, mythical, parents, sadness

Hip, hug, hooray!

Tangvald, Christine

Do you know how many types of hugs there are? Look and learn how hugs are imporatant everywhere and everyday.

Tags

activities, affection, animals, baby, bath, beach, bedtime, birds, birthday, books, caring, celebration, church, cleanliness, climbing, dog, family, feelings, food, friendship, glasses, god, grandparents, happiness, hygiene, lake, library, love, night, parents, party, picnic, playground, rabbit, rain, reading, religion, sand, seasons, sheep, snow, soccer, sports, squirrel, storytelling, summer, swimming, tree, umbrella, weather, winter

Hill of fire

Lewis, P. Thomas

Bored of his day-to-day lifestyle, a farmer complains to his wife and son how nothing ever hannpens. One day while plowing, the farmer comes across an explosion coming from his field. It turns out to be a volcano erupting and the farmer's field becomes a place in history.

Tags

beverage, boredom, bull, bus, church, dancing, depression, farm, fire, food, helping, market, mexican, mountains, night, noise, ox, party, prayer, rocks, running, sadness, safety, school, spanish, toys, truck, volcano, work

Pictures for Miss Josie

Belton, Sandra

A young boy is introduced by his father to Miss Josie, who as first freightens him. As he grows up, he learns to admire her and the two develop a special friendship. Soon the grown boy passes on his memories to his own son and introduces Miss Josie to him.

Tags

african american, aging, airplane, art, celebration, church, contentment, dancing, dreams, family, fear, giants, listening, marriage, memories, multicultural, radio, role model, school, skills, teeth, telephone, train, transportation, walking, worry

Freedom school, yes!

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.

Tags

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

Up home

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.

Tags

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

Papa's mark

Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn

Simms teaches his father how to write. For many years, Simm's father struggled when writing his own name. However, Papa learns just in time so he can vote in the first election which gave Blacks the right to vote.

Tags

accomplishment, african american, american, animals, bedtime, buildings, change, church, community, cow, crowd, discrimination, education, election, equality, family, food, freedom, hard work, helping, horse, learning, letters, multicultural, night, parents, prejudice, quilt, relationship, school, shopping, signs, teaching, writing

The balloon sailors

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 loosely based on the true story of two East German families sailing over the Berlin Wall in their own hot air balloon in 1979.

Tags

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

I took the moon for a walk

Curtis, Carolyn

A little boy takes the moon on an adventurous walk. At first the moon is timid but then opens up to the little boy. They do things together such as swing, hold hands, and dance until the boy goes home to go to the sleep.

Tags

adventures, animals, bedtime, biking, birds, bodies of water, bridge, church, clouds, community, conflict resolution, cow, dog, feelings, friendship, imagination, insects, ladybug, light, moon, moth, multicultural, night, owl, park, playground, rhyme, shyness, sleep, snail, verbal communication, walking, worm

The stars will still shine

Ryland, Cynthia

The promises of a new year are given through rhyme and soft illustrations.

Tags

animals, appreciation, awareness, birds, church, cow, encouragement, flowers, garden, home, light, love, new year, self esteem, storm, stress management

Just like new

Manson, Ainslie

It is a time of war and children in England won't have Christmas presents. A little girl's class decides to give gifts they love that are like new. The little girl unselfishly gives up her most cherished doll and inserts a note, and a girl from England becomes her pen pal after receiving the gift.

Tags

books, canada, charity, christmas, church, correspondence, critical thinking, decision making, dolls, empathy, england, family, feelings, food, friendship, happiness, history, holidays, maps, multicultural, nutrition, parents, sadness, ship, siblings, toys, transportation, verbal communication, war

A cow's alfalfa-bet

Jackson, Woody

This alphabet journey takes you from a to z on a dairy farm. Using the grain, alfalfa, you can experience the alfalfa-bet in farm colors, scenery, and cows.

Tags

alphabet, animals, church, cow, dog, duck, farm, flag, garden, moon, night, plants, sequence, weather

Before John was a jazz giant: A song of John Coltrane

Weatherford, Carole Boston

Before John became a jazz giant, he loved music, singing, instruments, and the radio. The bustling of the south and the foundation of his church and family allows John to listen and create his own music.

Tags

african american, body parts, church, cooking, dancing, five senses, history, instruments, multicultural, music, parade, poetry, radio, rhythm, spiritual, technology

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.

Ma dear's aprons

McKissack, Patricia C.

David Earl knows what day of the week it is by the color of Ma Dear's aprons. She wears a different apron each day to reflect the day's chores. Ma Dear is a single, hard-working mother from the South that creates a loving home for her son.

Tags

african american, bath, bedtime, child care, church, cleanliness, clothing, colors, Days of The Week, death, goal setting, multicultural, stress management, verbal communication, working mother

Chanukah in chelm

Adler, David A.

Mendal, the caretaker of the Chelm synagogue must find a table to set the menorah on. He searches the synagogue and cannot find one. Rabbi Nachman sends him to a carpenter to get one. Preparation for Hanukkah in this town of Chelm is remarkably eventful and fun.

Tags

author's note, beliefs, church, critical thinking, customs, dancing, exercise, folktale, food, hanukkah, holidays, humor, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, prayer, preparation, religion, traditions, verbal communication, winter

I have heard of a land

Thomas, Joyce Carol

Moving across country must have been very hard. Pioneers often picked up their belongings and moved on toward a common goal: starting a new life!

Lucy dove

Del Negro, Janice

Lucy Dove is up for a challenge. In the town she lives in, there is a rich laird. He was told by a fortune teller that a pair of trousers sewn by the light of the full moon in the graveyard of old St. Andrew's Church would bring him good luck. The rich laird proclaims that a sackful of gold will be awarded to whoever sews the trousers. St. Andrew's churchyard is believed to be haunted by some fearsome thing and anyone who enters the churchyard is said to never be seen again. Despite these factors, Lucy takes on the laird's challenge. As Lucy sits and sews in the graveyard, she is greeted by the fearsome thing that everyone had talked about. The monster runs after Lucy as she carries the finished trousers in her hands. Finally, Lucy gets the trousers to the laird and receives her well deserved bag of gold.

Tags

anticipation, bravery, church, clouds, cold, exercise, fear, feelings, fortune, happiness, monsters, moon, mythical, nonverbal communication, relief, running, stress management, verbal communication, weather, worry

The haunted churchbell

Byfield, Barbara Ninde

A small town has a mystery to solve. The town's churchbell is haunted. With teamwork, the town solves the mystery and make a sad, lost hermit very happy.

Tags

church, community, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, fear, lost, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, sounds, teamwork, verbal communication

The honest-to-goodness truth

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?

Knoxville, Tennessee

Giovanni, Nikki

A young girl likes summer best because of the fresh corn from her daddy's garden, the okra, barbecue, and homemade ice cream from the church picnic, and the gospel music from the church homecoming. She also likes to go to the mountains with her grandmother where she feels safe and warm.

Tags

african american, church, community, family, food, garden, grandparents, multicultural, music, nutrition, picnic, seasons, sleep, summer

Uptown

Collier, Bryan

Join this boy's pride as he shares his town's sights and sounds the way he sees and hears them. You'll see Harlem along the river, street, and neighborhood.

Tags

basketball, buildings, church, community, day, entertainment, family, food, grandparents, music, night, parents, photograph, pride, rhythm, river, shopping, siblings, sports, theatre, train, transportation

A boy named giotto

Guarnieri, Paolo

Dreams really do come true for Giotto, a young shepard boy, who is mindless of his chores and duties because of his strong passion and talent for painting. Although he loses a sheep, Giotto's curiosity and persistence lead him to find someone who can unlock the door to his artistic future.

Papa small

Lenski, Lois

The small family work together to get the housework completed. They also eat together, go to the supermarket together, and go to church together.

Tags

baby, car, church, family, food, helping, nutrition, parents, shopping, siblings, support, teamwork, transportation

The ghost of skinny jack

Lindgren, Astrid

Grandma tells two children the story of skinny Jack, a farmhand that becomes a ghost. The children then journey home but it gets dark and the little girl thinks she is grabbed by skinny Jack. When her father comes and rescues her from the ghost, a hazlenut branch strikes her in her back.

Tags

church, family, fear, feelings, ghosts, grandparents, night, parents, rescue, siblings, storytelling, superstition

The birthday swap

Lopez, Loretta

Lori wants to find her older sister the perfect gift for her birthday. At the market, Lori learns that it's not easy to find the right gift. Little does Lori know that the best gifts can come to us when we least expect them. Why is this the year of the best birthday party ever?

Tags

animals, birthday, celebration, church, dancing, decision making, dog, exercise, family, food, giving, language, market, mexican, multicultural, nutrition, party, presents, shopping, siblings, sleep, spanish, surprises, verbal communication

La boda: A mexican wedding celebration

Van Laan, Nancy

Little Maria learns all about La Boda, a mexican wedding, from her grandmother, in a bilingual manner. She becomes part of the celebration and is happy to learn about and be part of her first wedding.

Tags

celebration, ceremony, church, dancing, family, feelings, fireworks, food, happiness, language, mexican, multicultural, music, nutrition, party, presents, turkey, wedding

Pierino and the bell

Cassedy, Sylvia

Pierino, the son of a church warden in a small village in Tuscany, claims the bell is what brings all the pigeons. On San Colombino Day, Pierino finds a silver egg. The silver egg hatches into a beautiful silver pigeon. Pierino says the bird is his and does not share it with the village. One day, Pierino sets the bird free. Some time later, the village is full of silver eggs for everyone.

Tags

birds, celebration, church, conflict resolution, decision making, family, grandparents, neighbors, parents, selfishness

The night of las posadas

dePaola, Tomie

Lupe and Roberto are going to play the roles of Mary and Joseph in a reenactment of the night that Jesus Christ was born. Lupe's aunt, Sister Angie, is in charge of the production. However, Sister Angie becomes sick and Lupe and Roberto must proceed to the village. There is a bad snowstorm and the couple gets stranded in the snow. Friends of Sister Angie come to the rescue and play the role of Mary and Joseph, then disappear. Lupe and Roberto finally arrive and close the production. Later, Sister Angie wanders the church and finds the cloaks of the carving of Mary and Joseph covered in fresh snow.

Tags

animals, anticipation, author's note, baby, birthday, christmas, church, confusion, donkey, excitement, family, feelings, happiness, holidays, language, multicultural, nonverbal communication, preparation, sadness, seasons, snow, spanish, transportation, truck, verbal communication, weather, winter, worry

Jennie's hat

Keats, Ezra Jack

Jennie gets a hat from her aunt but it is very plain. Jennie is upset because it isn't as pretty as other hats. She tries to find a prettier hat. Finally, as Jennie is leaving church, the birds come and decorate it.

Tags

animals, birds, church, clothing, critical thinking, decision making, envy, nonverbal communication, presents, surprises, verbal communication

Satchmo's blues

Schroeder, Alan

Louis Armstrong loves to watch the musicians play jazz music. He dreams of playing the cornet someday just like Bunk Johnson who plays in the Eagle Band. One day, Louis spots a cornet in a pawn shop and discovers that it costs five dollars. Louis works very hard for two weeks earning money any way that he can. Once the cornet is his, Louie begins living out his dream of becoming a musician.

Tags

african american, author's note, biography, church, dancing, determination, exercise, family, food, goal setting, hard work, instruments, market, money, multicultural, music, nutrition, parents, siblings, sounds

Bat boy and his violin

Curtis, Gavin

Reginald loves playing the violin. His father only has time to worry about the Duke's losing streak. Reginald passionately plays the violin to improve the baseball team's losing streak. Find out what else Reginald's love for the violin improves.

The drinking gourd

Monjo, F.N.

Tom misbehaves in church and is sent home early. He goes to play in the barn and discovers runaway slaves. He and his father help them escape and Tom learns all about freedom through the Underground Railroad.

Tags

african american, assertiveness, bravery, church, critical thinking, decision making, escape, family, freedom, goal setting, helping, history, misbehavior, multicultural, nonverbal communication, play, slavery, underground railroad, verbal communication

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