Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The greedy triangle | by Burns, Marilyn

A triangle gets bored doing the same old thing every day. He decides to take up a different shape, so he visits the shapeshifter to add on a few more angles. After a life of being a quadrilateral, pentagon and hexagon, the shape returns to its old self of being a triangle.

I have an olive tree | by Bunting, Eve

On Sophia's seventh birthday, her grandfather gave her an olive tree. Sophia is a little disappointed by the gift and doesn't understand why her grandfather would give her an olive tree that she can't even see. After all, it is Greece and she lives in California! It isn't until her grandfather passes away that Sophia truly understands the importance and meaning of the gift when she and her mother visit the olive tree in Greece.

Keywords: appreciation, birthday, communication, community, culture, customs, dedication, disappointment, emotions, exploration, family, feelings, generations, geology, giving, grandparents, greece, greek, grief, immigrants, instruments, language, learning, loss, love, memories, memory, misunderstanding, music, parents, plants, presents, resentment, sadness, traditions, travel, tree, understanding, verbal communication

Ruby's wish | by Bridges, Shirin Yim

Ruby is known for wearing red and being an exceptionally bright student. Even during a time in China when ...most girls were never taught to read and write. However, Ruby's grandfather hires a teacher to come to the house, making it possible for any grandchild living in the house to learn. This initiates a desire in Ruby to attend university, a place that women in China were not encouraged to go.\r\n*Based on a true story of the author's grandmother.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, ambition, appreciation, art, asian, assertiveness, beliefs, change, china, chinese, conflict, conflict resolution, courage, culture, customs, decision making, dedication, depression, determination, disappointment, emotions, encouragement, equality, excitement, family, frustration, generations, giving, goal setting, grandparents, happiness, independence, individuality, intelligence, kindness, language, learning, listening, new year, nonverbal communication, obedience, parade, patience, persistence, poetry, prevention, progress, reading, recognition, refusal skills, relationship, relief, resentment, resolution, role model, school, self confidence, self esteem, skills, stress management, support, symbols, sympathy, teaching, traditions, understanding, verbal communication, wealth, wish, writing

The chocolate-covered-cookie tantrum | by Blumenthal, Deborah

As Sophie walks home from the park with her mother, she sees another little girl eating a chocolate-covered-cookie. Sophie's mother does not have any cookies to give her and will not allow Sophie to eat cookies so close to supper time. Sophie is outraged and throws a temper tantrum! Sophie learns that not eating a cookie before supper isn't so bad after all.

Stage struck | by DePaola, Tomie

Tommy knows the story of Peter Rabbit by heart. When his class decides to put on the production he wants to be cast in the roll of Peter. Tommy is so excited he does not pay attention to his teacher and as a result gets cast as Mopsy. However, Tommy has a plan to keep him in the spotlight.

Keywords: acting, ambition, animals, attention, confidence, conflict, cooperation, creativity, dancing, disappointment, forgiveness, friendship, garden, humor, independence, listening, mouse, obedience, parents, performance, rabbit, school, self confidence

I hate to be sick! | by Bermiss, Aamir Lee

A young boy wakes up feeling ill with a sore throat, cough, fever, and aching body. He soon realizes that he will not be able to attend school that day and experiences feelings of disappointment, since he will miss his friends and school activities. However, after eating soup and reading a bood with his father, the boy realizes that although he hates to be sick, he can get well again and return to school by eating well and resting.

Keywords: anger, disappointment, emotions, family, feelings, frustration, health, helping, illness, medicine, parents, reading, school, siblings

Degas and the little dancer: A story about Edgar Degas | by Anholt, Laurence

Marie dreams of being a famous dancer until one day her chance of being in the Christmas show diminishes when her father becomes ill. Marie begins to model for a painter to earn money for her family's lost income. One day, Maria's sculpture shows up in the art museum and becomes the famed sculpture of Edgar Degas.

Keywords: apology, art, careers, dancing, disappointment, dreams, excitement, fame, fear, hard work, illness, loneliness, museum, opera, poverty, practice, school, security, sympathy, teaching

Coming on home soon | by Woodson, Jacqueline

A girl says goodbye to her mother who is heading to find work in the city. The girl waits everyday for her mother's letter that says she will be coming home. All the while, the girl remembers her mother loves her more than snow or rain.

Keywords: african american, animals, careers, cat, coping, correspondence, death, disappointment, emotions, family, future, love, money, multicultural, nature, parents, prayer, rain, snow, time, war, weather

Corduroy | by Freeman, Don

Corduroy lives in the toy department of a big store. He is a little lonely bear whom no one wants to buy. One day a little girl comes along and thinks that he is perfect. She comes back the next day and buys him with the money that she has in her piggy bank.

Keywords: adoption, adventures, animals, assertiveness, bear, companion, decision making, determination, differences, disappointment, family, feelings, friendship, goal setting, homeless, money, patience, self esteem, stress management

Lights for gita | by Gilmore, Rachna

Gita is very excited about celebrating her favorite Hindu holiday, Divali, a festival of lights. But this year things are different and she must celebrate this special holiday in her new home. This transition is hard for Gita and made even more difficult by the seasonal rain. With the help from her parents, Gita must learn how to carry her beliefs and memories into her new home and make this year's Divali, a holiday to remember.

Keywords: autumn, beliefs, celebration, change, conflict resolution, depression, disappointment, family, feelings, happiness, hindu, holidays, homesickness, ice, memories, moving, multicultural, parents, rain, sadness, seasons, self esteem, stress management, uniqueness, verbal communication, weather

A day's work | by Bunting, Eve

Fransico takes his grandfather out to look for work. His grandfather does not speak English, so Fransico must translate. Fransico accepts a gardening job for his grandfather by telling the man he is a great gardener. When the man comes at the end of the day, he finds the job done incorrectly. Fransico's lie teaches him an invaluable lesson.

Keywords: apology, careers, conflict resolution, critical thinking, deception, decision making, disappointment, english, family, garden, grandparents, hard work, honesty, language, love, mexican, multicultural, parents, pride, responsibilities, spanish, truth, verbal communication

Where am i sleeping tonight? | by Ekster, Carol Gordon

Mark and Evan have a hard time keeping up with all the changes in their lives. Their parents are divorced and it's not easy remembering all the things they need to do. Mark's teacher, Mrs. Demott helps Mark, Evan and their parents get organized and also teaches them how to cope with divorce.

Keywords: acceptance, bedtime, behavior, closeness, communication, comparisons, confusion, coping, disappointment, divorce, family, forgetful, frustration, goal setting, parents, responsibilities, siblings, stepfather

The red book | by Lehman, Barbara

A friendship forms when two boys from different parts of the world find a magical red book. The boy from the urban city decides to use balloons to fly to the island where his new friend lives, but he accidentally drops the red book along the way. The boy on the island is disappointed when he can no longer view his city companion in the pages of the book, but is relieved when he lands on the beach instead! Back in the city, the red book is discovered by a man riding his bike on the street (A wordless book).

Keywords: adventures, balloon, beach, bicycle, bodies of water, books, cold, correspondence, decision making, disappointment, discovery, emotions, excitement, feelings, fly, friendship, goal setting, happiness, island, maps, nonverbal communication, photograph, relationship, sadness, sand, school, sight, sky, snow, sun, surprises, transportation, travel, walking, weather

Not norman: A goldfish story | by Bennett, Kelly

When a boy gets Norman, a goldfish, for his birthday he is disappointed. He wants an energetic pet with which to run and play. He makes a plan to take Norman back to the pet store and get another pet. After show and tell at school, he decides to keep him. Norman likes his music and makes him laugh; besides any other pet just wouldnﾒt be the same, they would not be Norman.

Wish come true cat | by Scamell, Ragnhild

The unlikely answer to a wish is a scruffy old cat that has to win the heart of a little girl. It takes a cold snowy day to make his wish come true.

Keywords: acceptance, affection, animals, appearance, attention, cat, communication, companion, conflict resolution, disappointment, friendship, homeless, hope, hunger, kindness, mistake, nonverbal communication, opposites, persistence, sadness, selfishness, snow, sounds, stars, understanding, uniqueness, wish

Monster and the surprise cookie | by Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann

Monster and the little boy decide to throw a party! They travel to the supermarket to find refreshments for their guests. They pack their shopping cart full of cookies, but when they go through the line, they realize that they donﾒt have enough money! Instead, they buy a few ingredients, so they can make cookies at home. Using a recipe book, they make a variety of shaped cookies. Surprisingly, these cookies take the shape of Monster when placed together. The cookies are delicious and everyone is pleased!

Keywords: anger, assertiveness, conflict resolution, counting, critical thinking, decision making, disappointment, feelings, food, goal setting, helping, money, nonverbal communication, party, preparation, recipe, sadness, shapes, shopping, taste, time, verbal communication

Bertie the ghost | by Neale, Richard

Bertie the ghost wants a new place to live and new friends. He crosses through each page of the story then arrives at an old farmhouse and finds friends and a home.

Keywords: caring, community, companion, conflict resolution, disappointment, emotions, farm, feelings, food, friendship, ghosts, goal setting, happiness, helping, holidays, home, loneliness, moving, museum, nonverbal communication, park, playground, sadness, self esteem, stress management

Alphabet mystery | by Wood, Aubrey

Charley's alphabet becomes worried when they learn that little x is missing. They set off on an adventure to find little x and experience a problem when they do.

My rows and piles of coins | by Mollel, Tololwa M.

What would you buy if your mother gave you some money? Saruni wants a bicycle- a bicycle of his very own! Saruni saves his coins and works hard to help his mother. Unfortunately, Saruni is disappointed because he does not have enough to buy his very own bicycle. Where there is a will, there is a way, so Saruni finally gets a bicycle to help his mother to the Tanzanian market.

Keywords: accidents, accomplishment, africa, african, author's note, bicycle, decision making, dedication, disappointment, goal setting, happiness, hard work, language, market, money, multicultural, parents, practice, pride, self esteem, tanzanian, transportation, wagon, walking

Clown | by Blake, Quentin

Clown and his friends are thrown into a garbage can in the city by a woman who no longer wants them around. Clown, however, hops out of the garbage and wanders the city to look for someone to love them. By accident, Clown finds a family and he and his buddies live happily ever after. (A Wordless Book)

Keywords: baby, bear, birds, clowns, conflict resolution, critical thinking, disappointment, elephant, family, fear, feelings, friendship, goal setting, happiness, kindness, love, nonverbal communication, parents, sadness, siblings, toys

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