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

Tags: hope

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An American story

Alexander, Kwame

An African American story is an American story of slavery, brutal conditions, struggle, and oppression. Remember the American story of hard work, pride, and strength in the fight for liberty as Black people stand up and speak out while "holding history in one hand and clenching hope in the other".

Tags

african american, body parts, bravery, culture, fairness, feelings, fight, food, future, history, hope, justice, leadership, literacy, multicultural, oppression, pride, reading, sadness, storytelling, war

Back of the bus

Reynolds, Aaron

From the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, a young boy plays with his marble while sitting next to his mother. His mother tells the boy to stop the rolling marble and to tuck his marble inside and be quiet. This is the day that Rosa Parks sits in the front of the bus instead of the back of the bus with the boy and his mother. The boy knows his marble with its brown and golden shine in the sunlight is a symbol of change. No need to hide it no more.

Tags

boycott, bus, change, colors, courage, discrimination, family, hope, parents, playing, signs, sun, toy, transportation

Women of hope: African Americans who made a difference

Hansen, Joyce

Twelve amazingly talented women of hope are highlighted for their creative and courageous contributions to American life. Their careers as African American women reflect and demonstrate a variety of social role models for all children - role models that these twelve women did not have for showing them the way when breaking through barriers.

Tags

african american, autobiography, careers, civil rights, courage, creativity, decision making, differences, future, goal setting, history, hope, photograph, respect, segregation, social justice, talent, writing

The me I choose to be

Tarpley, Natasha Anastasia

There are many "I am" statements from different children who refer to a planet, to hope, to a bridge builder, and to a weaver of words. Through creativity, children can become who they choose to be. Feelings of joy, sadness, and laughter are represented by wind, light, and a free spirit. The possibilities are endless for children.

Tags

african american, art, colors, creativity, feelings, friendship, generations, hope, imagination, light, multicultural, photography, plants

The notebook keeper: A story of kindness from the border

Briseno, Stephen

Families seeking asylum into the U.S. at the Tijuana, Mexico border have to wait for a long time to enter the United States after being denied entry. During the wait at the border, a girl and her mother look for a refugee who keeps a list of people waiting to cross into the United States. This act of kindness from the border, initiated by a notebook keeper, gives families hope as they wait.

Tags

asylum, author's note, central america, change, correspondence, Days of The Week, El Salvador, faith, feelings, food, guatemalan, haitian, history, hope, kindness, loneliness, loss, Mexico, multicultural, numbers, patience, perspective, refugee, safety, silence, travel, volunteer, writing

I'm going to sing: Black American spirituals volume two

Bryan, Ashley

Black American Spirituals are a representation of the resilience and bravery of enslaved Blacks. Although these songs represent suffering and sadness, they also demonstrate creativity, heritage, and expression. Ultimately, spirituals connect people to each other, their culture, and their goals.

Tags

african american, art, drawing, feelings, happiness, history, hope, multicultural, music, sadness, singing, slavery, spiritual

The coquies still sing: A story of home, hope, and rebuilding

Gonzalez, Karina Nicole

After a terrible hurricane, the family garden is gone and there's no electricity or running water. The mango tree still stands brown and bare, and the native tree frogs stop singing their song. As the family starts the island clean up around their Puerto Rican home, the native coqui's song begins a slow resurgence months after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

Tags

amphibians, animals, author's note, books, destruction, electricity, emergency, feelings, frog, garden, grandparents, hope, hurricane, illustrator's note, light, love, neighbors, plants, puerto rico, radio, rain, seed, song, stars, tree, weather

Walk together children: Black American spirituals volume one

Bryan, Ashley

Black American Spirituals are a representation of the resilience and bravery of enslaved Blacks. Although these songs represent suffering and sadness, they also demonstrate creativity, heritage, and expression. Ultimately, Spirituals connect people to each other, their culture, and their goals.

Tags

african american, art, drawing, feelings, happiness, history, hope, multicultural, music, publisher's note, sadness, singing, slavery, spiritual, walking

Home for Navidad

Cohen, Santiago

Rosa has not seen her mother in three years. Rosa's mother works to save money in America until she is finally able to come home for Navidad. The whole family can now celebrate the Christmas holiday in the small town in Mexico.

Tags

america, christmas, correspondence, dreams, family, farm, food, goal setting, grandparents, hard work, holidays, hope, language, market, math, mexican, Mexico, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, numbers, parents, plants, poverty, pretend, routine, school, secrets, singing, sleep, song, spanish, sun, telephone, transportation, travel, truck, verbal communication, writing

Can you say peace?

Katz, Karen

All different in their own language kids from around the world say peace differently in their own language. The international day of peace is worldwide and all the children spread peace. At the end of the day peace is universal.

Tags

america, bolivia, celebration, china, feelings, food, ghana, hope, india, iran, japan, language, maps, Mexico, peace, russia, safety, school

Beatrice's goat

McBrier, Page

Beatrice lives in Uganda and helps her mother care for her younger siblings. Money is scarce until Mugisa, a goat arrives. Mugisa provides milk, and the family is nourished by it. Mugisa's milk and babies provide enough money so Beatrice and her family can live a better life. Beatrice can afford her dream of attending school. This story has an afterwords by Hillary Rodhman Clinton.

Tags

africa, animals, birds, chicken, conflict resolution, dug, family, food, future, garden, goal setting, goat, hard work, helping, hope, hunger, language, leadership, learning, market, maturity, money, multicultural, poverty, presents, respect, school, siblings, uganda, village

One million men and me

Lyons, Kelly Starling

A young high school girl goes with her father to a march on the United States capitol during a civil rights gathering. She is surrounded by "one million men" and she experiences pride as she and her father witness history in Washington, D.C.

Tags

african american, american, author's note, bus, careers, civil rights, community, faith, family, feelings, future, history, hope, marching, money, multicultural, music, parents, peace, pride, responsibilities, subway, train, transportation, verbal communication

Anna's heaven

Hole, Stian

Anna's mother dies. She and her father have many questions for God about where Anna's mom went and what heaven is like. Anna's dad follows Anna through her imagination and the two find peace through the many great things and ideas that Anna imagines of her mother's new world.

Tags

change, death, feelings, grief, hope, loss, nonverbal communication, parents, peace, problem solving, sadness, verbal communication

Silent movie

Avi,

This black and white picture book vividly portrays a historical time when immigrants set sail for America. They hope for better lives and dream of prosperity. This journey comes from the immigrant's perspective, in the form of a movie, where language is a not a barrier.

Tags

america, author's note, family, feelings, film, history, hope, illustrator's note, immigrants, language, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, poverty, sadness, shelter, siblings, sizes, stress management, sweden, symbols, theatre

On Noah's ark

Brett, Jan

In preparation of the rains, Noah's granddaughter helps her family read the Ark and animals. Two-by-two the beautiful animals crowd into the Ark and she keeps herself busy making the animals comfortable hoping for the rains to stop.

Tags

activities, animals, anticipation, birds, bodies of water, coping, determination, direction, dove, emotions, excitement, family, feelings, generations, grandparents, history, hope, preparation, rain, rainbow, religion, spiritual, stress management

Alicia has a bad day

Jahn-Clough, Lisa

Since Alicia is typically a very happy little girl that likes to be silly, she does not like the miserable feeling she experiences one morning. Alicia first handles her emotions by sitting and moping. Later she goes outside to write about her dark and dreary feelings in her notebook, only to be interrupted by a storm. After some alone time under her bed and a lick from her dog, Alizie realizes the world is not so lugubrious and goes outside to play.

Tags

anger, animals, awareness, clouds, coping, creativity, dog, emotions, feelings, hope, language, pets, playing, rain, sadness, weather, wood

The remembering stone

Russell, Barbara Timberlake

As Ana holds the speckled lava stone (the remembering stone) that her mother has given her, she falls asleep and dreams of being able to fly like the blackbirds in their garden to her mother's homeland of Costa Rica to see their family. She awakens in the morning and joins her mother as they greet the blackbirds in their garden. Ana can almost feel herself lifting off the ground as they take flight.

Tags

birds, blackbird, celebration, costa rica, culture, dreams, family, feelings, food, friendship, grandparents, hispanic, hope, jewelry, language, multicultural, nutrition, parents, spanish, travel, verbal communication, vocabulary, volcano

Hunter bunny saves Easter

Weaver, Alexis Rae

Hunter Bunny, made fun of because of his limp leg, meets Clark, the duck who has trouble seeing and the two become best friends. The night before Easter, the two find the Easter bunny lying on the ground and it is now up to them to deliver the baskets around town. After successfully saving Easter, the return to the forest to find all the animals praising and cheering for them.

Tags

animals, baby, differences, disability, discrimination, duck, easter, family, feelings, friendship, glasses, handicap, happiness, helping, heroism, holidays, hope, injury, learning, loneliness, moods, parents, playing, rabbit, sadness, siblings, sight, surprises, swimming, teaching, teasing, vision

Henrietta and the golden eggs

Johansen, Hanna

Once upon a time, 3,333 chickens lived in a small, crowded chikcen yard and everyday Henrietta, the baby chicken, finds a way out and everyone follows. Soon the manager builds a large, open chicken house and Henrietta lays her first egg.

Tags

celebration, chicken, colors, cow, escape, farm, five senses, frog, growing up, hope, noise, numbers, pond, practice, running, running away, sight, smell, sounds, swimming, water

Trudi & Pia

Hegi, Ursula

Trudi dreams of being tall and feels there are no other dwarfs like her until she meets Pia who teaches her to accept the way she is and that she is not alone. Pia talks about when other drawfs from around the world in Russia, Italy, France and Portugal, Trudi learns to feel normal and beautiful.

Tags

acceptance, animals, bicycle, birds, bravery, circus, clowns, courage, differences, dwarfs, elephant, fantasy, growing up, height, hope, imagination, lion, monkey, multicultural, night, parrot, sizes, skills, sleep, stars, uniqueness

Sky boys: How they built the empire state building

Hopkinson, Deborah

A boy watches in amazement as the Empire State Building is built. When the building is completed he goes to the top with his father to see all of the New York City.

Tags

accomplishment, ambition, architecture, beliefs, buildings, careers, ceremony, construction, day, determination, excitement, family, feelings, goal setting, hope, money, night, parents, sequence, sky, tools, transportation, truck, verbal communication, wish

Willie and the all-stars

Cooper, Floyd

Willie is a young African American boy who learns about discrimination against black baseball players. Willie's fear of prejudice will prevent him from being a famous baseball player. Willie receives tickets to attend a Negro league game and realizes that maybe his dream is possible.

Tags

accomplishment, african american, baseball, bat, body parts, buildings, car, celebration, creativity, discrimination, dreams, friendship, games, grandparents, history, hope, imagination, multicultural, neighbors, practice, prejudice, presents, pretend, radio, relationship

Lift every voice and sing

Johnsson, James Weldan

Lift every voice puts pictures to the African American National Anthem. The lyrics tell the story of Black people's past struggles and the hope that Blacks will continue to have towards their future.

Tags

africa, african american, bodies of water, body parts, courage, culture, day, diversity, family, fear, freedom, god, history, hope, illustrator's note, lyrics, moon, multicultural, music, night, poetry, pride, relationship, rhythm, running, sea, ship, singing, sky, song, tree, violence, water

Wish come true cat

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.

Sumi's first day of school ever

Pak, Soyung

On Sumiﾒs first day of school, she experiences loneliness because she doesnﾒt know anyone and doesnﾒt understand the language of the other children. She also thinks school is a scary and mean place because the other children are loud and one boy even sticks his tongue out at her! Eventually, Sumiﾒs nice teacher makes her feel comfortable in her new environment. After meeting a new friend at recess, Sumi recognizes that school is not as lonely, scary, or mean as she originally thought.

Silver threads

Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk

Ivan and Anna flee from Ukraine and sail to Canada where they are promised land for farming. They begin a new life, but Canada soon joins World War I. Ivan tries to fight for Canada in the war, but they take him as a prisoner instead. Years pass and Anna waits alone until Ivan finally returns to the farm from an internment camp

Tags

assertiveness, canada, christmas, conflict resolution, cooperation, escape, farm, food, history, holidays, hope, immigrants, love, loyalty, multicultural, patience, prayer, spider, stress management, ukrainian, war

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

I dream of trains

Johnson, Angela

A young boy from Mississippi listens for the sound of the train whistle while doing his work as a sharecropper. As he picks cotton, he dreams of someday leaving on a train. He refers to the train whistle as a call to his soul.

Tags

accidents, careers, dreams, family, farm, friendship, geography, hard work, history, hope, multicultural, parents, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, stress management, train, transportation

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

Hush harbor: Praying in secret

Evans, Freddi Williams

Simmy is both excited and nervous for his job as Scout during the community meeting. Simmy is excited because this means the elders trust him, but he is nervous because slaves are not supposed to gather and sing together. Simmy must be very careful and listen for the master during the meeting.

Tags

african american, anger, anticipation, author's note, bravery, cabin, closeness, communication, cooking, creativity, creek, critical thinking, culture, dancing, death, faith, family, folktale, forest, friendship, hard work, hearing, hope, horse, listening, missing, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, prayer, relief, religion, rhythm, river, running away, safety, secrets, slavery, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods, worry

The little weed flower (La florecita de la maleza)

Whipple, Vicky

Have you ever felt like you are unsure where you belong? Little Weed Flower is growing in a weed patch, but secretly longs to be in the beautiful garden tended by the loving gardener. With the help of a new friend her wish comes true and she is able to share positive lessons with other garden flowers. We also learn that no matter where we come from, everything has its own beauty and a special purpose in the garden of life. A timeless story of hope for those who dare to dream.

Tags

dreams, flowers, garden, hope, plants, self confidence, self esteem

Peacebound trains

Balgassi, Haemi

Sumi, a young Korean girl, lives with her grandmother when her mother goes off to the army. Sumi watches the train go by each day, wishing her mother would come home soon. The train reminds her grandmother of the days of war when she had to leave her own husband.

Tags

affection, aging, birthday, caring, change, chinese, coping, courage, death, destruction, dolls, family, feelings, freedom, grandparents, hope, korean, loss, multicultural, peace, presents, sadness, school, seasons, train, transportation, understanding, war, winter

Happy to be nappy

Hooks, Bell

A whimsical rhythm of sweet jive jumps from watercolored illustrations on different pages to portray portraits of little girls who celebrate their African American culture. Hooray for the frizzy, fuzzy, nappy, twisty hair!Hooray for the sizzling semblance and fantastic flare that shines in every hair on every head. Beauty lies everywhere.

Tags

african american, appearance, appreciation, awareness, beauty, body parts, caring, celebration, child care, cleanliness, closeness, colors, comparisons, confidence, creativity, culture, day, differences, family, feelings, fun, happiness, health, hope, images, individuality, multicultural, parents, play, pride, rhythm, self confidence, self esteem, shapes

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

Welcome comfort

Polacco, Patricia

Welcome Comfort is the new kid in school and his peers tease him. Quintin Hamp, the school custodian, befriends him and teaches him to believe in himself and Christmas. Welcome is visited by Santa and starts to believe. After graduating from high school, Welcome joins Quintin as the school custodian and their Christmas experiences continue on a whole new level of love.

Grandfather's dream

Keller, Holly

Grandfather dreams that the cranes will come back to bring good luck now that the war is over. Nam agrees. If the cranes don't come back, the fields will be used for planting rice. The entire community rejoices when the birds fly overhead.

Tags

beliefs, birds, crane, dreams, family, farm, food, grandparents, hope, plants, war

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

A hanukkah treasury

Kimmel, Eric

Hanukkah is to me the time for lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, and remembering heros from the past. Poetry, music, and recipes help keep the Hanukkah tradition alive!

Tags

acceptance, accomplishment, adventures, ambition, american, animals, anticipation, appreciation, assertiveness, beliefs, bias, bravery, celebration, ceremony, challenges, change, charity, closeness, communication, conflict, conflict resolution, cooking, courage, critical thinking, culture, customs, decision making, destruction, determination, discrimination, elephant, family, feelings, folktale, food, freedom, games, goal setting, god, grandparents, grief, hanukkah, happiness, hebrew, heroism, history, holidays, hope, immigrants, independence, individuality, israelian, Jewish, kindness, language, love, loyalty, memories, miracle, moose, moving, multicultural, music, parents, peace, pilgrims, poetry, polish, politics, poverty, prayer, prejudice, presents, racism, religion, russian, sadness, secrets, siblings, snow, song, spiritual, storytelling, toys, traditions, war, weather

Flood

Calhoun, Mary

As the rain falls day after day, Sarajean and her family prepare for the flood. They place sandbags around the banks of the river and their house, but nothing can keep the water out. Eventually, Sarajean and her family are forced to leave their home, but they are grateful for their safety.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, confusion, disappointment, dog, family, feelings, flood, future, grandparents, happiness, hope, love, nonverbal communication, parents, river, sadness, stress management, water

The sunday outing

Pinkney, Gloria Jean

Ernestine and her great-aunt spent Sunday afternoons at the train station watching the passengers, and Ernestine always dreamed of being one of them. Finally Ernestine's family saves enough money so she can ride the train herself.

Tags

excitement, family, feelings, goal setting, happiness, hope, independence, money, parents, stress management, train, transportation, verbal communication, worry

Potato: A tale from the great depression

Lied, Kate

During the Great Depression Dorothy is just a baby, but she remembers how hard her parents had to work. For two weeks the family moves to Idaho and picks potatoes. They use the leftover potatoes to trade for groceries which helps the family survive the Depression.

Tags

assertiveness, baby, conflict resolution, critical thinking, depression, family, farm, feelings, food, goal setting, happiness, hard work, history, hope, love, parents, pig, siblings

Zelda and ivy one christmas

Kvasnosky, Laura McGee

Two sisters, Zelda and Ivy, can't wait for Christmas morning. Zelda hopes to get a lovely velvet evening gown while Ivy wishes for a princess Mimi doll with all the ballet accessories. The two sisters make a beautiful bracelet for their lovely elderly neighbor. The neighbor receives her christmas wish, but will Zelda and Ivy get their Christmas wish too?

Tags

animals, christmas, clothing, elves, fox, holidays, hope, presents, santa, teamwork, wish

Days of the blackbird: A tale of northern italy

dePaola, Tomie

Gemma and her father, Duke Gemma, love to sit in their courtyard where birds of all colors decorate the trees and sing beautiful songs. When her father becomes ill, Gemma realizes that the only hope for her father's recovery comes from the bird songs. Unfortunately, it is winter and all of the birds fly south, all except the Duke's favorite bird, La Colomba. La Colomba withstands the cold wind and snow in order to sing the Duke back to health.

Tags

author's note, birds, blackbird, colors, family, hope, illness, italian, month, multicultural, music, seasons

Peace crane

Hamanaka, Sheila

A young African American girl learns about the Peace Crane, created by Sadako Sasaki, survivor of Hiroshima. The girl wishes the Peace Crane would take her away from the violence in her own world to a place without racism and violence.

Tags

african american, author's note, birds, crane, death, dreams, feelings, hope, japanese, love, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peace, prejudice, racism, sadness, self esteem, verbal communication, violence, war

Grandfather's christmas tree

Strand, Keith

A young couple embarks on their own to an unknown land to build their life. When times get hard for their family, they adjust their lifestyles to make things work.

The sleeping lady

Dixon, Ann

Nekatla and Susitha are a young couple preparing to wed. THe wedding is put on hold when war breaks out, and Nekatla must travel to another village to try to restore peace. Susitha waits on a grassy hill for Nekatla to return, and she falls asleep. Nekatla is killed in war, and Susitha never awakens and is now known as the sleeping lady.

Tags

adventures, anger, author's note, bravery, celebration, communication, conflict resolution, culture, death, decision making, dreams, fable, feelings, happiness, history, hope, loss, love, nonverbal communication, relationship, sleep, snow, teamwork, verbal communication, violence, war, weather, wedding, worry

Snowball

Crews, Nina

Each morning the children awake and anxiously look outside to see if it has snowed. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday go by and there's still no sign of snow!Friday is the children's last hope for a day of fun in the snow.

Tags

anticipation, bedtime, celebration, clouds, cold, Days of The Week, dreams, excitement, fun, goal setting, happiness, hope, morning, night, nonverbal communication, patience, photograph, playground, playing, school, sequence, sleep, snow, surprises, verbal communication, weather, winter

Lost

Johnson, Paul Brett//Lewis, Celeste

A little girl loses her dog Flag in the desert. She and her dad search for a month, but there is no sign of Flag. One day, when the girl returns home from school, she notices an old truck in her driveway. A man found Flag and brought him home!

Tags

animals, assertiveness, celebration, critical thinking, decision making, desert, dog, faith, family, feelings, goal setting, hope, loss, love, nonverbal communication, parents, pets, sadness

Arthur's tv trouble

Brown, Marc

Trouble for Arthur begins while he is watching TV. He sees a commercial for Treat Timer and just has to buy one for his dog, Pal. Arthur works hard to save and collect the money, but Treat Timer does not turn out to be all that Arthur had imagined.

Tags

animals, disappointment, dog, excitement, family, feelings, friendship, hope, money, neighbors, parents, siblings, work

The never-ending greenness

Waldman, Neil

A young boy plants trees to cope with the separation and loss he feels from his father who is at war. In doing this he single handedly turns a gloomy countryside destroyed by war back into the beautiful, alive place it once was. He also starts a holiday known today as Tu b'Shvat.

Tags

ambition, author's note, bravery, challenges, change, courage, dedication, dreams, escape, exploration, family, goal setting, hard work, hebrew, history, hope, israelian, Jewish, loss, mountains, multicultural, parents, plants, separation, war

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