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

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Still dreaming = Seguimos sonando

Martinez, Claudia Guadalupe

Many workers from Mexico leave their homeland with their families to a land of opportunity where they dream to live a life without borders. A young boy and his parents drive their car far away until there are no city lights. Papa sings a sweet sad song on the side of the road where there are other people at a campfire. The boy eventually learns that the laborers worked in Alaska, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, and Chicago, and they cross the border together to find answers to their dreams.

Tags

america, author's note, border, butterfly, California, car, farmer, fishing, food, geography, hard work, history, immigrants, language, maps, Mexico, moon, music, neighbors, newspaper, ship, sleep, spanish, stars, train, transportation, travel

Tashi and the Tibetan flower cure

Rose, Naomi C.

Tashi's Papola becomes ill and is bedridden. Tashi remembers a cure from her family's homeland in Tibet. Tashi works hard to resemble the Tibetan flower cure and surround her Papola with many flowers and caring people. Although Papola argues that the cure wont work in America, neighbors work together to bring flowers to Papola and make him better.

Tags

author's note, body parts, caring, cure, emotions, family, feelings, five senses, flowers, grandparents, health, illness, immigrants, language, love, medicine, multicultural, music, neighbors, plants, sadness, tibet, village

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

Halmoni and the picnic

Choi, Sook Nyul

Yunmi wants her grandmother, Halmoni to feel at home in New York City. However, Halmoni is having trouble adjusting to the American customs that differ so much from the customs of her native Korea. Yunmi's friends suggest that Halmoni chaperone the annual class picnic to Central Park. It may be an opportunity to open-up and feel comfortable in her new home.

I have an olive tree

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.

Tags

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

When Catherine the Great and I were eight!

Best, Cari

Sara, her mother, and Russian grandmother Catherine the Great, pile into Mr. Minsky's car along with a few of their other neighbors. They make their way to the beach to escape the heat of the hot summer day. Although they find it takes longer than planned to reach the beach, everyone has fun along the way.

Ste-e-e-e-eamboat a-comin'!

Esbaum, Jill

A steamboat that travels along the Mississippi River comes to a small quiet town. The passengers have goods to sell and places to travel. This beautiful boat helps people to accomplish their tasks.

Tags

boat, bodies of water, careers, decision making, diversity, immigrants, nonverbal communication, rhyme, stress management, travel

Hannah is my name

Yang, Belle

Hannah and her family come to America from Taiwan to gain freedom. For them to become Americans and have their freedom, they must obtain their greencards. Hannah and her family's journey of over 2 years, encompasses many trials. Hannah and her family feel relief, excitement and prode as they finally receive their greencards and are now able to call American their home.

Iron horses

Kay, Verla

Building a railroad takes a lot of work. Many people must be involved from the planners and politicians in the capital, to the Irishmen and Chinese men building the track out west. When it is finally finished, the track is a wonderful form of transportation.

Tags

author's note, celebration, ceremony, chinese, competition, construction, cooperation, fun, geography, hard work, history, immigrants, irish, mountains, multicultural, rain, rocks, snow, storm, tools, train, transportation, travel, weather

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

Miss Bridie chose a shovel

Conner, Leslie

In 1856, Miss Bridie traveled to America with only her family shovel. She finds many uses for her shovel and it proves to be the right choice. She carves her path through life with a simple everyday shovel.

Tags

aging, baby, critical thinking, death, drought, exercise, family, farm, feelings, flood, flowers, garden, happiness, history, ice, immigrants, loss, marriage, parents, plants, sadness, seasons, ship, siblings, skating, tools, transportation, travel

Grandpa's gamble

Michelson, Richard

A brother and sister are tired of always having to be quiet so as not to interrupt Grandpa Sam while he is praying. The children think they have a very boring grandfather. Grandpa Sam overhears the children and tells them the story of his life. He was born a Jew in Poland and to escape persecution he came to the United States. He learns to gamble to make a living but when his daughter becomes very ill he decides to lead an honest, humble life and pray every morning and night. The children are now amazed by their Grandpa Sam's story and respect his prayer time.

Tags

author's note, boredom, culture, faith, family, forgiveness, grandparents, holidays, immigrants, Jewish, multicultural, parents, passover, photograph, prayer, religion, siblings, storytelling, stress management

Creativity

Steptoe, John

Charles speaks English and Hector speaks Spanish. They learn that even though they speak different languages, they both come from African ancestors. Charles helps Hector adjust to life in the U.S. through fun activities.

Tags

africa, african american, basketball, clothing, cooking, creativity, culture, curiosity, english, family, fishing, friendship, helping, home, identity, immigrants, language, learning, moving, multicultural, parents, puerto rican, relationship, school, slavery, spanish, sports

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.

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.

Grandmother and the runaway shadow

Rosenberg, Liz

A young girl escapes alone to America and finds companionship in a runaway shadow. They experience their new world together.

Tags

american, author's note, boat, careers, clothing, dancing, differences, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, grandparents, imagination, immigrants, loneliness, running away, shadows, transportation, travel

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

When jessie came across the sea

Hest, Amy

Jessie and her Grandmother are very close family to each other because there are no other relatives. Grandmother teachers Jessie to sew and Jessie teaches Grandmother to read. One day, Jessie is requested to travel to America by the rabbi. Her journey by ship is hard, but she meets a young man, Low, who she finds again in America and marries. Grandmother travels to America on the money that Jessie earned sewing lace for three years.

Tags

american, challenges, communication, correspondence, decision making, english, family, friendship, illness, immigrants, Jewish, language, marriage, money, monuments, multicultural, religion, school, sewing, ship, spiritual, stress management, transportation, travel, work

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

What zeesie saw on delancey street

Rael, Wlsa Okon

On her 7th birthday, Zeesie goes with Mama and Papa to her first party where suprise packages are auctioned off to raise money. While there she explores a secret money room, and learns a lesson about money, generosity, and the importance of community.

Tags

birthday, celebration, community, critical thinking, family, feelings, food, happiness, holidays, immigrants, Jewish, money, nonverbal communication, parents, party, sharing, stress management, verbal communication

Molly's pilgrim

Cohen, Barbara

Molly brings a pilgrim doll that's a replica of her mother when she left Russia to school. Only with this doll do the other students learn the true meaning of a pilgrim.

Tags

critical thinking, dolls, holidays, immigrants, learning, multicultural, russian, school, self esteem, thanksgiving, verbal communication

The always prayer shawl

Oberman, Sheldon

A person's life is followed from birth to almost death. Jewish traditions, culture, and families are highlighted.

Tags

change, clothing, dedication, family, generations, grandparents, growing up, identification, immigrants, Jewish, multicultural, religion, spiritual, traditions

Friends from the other side

Anzaldua, Gloria

Prietita is a young girl who befriends a young immigrant from Mexico. He lives with his mother in a shed. When the police come, Prietita hides them so they won't be taken away. This story is in English and Spanish.

Tags

assertiveness, caring, conflict resolution, critical thinking, family, friendship, immigrants, mexican, multicultural, nonverbal communication, parents, poverty, pride, verbal communication

Tomas and the library lady

Mora, Pat

Tomas and his family are migrant workers who travel between Iowa and Texas to find work. Tomas loves to listen to his grandfather's stories but he knows all of them and decides to go to the library to learn some new stories. The librarian welcomes Tomas in and offers him cold water to drink and stories to read. Tomas visits the library lady whenever he can and even teaches her some of his native language, Spanish. When Tomas' family must leave the library lady gives Tomas a book to take with him.

Tags

author's note, books, careers, dinosaur, family, farm, geography, grandparents, immigrants, language, library, mexican american, multicultural, parents, playing, reptiles, siblings, sleep, soccer, spanish, sports, storytelling, water, work

The boy who wouldn't talk

Bouchard, Lois Kalb

Carlos, a Puerto Rican boy, lives in America and is frustrated with learning the English language. He decides not to talk at all and just nod and draw pictures. He meets a blind boy who cannot see his pictures or nods, so Carlos must talk. Carlos is so happy to meet this boy that he begins to talk again.

An ellis island christmas

Leighton, Maxine Rhea

Krysia and her family leave Poland around Christmas to meet their father, who is already living in New York. It is a long trip on land and by water, but they eventually land at Ellis Island where their father is waiting.

Tags

anticipation, boat, christmas, freedom, geography, holidays, immigrants, multicultural, polish, separation, transportation, travel

My shoes and I

Lainez, Rene Colato

Mario's shoes take him everywhere, and they have an important trip in front of them. Mario and his father are leaving El Salvador to join his mother in the United States. His shoes take him through three countries, through storms, over mountains and through rivers. Through each part of the journey, the shoes fall apart, but Mario makes sure they make it to the end of the journey.

Tags

adventures, assertiveness, bravery, bus, excitement, family, fear, feelings, food, goal setting, immigrants, language, Mexico, parents, reunion, sadness, shoes, sleep, spanish, transportation, travel, trip

Love as strong as ginger

Look, Lenore

While her mother and father go to work in Chinatown, a young girl learns how to make rice dumplings and crab and shrimp soup with her grandma. They then take a bus to Grandma's work where she cracks crabs in a factory for a few pennies per day. Grandma prepares a crab meal at the end of a hard working day, made with love as strong as ginger. Katie appreciates her "Gnin Gnin" (grandmother) and all she does so Katie can follow her dress, becoming whoever she wants to be in America.

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