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

Tags: independence

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Loose tooth

Schaefer, Lola

A young boy wakes up and realizes he has a loose tooth. He wiggles the tooth and shows his mom, dad, sister, brother, and dog, but it won't fall out. He tries to eat hard food or have his brother yank it out with a wrench, but the tooth finally comes out all on its own!

Tags

animals, body parts, change, determination, dog, excitement, family, food, independence, morning, parents, persistence, pets, relief, siblings, tools, tooth

Ruby's wish

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.

Tags

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

Stage struck

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.

Tags

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

How Willy got his wheels

Mohler, Diana & Turner, Deborah

As a homeless and handicapped dog, Willy never finds true happiness until he is rescued from the animal hospital and given a home and family. However, Willy lacks the ability to walk on his own and his owner Deborah tries several attempts to help Willy. Finally, Willy is given a wheel chair which enables him to finally be free and live his life to its fullest.

Tags

animals, balloon, caring, cat, climbing, cold, disability, doctor, dog, dreams, excitement, family, fly, friendship, handicap, helping, homeless, hospital, imagination, independence, loneliness, memory, pets, presents, problem solving, protection, relief, rescue, running, running away, sadness, safety, siblings, sleep, smell, toys, wish

Dangerous crossing

Krensky, Stephen

Showing no signs of fear, young Johnny Adams boards a ship with his father, the future second President of the United States, for a voyage from Massachusetts to Paris to gain support for the colonies. Their journey is depicted with vivid pictures and an exciting storyline portraying the battles, harsh weather and seasickness endured along the way by two key Presidents in U.S. history.

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.

Elvira

Shannon, Margaret

Instead of eating princesses, Elvira the dragon would rather dress like them. She is independent and wants to live life in her own unqiue way.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, beliefs, clothing, confidence, dragons, independence, individuality, royalty, self esteem, uniqueness, verbal communication

Have you seen wilhelmina krumph?

Chasek, Judith

Everyday, Wilhelmina Krumph disappears when she should be washing her windows like all the other housewives. They follow her one day and discover that she rides a motorcycle along a dirt road everyday. They see what fun it is and join her.

Tags

assertiveness, careers, decision making, independence, motorcycle, peer resistance, play, recreation, responsibilities, transportation, verbal communication

Sometimes my mommy gets angry

Campbell, Bebe Moore

When Annie wakes up in the morning, she is relieved to find her euphoric mother in the kitchen. They share a healthy breakfast, then her mother helps her get ready for school. After a fun day at school, Annie comes home to an angry and yelling mother. Annie copes by calling her grandmother to talk about her feelings. She takes care of herself and maintains a positive attitude with happy thoughts. She uses effective strategies to accept her motherﾒs bipolar disorder.

Afro-bets: First book about africa

Ellis, Veronica

Mr. Amegashie explores the cultural diversity, rich history, and the beautiful and exciting land of Africa.

Tags

africa, african, animals, art, bodies of water, business, camel, celebration, ceremony, culture, customs, dancing, desert, discrimination, diversity, egypt, family, forest, geography, ghana, history, horse, hyena, independence, instruments, islam, learning, leopard, library, maps, mountains, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, photograph, religion, river, school, ship, slavery, storytelling, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, water, zimbabwe

Loon chase

Diehl, Jean Heilprin

A boy discovers that his domesticated dog still has powerful instincts similar to animals in the wild. There is a surprise encounter between the dog and a mother loon: the bigger animal doesn't necessarily prevail. In his moment of wonder, the boy finally meets the loon himself.

Tags

animals, birds, bodies of water, critical thinking, dog, family, fear, feelings, independence, lake, loon, multicultural, native american, nature, parents, play, relief, teamwork, transportation

Ella Sarah gets dressed

Chodos-Irvine, Margaret

A young girl named Ella knows what she wants to wear and no one in her family can convince her otherwise. She refuses each person's suggestions for alternative clothing choices. Ella shows confidence and determination as she chooses her own style and presentation.

Tags

appearance, assertiveness, clothing, colors, determination, family, feelings, friendship, frustration, independence, individuality, nonverbal communication, opinions, parents, pattern, refusal skills

John Willy and Freddie Mcgee

Meade, Holly

Two guinea pigs, John Willy and Freddy McGee, are bored of sitting in their cage where nothing ever changes. One day, when their cage door is left open, the guinea pigs decide to go exploring throughout the house. They end up traveling through the tunnel of a pool table and run for their lives when pool balls start rolling through the tunnel. The guinea pigs run for the safety of their cage but when they get there and see how everything is the same, they leave to start a new adventure.

Tags

adventures, animals, boredom, cat, colors, courage, discovery, dog, escape, exploration, games, guinea pig, independence, recreation, sounds

The tough princess

Waddell, Martin

This book is about a princess who is forced by her parents to find a prince the traditional way -- going under a spell -- so she can be rescued by a prince. She does not like this idea, so she finds her own way to meet a prince.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, creativity, critical thinking, family, independence, magic, marriage, parents, peer resistance, rescue, royalty, traditions

Addie runs away

Robins, Joan

Addie's parents want to send her to camp. She thinks that they do not want her anymore, so she runs away. Her friend, Max, tells her camp is fun and they decide to go to camp together.

Tags

camping, exercise, family, fear, feelings, friendship, independence, neighbors, parents, play, recreation, running, running away

Bantam of the opera

Auch, Mary Jane

Luigi, a bantam rooster, has big dreams of becoming a star singer one day. All the other roosters ridicule him, saying he is a show-off. Then one day he hides in a farmer's truck and takes a trip to the opera. Soon he is the star of the show.

Tags

accomplishment, acting, ambition, animals, careers, chicken, courage, excitement, farm, goal setting, independence, music, opera, performance

One saturday morning

Baker, Barbara

A large family is made up of unique members. They work together as a unit.

Tags

animals, baby, bear, family, goal setting, happiness, independence, morning, parents, siblings, teamwork

Shy charles (Charles le timide)

Wells, Rosemary

Charles is a very shy mouse who does not like to talk to anyone. He likes to play alone, and he hates talking on the phone. One day, his babysitter gets hurt and Charles becomes her hero.

Tags

child care, conflict resolution, decision making, family, feelings, heroism, independence, individuality, injury, mice, nonverbal communication, parents, refusal skills, self confidence, self esteem, shyness, verbal communication

Tap-tap

Williams, Karen Lynn

After spending a long day selling oranges at the market, a Haitian mother and daughter earn enough money to ride the tap-tap home. The tap-tap is a vehicle that takes passengers where they need to go. It stops when a passenger taps on the side twice.

Today i thought i'd run away

Johnson, Jane

A little boy packs his bag with his special belongings and runs away. In his travels, he comes in contact with bad creatures, but in the end he isn't hurt and goes back home.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, giants, independence, monsters, mythical, running away, security, self confidence, travel, verbal communication

Oscar de mejo's abc

de Mejo, Oscar

The alphabet is brought to life in colorful illustrations of patriotic words. The history and culture of American life influences the representation of each of the letters of the alphabet.

Tags

alphabet, baseball, christmas, dancing, exercise, fourth of july, history, holidays, independence, kite, sequence, skating, sports

Sunshine

Ormerod, Jan

A little girl wakes up very early then wakes her father so they can make breakfast. Afterwards, her dad gets back into bed and reads the paper while the mother sleeps. The little girl then begins to get herself ready for school.

Tags

appearance, assertiveness, decision making, family, food, goal setting, growing up, independence, morning, nutrition, parents, responsibilities, self esteem, sleep, working mother

First flight

McPhail, David

A little boy takes his first airplane fight until his teddy bear disrupts the trip.

Tags

assertiveness, bear, fear, feelings, independence, mischief, stress management, transportation, travel

Nils all alone

Sigsgaard, Jens

A young boy wakes up to find that he is alone in the world. He wanders throughout his town, attempting to enjoy all of his favorite activites with his sudden independence, only to realize that he is lonely. In the end, he awakens to discover it is all a dream.

Tags

dreams, fear, feelings, growing up, independence, loneliness, play, sleep

You cheat!

Gilson, Jamie

Two brothers are always putting each other up to things. These two boys begin their day inside playing the game at which the older brother is winning. They end up outside fishing where the younger boy is most comfortable.

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

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

Bus ride

Jewell, Nancy

Jamie, a young girl is going on a bus ride alone to visit her grandpa. She meets Mrs. Rivers who sits with her and takes care of her. She becomes very fond of Mrs. Rivers and then must get off to meet her grandfather. She tells him all about her new friend.

Tags

family, fear, feelings, friendship, grandparents, independence, transportation, travel

Gina Farina and the prince of mintz

Patz, Nancy

When an independent young girl refuses to follow the rule of the Prince of Mintz, there is a great uproar.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, disobedience, independence, peer resistance, refusal skills, royalty, self esteem

Tilly's house

Jacques, Faith

Tilly lived in a dollhouse as a maid. She was tired of the work so she ran away to look for her own house. Along the way, she meet a bear named Edward who helps her with her endeavors. Together they find Tilly a house and become good friends.

Tags

animals, bear, careers, critical thinking, determination, friendship, independence, self esteem, shelter

Tea with milk

Say, Allen

Masoko's life changes dramatically when her parents move from California back to their native country, Japan. Masako feels like she will never belong in this new country where her life is so completely different.

Tags

change, clothing, culture, customs, differences, family, food, homesickness, independence, japanese, language, loss, love, market, marriage, multicultural, nutrition, parents, relationship, travel

My old tree

Gauch, Patricia Lee

A little boy imagines a tree. A tree that he can build and spend time alone there or with some of his friends.

Tags

creativity, critical thinking, decision making, friendship, goal setting, imagination, independence, nature, nonverbal communication, plants, verbal communication

A place for ben

Titherington, Jeanne

Ben wants a place of his own. When his brother's crib is moved into his room, Ben begins to search for a place of his own. Ben puts some of his things in the garage, but he still feels like something is missing. He needs visitors. When his little brother, Ezra, comes to visit, Ben is happy. Ben decides that Ezra isn't so bad after all.

Tags

companion, conflict resolution, family, frustration, independence, jealousy, loneliness, parents, sharing, siblings

My friend harry

Lewis, Kim

James takes his new stuffed elephant, Harry, everywhere with him. Eventually, when Harry begins to become worn and his ears start to sag, James is old enough to start school. Being separated from a close companion like Harry will take a little more effort than James thinks.

Tags

animals, bath, biking, books, companion, conflict resolution, dog, elephant, exercise, family, farm, friendship, helping, hygiene, independence, love, play, pretend, reading, school, separation, support, toys, vacation, verbal communication

The secret of the sachem's tree

Monjo, F.N.

The new king of England is going to take away its charter from a Puritan town in Connecticut. When the lights go out, the charter disappears, and the English can't take it.

Tags

assertiveness, community, decision making, english, family, friendship, halloween, history, holidays, independence, multicultural, parents, religion, royalty, siblings

Irene and the big, fine nickel

Smalls, Hector

An independent girl named Irene lives in Harlem, New York in 1957 She and her friends experience a wonderful day in a community full of life and love.

Tags

african american, closeness, community, discovery, friendship, happiness, independence, love, multicultural, neighbors, unselfish

The block book

Couture, Susan Arkin

Betsy and Ben are blocks who save all their junk. Then one day, it comes in handy when their neighbor's house burns down. They build a new one for their friend out of junk.

Tags

caring, critical thinking, friendship, helping, independence, neighbors, nonverbal communication, shapes, toys, verbal communication

Hetty and harriet

Oakley, Graham

Two young hens become dissatisfied with their boring lives and decide to find a new home. Their curiosity leads them on exciting and dangerous adventures, which eventually lead them back home.

Tags

adventures, assertiveness, birds, boredom, chicken, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, exploration, friendship, independence, peer resistance, refusal skills, sharing, shelter, verbal communication

Maria theresa

Mathers, Petra

A chicken escapes from her home in an apartment building. She joins an opera and becomes a star.

Tags

assertiveness, birds, careers, chicken, conflict resolution, decision making, independence, music, shelter

Davy's day

Lenski, Lois

On Davy's day, he goes through his daily routine. Davy makes choices about the things he will do during the day. Also, he takes care of himself by taking a bath on his own, dressing himself, and getting out of bed.

Tags

bath, clothing, critical thinking, decision making, food, goal setting, hygiene, independence, nutrition, prayer, reading, self esteem, sleep

Just the thing for geraldine

Conford, Ellen

Geraldine is an oppossum who likes to hang by her tail and juggle acorns. Her parents tell her that she should do something more worthwhile, so she takes dancing, weaving, and sculpture lessons. She discovers that she is not very good at these things, so she opens her own juggling school.

Tags

animals, art, assertiveness, conflict resolution, dancing, decision making, exercise, goal setting, independence, opossum, peer resistance, play, recreation, refusal skills, school, self esteem, verbal communication

The duke who outlawed jelly beans

Valentine, Johnny

This collection of modern fairy tales includes references to homosexuality and independence. A grand duke is left in charge of a kingdom. He makes all types of silly decrees but when they begin to affect homelife, children fight against his purpose.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, goal setting, homosexuality, independence, royalty, self esteem, verbal communication

Benny's had enough!

Lindgren, Barbro

Benny the pig is tired of rules. After refusing to take a bath and pick up his toys, Benny decides he would like to live somewhere else. He soon discovers the problems of being away from home.

Tags

anger, animals, bath, cleanliness, critical thinking, decision making, disappearance, disobedience, dog, family, feelings, homeless, homesickness, hygiene, independence, missing, moods, nonverbal communication, parents, pig, technology, telephone

The bear on the moon

Ryder, Joanne

A polar bear wonders about the deep sea and the lights in the sky. Her curiosity leads her to explore the mystery of the moon, and bring some of it back to her friends which helps explain why the polar bears came to live on ice and snow.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, bear, bodies of water, community, courage, decision making, friendship, goal setting, imagination, independence, moon, nonverbal communication, sea, self esteem, snow, weather

The way home

Richardson, Judith Benet

Savi, a baby elephant, is left at the beach, because he did not want to return home with his mother. He becomes scared and finally follows a trail of bananas home.

Bear

Schoenherr, John

A young bear wakes one morning to find that his mother is gone. He goes through many adventures trying to find her and learns to live on his own.

Tags

adventures, animals, assertiveness, bear, change, coping, courage, family, fear, feelings, growing up, independence, loneliness, parents, self esteem, stress management

Which is willy?

Bright, Robert

Willy the penguin wants to be different. He goes to the city, but he is too different than the people there. So he goes back to the South Pole and discovers he is different because of what he is inside.