Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Don Jacobo and his grandson carve a figurine of a saint from wood for the Christmas season. A large snow storm comes and closes the roads. This creates problems for Don Jacobo's family who wants to visit their family. It is also a problem for his sick neighbor who needs to to go the the hospital.

A bilingual collection of humorous and serious poems about family, nature, and celebrations.

Younger siblings often wish that they were old enough to do the things that their brothers and sisters enjoy. But sometimes, older siblings do spend special, quality time with their younger siblings. These make special moments and deeper relationships.

Maria is excited because it is Christmas Eve and she is helping her family make tamales for the holiday. When Maria's mom leaves the kitchen, Maria tries on her mom's ring. Maria thinks she loses the ring in the tamale mix and tries to find it.

Amelia, the daughter of migrant farm workers, is tired of moving around and dreams of a permanent home. She finds a special place for herself so she doesn't feel so bad about leaving. The family continues to harvest peaches, apples, carrots, and tomatoes.

Ricky is always being told he looks like his mother. When he is given the chance to choose his costume for the school play, Ricky chooses the big bushy mustache. Now he will look like his papi. But Papi must come to the rescue when Ricky loses his mustache. There's only one way to replace a big bushy mustache!

Rosita and her grandmother are very close. Rosita's grandmother teaches Rosita how to braid, garden, and make tortillas. When Rosita's grandmother dies, Rosita feels a great loss without her around and misses her terribly. Her family tells Rosita that she can make a gift to give to her grandmother on the Day of the Dead. Rosita braids a cord that is filled with love and memories for her grandmother.

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.

Papel picado, the art of cut paper, is shown. Learn how to hold the tissue paper and scissors. A few papel picado projects are explained including how to make papel picado with a craft knife.