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

Tags: mystery

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Albert's halloween: The case of the stolen pumpkins

Tryon, Leslie

It's Halloween time, but someone has stolen the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Detective Albert and his friends solve the mystery piece by piece. Readers can join in this game and solve the mystery with Albert and his friends.

Tags

adventures, animals, autumn, bat, birds, butterfly, challenges, conflict resolution, correspondence, creativity, critical thinking, crow, discovery, fun, games, halloween, holidays, imagination, letters, math, mystery, nonverbal communication, numbers, pig, time, verbal communication

Alphabet mystery

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.

Angel's kite

Blanco, Alberto

Young Angel is sad because the town bell is missing. One night, Young Angel builds a giant kite that mysteriously turns into the town bell. (Also in Spanish).

Tags

animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dog, feelings, goal setting, mystery, sadness, secrets, spanish

Anna's art adventure

Sortland, Bjorn

Anna is at the museum with her uncle and comes into contact with many new friends. Anna befriends all of the painters whose art is inside the museum. All of these encounters take place because Anna needs to find a toilet.

Anna's secret friend

Tsutsui, Yoriko

Anna moves to a new house close to the mountains. After a couple of days she feels lonely and misses all of her friends. Anna keeps hearing noises at the front door and finds flowers, a letter, and a paper doll. One day Anna opens the door in enough time to meet a girl her age and they become friends.

Tags

assertiveness, change, conflict resolution, coping, curiosity, dolls, friendship, giving, loneliness, moving, mystery, neighbors, nonverbal communication, presents, self esteem, sounds, verbal communication

Anno's magical abc: An anamorphic alphabet

Anno, Masaichiro//Anno, Mitsumasa

Children's eyes are opened to the excitement of seeing and learning the alphabet in a different way. Although initially distorted, the letters can be easily viewed when using a silver tube as directed.

Tags

alphabet, angel, creativity, japanese, letters, magic, multicultural, mystery, pirates, sequence, ship, transportation

Art dog

Hurd, Thacher

Arthur Dog disguises himself as Art Dog to recover the stolen Mona Woofa from the Dogopolis Museum of Art. When he is not Art Dog, he lives as an ordinary citizen who appreciates life.

Tags

animals, appreciation, art, bravery, crime, dog, guilt, loss, museum, mystery, robbery

Bad day at riverbend

Allsburg, Chris Van

The small town of Riverbend is under siege by omnipresent forces in this wonderful tale.

Tags

assertiveness, bravery, community, conflict resolution, cowboys, critical thinking, decision making, fight, ghosts, goal setting, mystery, nonverbal communication, stress management, verbal communication

Big jabe

Nolan, Jerdine

Momma Mary goes back in time and tells stories of a unique young man named Jabe, who is responsible for creating magic among the slaves of the Plenty Plantation. He is described as a hero with the strength of fifty men, a big heart, and a wondrous gift at leading slaves away to freedom.

Tags

african, african american, animals, bee, chicken, cow, fable, fantasy, feelings, fish, fishing, flood, food, freedom, generations, happiness, heroism, horse, hunger, magic, multicultural, mystery, nonverbal communication, plants, recreation, river, slavery, storytelling, tornado, tree, uniqueness, unselfish, weather, wind

Brothers of the knight

Allen, Debbie

Twelve brothers magically disappear every night even though their door is locked. Their father hires a housekeeper to figure out the mystery of his boys. She learns to listen, which turns out to be more powerful than simply solving a mystery.

Tags

african american, bedtime, careers, church, conflict resolution, dancing, deception, exercise, family, generations, hard work, magic, multicultural, music, mystery, parents, relationship, secrets, siblings, stress management

Chameleon the spy and the case of the vanishing jewels

Massie, Diane Redfield

Chameleon the spy discovers the plan of a phony prince and princess who steal all of the jewels of the Beantown residents.

Tags

chameleon, colors, conflict resolution, dancing, decision making, language, mystery, reptiles, royalty

December 24th

Cazet, Denys

Emily and Louie vist Grandpa and give him a surprise gift. Grandpa tries to guess what the holiday gift could be. Eventually, he sees that it is his birthday gift.

Tags

birthday, christmas, conflict resolution, family, grandparents, holidays, mystery, presents, verbal communication

Do not open

Turkle, Brinton

Miss Moody lives by the sea with her cat, Captain Kidd. She loves to collect objects left on the beach after a storm. One day she finds a bottle that says do not open. She opens it up and finds a terrible monster. She defeats the monster through quick thinking.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, cat, collection, conflict resolution, curiosity, decision making, disobedience, fear, monsters, mystery, ocean, refusal skills, verbal communication, weather

Don't open this box

Razzi, James

Harry finds a box at his door with Don't Open this Box written on it. Ultimately, Harry's curiousity gets the best of him and he opens the box. Inside is a boat called Don't Open this Box.

Tags

assertiveness, curiosity, decision making, mystery, presents, stress management

Donna o'neeshuck was chased by some cows

Grossman, Bill

Donna O'Neeshuck cannot understand why she is being chased by cows, moose, geese, and other animals. When she stops to ask the animals, she discovers that the way she pats their heads is irresistable.

Tags

affection, animals, birds, conflict resolution, cow, decision making, kindness, moose, mystery, rhyme, verbal communication

Drawer in a drawer

Christiana, David

Fud is an drawer (one who draws) who sleeps in a drawer. He draws a box and the moon gets caught in it. He eventually sets the moon free.

Tags

art, careers, critical thinking, imagination, moon, mystery, nonverbal communication, verbal communication

Emily

Bedard, Michael

A little girl's family moves to a new house. Across the street lives a woman called the Myth because she does not leave her home. The little girl and her mom are invited over to play piano. The little girl shares a secret with the Myth who turns out to be Emily Dickenson.

Tags

assertiveness, curiosity, decision making, mystery, neighbors, nonverbal communication, verbal communication

Ghost in a four-room apartment

Raskin, Ellen

A ghost travels throughout an apartment and haunts each person in the family. He only wants to play with them, but they are unable to see him.

Tags

assertiveness, family, ghosts, mystery, nonverbal communication, play, recreation, shelter, stress management

Grandpa's teeth

Clement, Rod

Grandpa's teeth have been stolen!Officer Rate comes to investigate and they put wanted posters all over town. To avoid becoming a suspect, everyone in town begins to smile all the time. Tourists are afraid to get out of their cars because everyone is smiling. The problem is solved with a collection of money to get Grandpa new teeth, and the crime is solved in the process.

Tags

animals, careers, crime, dog, feelings, grandparents, loss, mystery, robbery, sadness, teeth, television

Headlines

Hall, Malcolm

A printing press, run by animals, has a mystery. Someone is stealing the letters which ends up making very confusing headlines.

Tags

animals, careers, cat, conflict resolution, critical thinking, mystery, preparation, raccoon, refusal skills, refusal thinking, reptiles, snake, spelling, squirrel, teamwork, verbal communication

Imogene's antlers

Small, David

A young girl named Imogene awakes one morning to find that she has grown antlers. No one can figure out what the cause is?!The next morning, Imogene's antlers have disappeared but her family is in for another surprise!

Tags

acceptance, change, chaos, confusion, family, fantasy, investigation, mystery, surprises

Inspector hopper

Cushman, Doug

Inspector Hopper and his partner McBugg work as a team to solve several mysterious case. Join them as they look for Mrs. Ladybug who strangely disappears. Find out what happens to the officer's boat. And discover how they catch a thief with additional help.

Tags

adventures, caterpillar, clouds, critical thinking, grasshopper, hunger, insects, investigation, ladybug, light, missing, moon, mosquito, mystery, rat, sky, snail, spider, worm, worry

Jigsaw

Moss, Miriam

Different animals move through the woods and plants with some clues. At the end of the trip, why is there a wolf dressed in human clothing?

Tags

animals, beach, bee, birds, bluebird, body parts, butterfly, clothing, critical thinking, deer, dragonfly, flowers, frog, insects, language, mystery, rabbit, rhyme, sequence, shells, squirrel, tree, turtle, water, wolf, woods, word association

Louella mae, she's run away!

Alarcon, Karen Beaumont

Louella Mae has disappeared and her family goes on a wild search around the farm to find her. At the end, not only is her location discovered, but also the fact that Louella Mae is really a pig!

Tags

animals, critical thinking, disappearance, family, farm, feelings, lost, mystery, nonverbal communication, pig, rhyme, stress management, verbal communication, worry

Mary alice returns

Allen, Jeffrey

Mary Alice is a switchboard operator on whom everyone depends. She completes her job perfectly until one day, when Karen squirrel plays dangerous games with her.

Tags

animals, chicken, communication, deception, duck, misunderstanding, mystery, squirrel, teasing

Minnie and moo meet frankenswine

Cazet, Denys

It is a dark and stormy night on the farm when Minnie and Moo hear a scream. The barn doors open and out come all the animals panicking. Olga the pig is missing and everyone thinks a monster is responsible. When a flash is seen in the barn, the animals get the nerve up to see what it is. Finally, they learn that it was Olga, not a monster after all.

Tags

animals, barn, chicken, cow, farm, lightning, monsters, moon, mystery, night, noise, pig, sleep, storm, turkey

Miss nelson has a field day

Allard, Harry//Marshall, James

The Smedley football team was having a horrible season. They hadn't won a game all season. Miss Nelson comes up with a great idea to whip the team into shape by dressing up as a substitute coach. After a few practices with Coach Swamp, the team won the biggest game of the year.

Tags

critical thinking, decision making, football, games, goal setting, laziness, mystery, practice, school, sports, teaching, teamwork

Missing mittens

Murphey, Stuart J.

When Farmer Bill begins to get dressed in his warm winter clothes, he finds he only has one mitten. Therefore, he has an odd number and he doesn't have a pair!When he checks on his animals in the barn he finds that they're missing mittens also. They find the footprints that lead to the mitten thief. Who could it be?

Tags

animals, barn, chicken, clothing, confusion, cow, critical thinking, farm, goat, horse, math, missing, mystery, nonverbal communication, numbers, seasons, snow, stress management, verbal communication, winter

Mr. Sniff and the motel mystery

Lewis, Thomas P.

Someone is trying to get people to leave Mutt's Motel and it is up to Mr. Sniff with the help of Andy Mutt to figure out who. After finding many clues, Mr.Sniff deduces that it was Andy Mutt. The motive was that Andy wanted his own room.

Tags

allergies, animals, critical thinking, dog, family, illness, mystery, parents, problem solving, siblings

Muriel's red sweater

Dokas, Dara

Muriel Magee's party invitations are very late because her birthday is today! She runs around town handing out invitations to her friends. What she doesn't realize is that her sweater unravels with each person she invites. By the time she gets home, she sees that her sweater is all gone, but she is in for a surprise! Her friends are all there to wish her a happy birthday, and they give her a present. When she opens it she realizes it's just what she needed - a new sweater!

Tags

animals, balloon, beaver, birds, birthday, bridge, celebration, clothing, duck, excitement, feelings, friendship, hedgehog, mystery, nonverbal communication, otter, owl, park, party, presents, rabbit, river, squirrel, travel, verbal communication

Mystery bottle

Balouch, Kristen

A little boy receives a package in the mail. In the package he finds a great bottle that, when opened, blows out a great wind that casts him all the way to Iran and into his Baba Bozorg's arms where he learns a great lesson about love and family.

Tags

adventures, airplane, animals, bicycle, birds, boat, bodies of water, body parts, bus, car, communication, emotions, family, fish, grandparents, instruments, iranian, love, maps, mountains, mystery, transportation, travel, weather, whale, wind

Nate the great

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman

Nate the Great is a detective and he has an assignment to find Annie's missing picture. After looking at all the clues, he tracks down the culprit - Annie's little brother.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, family, friendship, goal setting, helping, imagination, mystery, problem solving, self esteem, siblings

Nate the great and the boring beach bag

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman

Nate the Great is at the beach when Oliver, the pest, loses his beach bag. With the help of his dog, Sludge, and information from other children on the beach, Nate successfully solves the case of the missing bag.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, beach, conflict resolution, cooperation, coping, critical thinking, decision making, dog, friendship, goal setting, loss, mystery, problem solving

Nate the great and the lost list

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman

Nate is confronted by his scatter-brained friend, Claude, to help find Claude's missing grocery list. Nate, after eating Claude's pancakes, realizes that the recipe for these is Claude's grocery list.

Tags

critical thinking, decision making, food, friendship, lost, mystery, nutrition, problem solving

Nate the great and the missing key

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman

Nate the Great and his dog, Sludge, look for Annie's house key which has mysteriously disappeared. Nate the Great has to solve a riddle to find the key.

Tags

animals, critical thinking, dog, friendship, lost, mystery, pets, problem solving, rhyme

Nate the great goes undercover

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman

Nate the great attempts to solve the mystery of who is raiding Oliver's garbage. Nate encounters a skunk and a telephone pole, but it is not until he goes under the cover (lid) of the garbage that he narrows the suspects down to one - his dog, Sludge.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dog, friendship, goal setting, mystery, pets, problem solving, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Picnic with piggins

Yolen, Jane

Piggins the butler solves the mystery of Mrs. Reynard's disappearing necklace before anyone else.

Tags

animals, critical thinking, dog, fox, loss, mystery, picnic, pig, rabbit, rat, reptiles, turtle

Piet potter retruns

Quackenbush, Robert

Piet and his friends go around their town to find clues to solve the problem of the mysterious gum-chewer!

Tags

adventures, community, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, friendship, goal setting, mystery, teamwork

Piggins

Yolen, Jane

The Reynard's are going to have a party. When the lights go out and jewelry is stolen, Piggins solves the mystery.

Tags

critical thinking, mystery, party, robbery, self esteem

Piggins and the royal wedding

Yolen, Jane

A ring is stolen before a royal wedding. The only person who can crack the case is Piggins who is at his home.

Tags

conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, goal setting, mystery, robbery, royalty, verbal communication, wedding

Punky: Mouse for a day

Moreton, John

When John's uncle gives him a pet mouse for a present, John is disappointed. Then he finds out that Punky the mouse is really a mystery mouse. Punky changes everyday into a new and exciting animal.

Tags

animals, change, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, family, mouse, mystery, pets, presents

Secret knowledge of grown-ups

Wisniewski, David

All those rules that grown-ups tell us aren't really true. Like why do you have to comb your hair or why can't you play with your food?Find out about several secret tricks that grown-ups use to get kids to do stuff. Do so quickly before any grown-ups find out that their secrets are being revealed.

Tags

awareness, body parts, curiosity, discovery, food, health, humor, hygiene, mystery, nutrition, parents, play, responsibilities, secrets

Shadow

Brown, Marcia

The village storytellers and shamans of African expound on the important, mysterious, haunted, and enchanted life of shadows.

Tags

africa, animals, appreciation, birds, bodies of water, cow, dancing, eagle, elephant, fable, fire, forest, insects, magic, mystery, night, reptiles, river, scorpion, shadows, snake, spy, storytelling, tree, war

Sheep in wolves' clothing

Kitamura, Satoshi

Three sheep go to the beach for the last swim of the year and ask some wolves to watch their fleecy coats. When they return from their swim, they find that their wool is gone. They hire a detective to solve the mystery of their stolen wool.

Tags

adventures, animals, beach, boat, car, clothing, conflict resolution, crime, critical thinking, fight, golf, investigation, mystery, nonverbal communication, robbery, sand, sheep, sports, transportation, trick, verbal communication, water, wolf

The case of the cat's meow

Bonsall, Crosby

A group of friends lose of their cat, Mildred. To find her, they form a private eye detective club. Little do they know that when they find Mildred, they will find new kittens, also!

Tags

animals, cat, critical thinking, determination, friendship, goal setting, mystery

The christmas eve mystery

Nixon, Joan Lowery

Susan and Mike accompany their neighbors on Christmas Eve to find out if horses really talk at midnight. While in the barn, Susan and Mike hear a robbery take place and help to find the robbers and the money stash.

Tags

animals, awareness, christmas, critical thinking, family, holidays, honesty, horse, mystery, neighbors, robbery, siblings, superstition

The detective of london

Kraus, Robert//Kraus, Bruce

After being asked to search for the missing bones, the detective of London sets out to find clues. Through many adventures, he locates them and saves the day. All in a day's work.

Tags

adventures, careers, critical thinking, determination, discovery, english, goal setting, investigation, multicultural, mystery, verbal communication

The eleventh hour: A curious mystery

Base, Graeme

Detectives at an eleventh birthday party try to solve a mystery. Clues and answers are given in the end.

Tags

birthday, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, determination, disappearance, excitement, goal setting, mystery, verbal communication

The frog band and the mystery of lion castle

Smith, Jim

A frog band and a detective discover the secret of Lion Castle through a combination of incidents.

Tags

adventures, amphibians, animals, critical thinking, decision making, discovery, frog, lion, mystery, royalty, secrets

The grumpalump

Hayes, Sarah

Every animal has an action that they do to try to figure out what the grumpalump is. No one can figure it out until the gnu comes. He blows it up to create a hot air balloon.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, discovery, gnu, goal setting, mystery, self esteem

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