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

Tags: poverty

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The rag coat

Mills, Lauren

Minna wants to go to school but she has no coat. Her mother and friends make her a coat out of clothing scraps. Minna wears it to school and the kids make fun of her until she tells them the stories behind each of the clothing scraps.

Tags

acceptance, assertiveness, clothing, coping, critical thinking, death, differences, friendship, poverty, school, self esteem, storytelling, understanding, verbal communication

Longbeard the wizard

Fleischman, Sid

A young king is bored so he decides to dress as a wizard and perform magic tricks for his village. A neighboring kingdom hears of this wizard and kidnaps him. The wizard has to outsmart the neighboring king to escape and get some treasure for himself.

Tags

acting, conflict resolution, critical thinking, deception, decision making, magic, poverty, royalty, verbal communication

The black snowman

Mendez, Phil

Jacob, a young African American boy, lives with his poverty striken family in the city. He dislikes his culture, life and heritage and is filled with hate. It takes some special magic to change his ideas.

Tags

african american, anger, body image, change, conflict resolution, courage, critical thinking, decision making, family, feelings, growing up, magic, multicultural, nonverbal communication, poverty, seasons, self esteem, traditions, verbal communication

Tar beach

Ringgold, Faith

A young, 8 year old, African American girl dreams of flying above her Harlem home and having the many things she sees. She speaks of her wish to have money and liberation for her family and herself.

Tags

african american, airplane, art, creativity, discrimination, dreams, family, freedom, goal setting, imagination, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, poverty, quilt, self esteem, transportation

Charlie's house

Schermbrucker, Revina

Charlie is a young, poor boy. The shabby house he lives in was not made properly so Charlie decides to make a house of his own that is perfect with only one bedroom.

Tags

anger, creativity, critical thinking, decision making, feelings, goal setting, imagination, poverty, shelter

No need for money

Stevenson, James

Convinced that crossing the river on the back of a donkey is too slow, some animals try to find a faster way to get to school.

Tags

animals, bodies of water, decision making, donkey, goal setting, poverty, river, school, transportation

Matthew's dream

Lionni, Leo

Matthew is a poor smart mouse. He does not know what to do with his life. He ends up becoming a professional painter as the result of a dream he had after going to the art museum. He becomes a very famous artist.

Tags

animals, art, careers, colors, decision making, dreams, goal setting, mouse, poverty

The tailor of gloucester

Potter, Beatrix

When the tailor of Glouchester falls ill, he worries that he will not get the mayor's waistcoat finished and not make any money to use for food. But some helpful mice come to the rescue and surprise the tailor on Christmas morning.

Tags

animals, careers, cat, christmas, clothing, helping, holidays, illness, mouse, poverty

Basil brush and the windmills

Firmin, Peter

A fox and a mole decide they need to cut down on their electrical costs. So, they invent a windmill to supply energy for many different things. By charging people to come see their inventions, they make enough money to pay their bills.

Tags

animals, critical thinking, decision making, fox, goal setting, imagination, inventions, mole, poverty

At the crossroads

Isadora, Rachel

A little boy and the children in a poor South African village, sing and expect the arrival of their fathers who work in the mines. They sing, dance, make instruments, and sit in the dark until their fathers finally arrive.

Tags

african american, anticipation, careers, celebration, community, family, multicultural, music, parents, poverty, reunion, stress management, verbal communication

Bravo, ernest and celestine!

Vincent, Gabrielle

Ernest, the bear, and Celestine, the mouse, have a leaky roof and no money to fix it. In order to make money, Celestine gets Ernest to play the violin while she sings. They end up spending all the money, so they must do it again.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, bear, conflict resolution, critical thinking, goal setting, mouse, music, nonverbal communication, performance, poverty, problem solving, shelter, song, teamwork, verbal communication

Merry christmas, ernest and celestine

Vincent, Gabrielle

It is Christmas time and Ernest promises Celestine that they could throw a party. Now Ernest doesn't think it is possible because they don't have any money. But Celestine persists and they make all the decorations and presents by hand. The party is a hit based on love and friendship.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, bear, caring, christmas, conflict resolution, creativity, decision making, friendship, goal setting, holidays, mouse, party, peer resistance, poverty, presents, self esteem, teamwork, verbal communication

The babe and I

Adler, David A.

A young boy and his family are living through the Great Depression of 1932. When he learns that his father does not have a job, he gets a job with his friend selling newspapers to help make money for his family. He sells all of his papers outside of Yankee Stadium due to the popularity of Babe Ruth and his stories in the paper. He even gets to meet the Babe!

Tags

author's note, baseball, business, conflict resolution, depression, family, feelings, food, friendship, frustration, hard work, history, money, newspaper, parents, poverty, responsibilities, sadness, shopping, sports, stress management, work, worry

Railway passage

Keeping, Charles

The people who live in the old run down railway passage win a football pool. They now have money to fix the railway passage up and follow their dreams.

Tags

bicycle, decision making, dreams, environment, football, goal setting, neighbors, nonverbal communication, poverty, sports, verbal communication

Erandi's braids

Madrigan, Antonio Hernandez

Erandi has thick, long, beautiful hair that her mother braids each morning. One day while making dinner with her mother, Erandi hears voices from the street offering money for the women's hair. Mama' explains that the hair buyers would pay well for Erandi's braids. That day they go fishing and mama' discovers that they need a new fishing net badly but they do not have money for one. The next day is Erandi's birthday and Erandi picks out a new dress for her present. On the way home mama' and Erandi stop at the barber shop where Erandi allows the barber to cut her hair so her mama' can afford a new net.

Tags

author's note, birthday, body parts, clothing, critical thinking, culture, decision making, dolls, embarrassment, fish, fishing, food, language, market, mexican, multicultural, nutrition, playing, poverty, pride, recreation

Gertrude's pocket

Miles, Miska

Gertrude is bullied by a boy at school. She decides to tear his shirt which brings more serious consequences than she had ever imagined.

Tags

bully, conflict resolution, consequences, critical thinking, decision making, fight, learning, peer resistance, poverty, school

The rich man and the shoemaker

La Fontaine

A poor, old, but happy shoemaker sings all day long to keep his rich neighbor from sleeping. A rich man gives the shoemaker a bag of gold to keep quiet. The gold causes him to worry constantly and the shoemaker loses all his friends. The shoemaker realizes he is unhappy, returns the gold, and decides to go back to making shoes and friends.

Tags

assertiveness, careers, change, clothing, coping, decision making, feelings, friendship, greed, happiness, money, neighbors, poverty, refusal skills, shoes, singing, sleep

The tale of ginger and pickles

Potter, Beatrix

Ginger and Pickles have to close their store when they run out of money, but Henny Penny opens it back up for business.

Tags

animals, business, careers, cat, dog, dolls, mouse, poverty, rabbit, shopping

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

Shaker lane

Provensen, Alice//Provensen, Martin

Shaker Lane was built up when the Herkiner sisters sold off bits and pieces of land. The houses were old shacks. When the townspeople decide to build a dam on the land, the residents of Shaker Lane decide to leave rather than fight the battle.

Tags

change, community, critical thinking, decision making, moving, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, poverty, shelter, teamwork

As right as right can be

Rose, Anne

Ron Ronson's shoestrings break. He decides that once he has new shoelaces that his whole outfit should match the new shoelaces and that leaves him broke.

Tags

clothing, critical thinking, decision making, greed, peer resistance, poverty, self esteem

Vejeigantes masquerade

Delacre, Lulu

Ramon wanted to be a vejigante masqueradae and dance in the carnival. He didn't have enough money to buy a new costume, so he made one. He worked in a mask store so he could have a new mask too.

Tags

assertiveness, carnival, clothing, courage, critical thinking, decision making, goal setting, language, parade, persistence, poverty, preparation, puerto rican, self esteem, verbal communication

A new coat for anna

Ziefert, Harriet

Anna needs a new winter coat, so her mother trades her valuables in order to get Anna a new coat.

Tags

assertiveness, clothing, conflict resolution, decision making, family, goal setting, parents, poverty, winter

Uncle willie and the soup kitchen

DiSalvo-Ryan, DyAnne

A little boy has an Uncle Willie who works at a soup kitchen during the day. The little boy doesn't understand what a soup kitchen is so Uncle Willie takes him to work. They prepare and serve a meal to the poor people of the community.

Tags

author's note, community, family, food, helping, hunger, nutrition, parents, poverty

Bunny rabbit rebus

Adler, David A.

A little rabbit is hungry, but his mom does not have any food in their cupboards. So, little rabbit and his mom go to a neighbor to get some food. In return for the food, they must do many favors.

Tags

animals, conflict resolution, cooperation, critical thinking, decision making, food, hunger, neighbors, nutrition, poverty, rabbit, sharing, teamwork

Sarah and simon and no red paint

Ardizzone, Edward

Two children and their family are rather poor. Their father is a painter and he needs a tube of red paint to finish a painting, but he has no money left. The children try to help him get the red paint.

Tags

conflict resolution, courage, critical thinking, decision making, family, helping, poverty, teamwork

Giant john

Lobel, Arnold

Giant John and his mother are very poor. Giant John leaves the enchanted forest to find a job. He comes across a castle and works for the royal family. Later, John returns with money just in time, before his mother is so desperate she must eat her shoe.

Tags

conflict resolution, decision making, dedication, family, goal setting, hard work, hunger, parents, poverty, refusal skills, royalty

Friday night is papa night

Sonneborn, Ruth A.

A family waits for their Papa to return home. Their Papa must work two jobs to provide for the family so he only comes home on Friday nights. They wait extra long that night, but finally Papa does come home and everything is all right once more.

Tags

careers, family, fear, feelings, goal setting, nonverbal communication, parents, poverty, responsibilities, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

How does a czar eat potatoes?

Rose, Anne

The life of a peasant farmer and the czar are compared and contrasted by the peasant's child.

Tags

careers, critical thinking, family, feelings, food, happiness, multicultural, nutrition, parents, poverty, royalty, russian

Sunday potatoes, monday potatoes

Shiefman, Vicky

A poor family eats potatoes every day of the week except Saturday. On Saturday, they eat potato pudding.

Tags

family, food, nutrition, poverty, recipe, sequence, time

The truffle pig

Bishop, Clair Huchet//Wiese, Kurt

Pierre and his family are very poor. They work together and save their money to buy a piglet, Marcel. Pierre and Marcel become good friends and when it comes time to kill Marcel, they run away together. Marcel discovers truffles, an expensive food, and becomes The Truffle Pig. No longer is the family poor or hungry.

Tags

animals, conflict resolution, decision making, family, friendship, hunger, pig, poverty, teamwork

The little match girl

Pinkey, Jerry

When a poor girl finds herself using matches to imagine things that are important in her life, she recalls the lessons that her grandmother has taught her. With hands stiff with cold, the little match girl studies the bright light that gives her warmth, imagination, and the closure to her young life.

Tags

carriage, christmas, cold, death, family, flowers, food, god, grandparents, history, holidays, hunger, images, imagination, market, poverty, seasons, snow, spiritual, stars, stress management, transportation, verbal communication, weather, winter

The long way to a new land

Sandin, Joan

A starving Swedish family decides to move to America. The journey is long, but the family finally arrives.

Tags

decision making, family, goal setting, history, moving, multicultural, poverty, swedish, travel

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

Mary of mile 18

Blades, Ann

Mary and her family live in Mile 18 It is a cold winter and the family is poor. One day Mary finds a wolf pup, but her father will not allow her to keep it. Until, a coyete comes to get the hens and the pup warns the family. The father decides they can keep the pup and everyone is happy.

Tags

animals, conflict resolution, decision making, family, feelings, pets, poverty, verbal communication, wolf

The two uncles of pablo

Behn, Harry

A young boy, named Pablo, is in search of getting an education and making money for his poor family. In this pursuit, Pablo unites two uncles who have been feuding.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, family, fight, goal setting, hispanic, honesty, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, poverty, refusal skills, self esteem

Mr. rabbit and the lovely present

Zolotow, C.

A girl looks for a birthday present for her mother. She has no money so she asks Mr. Rabbit for help. She tells Mr. Rabbit the various colors that her mom likes. In the end, her mother receives a beautiful fruit basket.

Tags

animals, birthday, colors, conflict resolution, decision making, food, holidays, nutrition, poverty, presents, rabbit, stress management, verbal communication

Bread is for eating

Gershator, David//Gershator, Phillis

When a little boy leaves bread on his plate, his mother reminds him how important bread is and the hard work that goes into making it. Through a song, children learn why they should not waste food, and how to be thankful for grain and bread.

Tags

appreciation, awareness, careers, critical thinking, culture, decision making, farm, farmer, food, health, hispanic, hunger, language, machines, money, multicultural, music, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, parents, plants, poverty, rain, rainbow, snow, song, spanish, storytelling, sun, teaching, verbal communication, weather, winter

Trouble at the mines

Rappaport, Doreen

With the help of Mother Jones, a famous leader, the miners go on strike to fight for better working conditions and wages. Rosie's family struggles to survive the eight-month strike. The persistant women and miners force the owners to give in, and the strike ends with victory.

Tags

assertiveness, careers, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, equality, family, fight, geology, goal setting, kindness, parents, peer resistance, persistence, poverty, siblings, stress management, verbal communication

The magician

Shulevitz, Uri

A magician, who is actually the prophet Elijah, comes to town. He gives an old, poor couple dinner and a soft place to sit during the Passover celebration. The reason the couple is chosen is because they are unselfish and they do not think that they are that bad off, since they have each other.

Tags

decision making, food, giving, holidays, Jewish, nutrition, passover, peer resistance, poverty, religion, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Not so fast songololo

Daly, Niki

A grandmother and her grandson go for a trip into the city. The young boy looked at a new pair of shoes and wanted them. Although the grandmother had little money, she managed to save enough so she could buy him the shoes.

Tags

clothing, decision making, family, grandparents, nonverbal communication, poverty, travel

Uncle james

Harshman, Marc

Jimmy's family needs all the help they can get and Uncle James is promising them that help. When Uncle James arrives and brings nothing with him, Jimmy is very disappointed. He realizes that Uncle James needs help in becoming a hero.

Tags

assertiveness, conflict resolution, coping, decision making, disappointment, family, helping, heroism, nonverbal communication, parents, poverty, self esteem, siblings, stress management, verbal communication

The gingerbread doll

Tews, Susan

Rebecca lived during the Depression when times were hard, so when she gets a gingerbread doll instead of the porcelain doll she has always wanted, she understands and loves the doll. When times get better, Rebecca eventually gets a porcelain doll, but remembers the love she had for her gingerbread doll.

Tags

acceptance, appreciation, christmas, dolls, family, grandparents, holidays, love, memory, moving, parents, poverty, siblings, storytelling, toys

Tight times

Hazen, Barbara Shook

A young boy does not understand why in tight times he cannot get a dog.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, coping, critical thinking, dog, family, feelings, frustration, hunger, pets, poverty

The bakers dozen

Forest, Heather

Jan Van Amsterdam is a well known baker. People travel from all over to buy his goods. When he begins to get greedy, he starts to use less ingredients in his cookies. When a woman asks for a bakers dozen, he only gives her 12 She puts a curse on him and his baked goods. When he finally realizes that a bakers dozen is 13, the curse is broken.

Tags

author's note, careers, celebration, christmas, community, deception, folktale, food, greed, holidays, magic, nutrition, poverty, seasons, winter

Rocks in my pockets

Harshman, M.//Collins, B.

The Woods family is a poor, farming family who lives on top of a windy mountain. They have little food, clothes, or money, but they work hard on the farm. They all carry rocks in their pockets while farming to keep their skinny bodies from blowing away. They also use rocks to heat and keep them warm in the winter. The rocks become shiny and smooth and are sold for money.

Tags

clothing, family, food, geology, grandparents, hard work, helping, kindness, learning, money, parents, poverty, rocks, self esteem, siblings

The secret of the stones

San Souci, Robert D.

John and Clara work very hard all day, but they have no children to love. One night Clara finds two little white stones and brings them home with her. When they came home the next night all of the chores had been done, and John and Clara must find out who their helpers are and how to help them!

Tags

african american, animals, author's note, bones, cabin, chicken, conflict resolution, cow, decision making, escape, farm, folktale, food, hard work, magic, multicultural, nutrition, orphan, poverty, rocks, song, stream, verbal communication

Cakes and miracles: A purim tale

Goldin, Barbara Diamond

Hershel is a blind boy who loves to play outside and catch frogs in the river. His mother is always angry when he comes home covered with mud. One day Hershel has a dream that he can see. After that, he is able to help his mom make three-cornered fat cakes and cookies to sell at the market so they can earn money.

Tags

amphibians, angel, author's note, blindness, bodies of water, celebration, dancing, dreams, exercise, food, frog, handicap, holidays, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, play, poverty, recipe, river, song, traditions

Leah's pony

Friedrich, Elizabeth

One summer, Leah's father gives her a pony which she grows to love dearly. When told the devastating news that her family is running out of money, Leah has to decide what she will sacrifice to help.

Tags

animals, author's note, conflict resolution, decision making, family, farm, feelings, money, neighbors, pony, poverty, unselfish

Sometimes i wish i were mindy

Levine, Abby//Levine, Sarah

Mindy is a very wealthy girl. Her friend is jealous of all the things Mindy has. But she realizes that she is fortunate to have a loving family and maybe someday she will have the things Mindy has.

Tags

acceptance, family, feelings, jealousy, poverty, self esteem

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