Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Franklin has a sleepover | by Bourgeois, Paulette

Franklin and Bear are excited for their first sleepover at Franklin's house. It's fun to play games, have a campfire, and campout in the livingroom with your friend. However, when it's time to go to bed, Bear and Franklin realize how scary sleepovers can be.

Keywords: animals, anticipation, bear, bedtime, camping, conflict resolution, critical thinking, emotions, excitement, fear, feelings, food, friendship, games, growing up, happiness, health, homesickness, parents, playing, pretend, sadness, safety, separation, toys, traditions, turtle

Oliver the mighty pig | by Van Leeuwen, Jean

Oliver gets a new cape for his birthday and becomes Mighty Pig to the rescue in four short stories adout his adventures. Oliver fights fires and braves dragons during his quest to save everyone from danger until he has to conquer the hardest task of all which is to have patience while his cape is being washed.

Keywords: adventures, baby, birthday, bravery, celebration, clothing, disguise, dreams, family, feelings, fire, identity, imagination, jumping, parents, patience, pig, pretend, rescue

The great fuzz frenzy | by Stevens, Janet & Grummel, Susan Stevens

When a dog drops a tennis ball into a Prairie Dog hold, it travels down, down, down to their home. Once they've overcome their fear, the Prairie Dogs begin to collect the fuzz from the ball to adorn themselves. When word of this gets out, more prairie dogs come in search of fuzz, and a fight begins. The fight is ended by the largest of the Prairie Dogs, Big Bark, as he takes all of the fuzz to adorn himself. Just as the prairie dogs are about to get mad at Big Bark, Eagle swoops down and picks him up by the fuzz to carry him off. Big Bark then uses his loud bark to scare the eagle and protect…

Keywords: acceptance, animals, ant, appreciation, birds, bully, community, dog, eagle, feelings, fight, imagination, insects, investigation, prairie dog, pretend

Odd velvet | by Whitcomb, Mary E.

Velvet is different from all her other classmates. After thinking she is quite odd, that students decide she's not reall that different after all. They admire Velvet's picture of an apple and love going to her unique birthday party.

Keywords: art, birthday, celebration, collection, creativity, differences, dolls, envy, flowers, food, friendship, imagination, jealousy, party, plants, presents, pretend, rocks, school, teaching, uniqueness, volcano

Danny and the dinosaur | by Hoff, Syd

Danny visits a museum one day and comes across a dinosaur who begins to speak with Danny. The two spend the day together playing and having fun. By the end of the day it is time for the dinosaur to go back and Danny, although sad, admits he had a wonderful day.

Keywords: animals, baseball, bear, boat, bus, car, climbing, communication, dinosaur, dog, elephant, friendship, fun, giraffe, helping, hippopotamus, imagination, indian, lion, monkey, museum, neighbors, noise, play, pretend, rocks, running, sadness, seal, sports, swimming, teaching, teeth, trick, walking, water, wish, zoo

Dog blue | by Dunbar, Polly

A young boy named Bertie loves the color blue. Bertie also loves dogs, but he does not have a blue dog. He pretends that he has a blue dog, until he actually finds a real dog! Although his new dog is black and white, Bertie loves him and decides to name him Blue.

Keywords: animals, closeness, colors, conflict resolution, dreams, excitement, feelings, friendship, goal setting, happiness, humor, imagination, nonverbal communication, pets, play, pretend, relationship, verbal communication

My parents are divorced, my elbows have nicknames, and other facts about me | by Cochran, Bill

Ted's parents are divorced but that doesn't make him weird. His elbows have nicknames and he sleeps with a sock on one foot, and he admits that may make him weird. Ted lists off many other facts about himself that may seem weird to others, but that's him and he is happy the way he is! He is sad though when his parents can't hug him at the same time.

Keywords: attention, body parts, cleanliness, comparisons, coping, divorce, feelings, halloween, happiness, holidays, hygiene, pretend, sadness, self esteem, separation, stress management, uniqueness

Nicky and the big, bad wolves | by Gorbachev, Valeri

Little Nicky is having a bad dream when his cries for help wake everyone up. After telling his mom about the dream, Nicky realizes it wasn't as bad as it seemed. He scared his brothers and sisters though, so mom has to go outside and pretend to get rid of the scary wolves so everyone can sleep.

Keywords: animals, caring, counting, dreams, family, fear, feelings, night, numbers, parents, pretend, rabbit, siblings, sleep, storytelling, verbal communication, wolf

Willie and the all-stars | by Cooper, Floyd

Willie is a young African American boy who learns about discrimination against black baseball players. Willie's fear of prejudice will prevent him from being a famous baseball player. Willie receives tickets to attend a Negro league game and realizes that maybe his dream is possible.

Keywords: accomplishment, african american, baseball, bat, body parts, buildings, car, celebration, creativity, discrimination, dreams, friendship, games, grandparents, history, hope, imagination, multicultural, neighbors, practice, prejudice, presents, pretend, radio, relationship

Wash day | by Cole, Barbara H.

Every wash day, Granpa plays his trumpet, keeping the children entertained while Miss. Ett does the wash. This music tradition stays strong until grandpa becomes ill and a tragedy occurs, causing grandpa to pass on his beloved trumpet to begin a new tradition.

Keywords: clothing, family, feelings, fire, friendship, grandparents, happiness, helping, illness, instruments, loss, memories, multicultural, music, neighbors, parents, president, pretend, respect, sadness, traditions, train, work

Once upon an ordinary school day | by McNaughton, Colin

An ordinary boy has no idea what is in store for him one fateful, ordinary day. Everything appears to be normal until his new school teacher; Mr. Gee walks through the door. The once ordinary day turns into a whirlwind of adventures

Keywords: adventures, animals, bedtime, change, dreams, fantasy, imagination, magic, music, preparation, pretend, routine, self esteem, surprises, teaching, writing

Sometimes my mommy gets angry | by 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.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, affection, african american, anger, art, behavior, bipolar, body parts, caring, challenges, conflict resolution, confusion, coping, crisis, decision making, discipline, disobedience, emotions, empathy, encouragement, family, feelings, food, friendship, grandparents, happiness, health, helping, illness, independence, kindness, love, memory, misbehavior, moods, morning, neighbors, night, nonverbal communication, parents, pretend, rain, rhyme, sadness, school, stress management, sun, support, sympathy, teaching, teasing, understanding, verbal communication, walking, weather

Dog biscuit | by Cooper, Helen

Bridget ate a biscuit, but it was a dog biscuit. Her babysitter, Mrs. Blair, found out and told her she would turn into a dog. The rest of the day, Bridget could feel things changing and she even starts acting like a dog, but even her mom did not notice. During the night, she goes out and plays with other dogs and is finally happy about eating the dog biscuit until she thinks about her family. She starts howling, until she finds herself back in her bed with her mom by her side. When she confesses, her mom assures her Mrs. Blair was teasing and the next day Mrs. Blair agrees and gives her human…

Keywords: animals, decision making, dog, dreams, family, fear, feelings, food, guilt, hunger, mischief, pretend, recipe, relief, verbal communication

The talking cloth | by Mitchell, Rhonda

Aunt Phoebe has a collection of many wonderful things, each having an interesting story. The little girl's favorite thing is an adinkra cloth from Ghana. It has many colors and symbols to represent feelings, faith, power, and love.

Amy unbounded: Belondweg blossoming | by Hartman, Rachel

Through comic book style illustrations, Amy of Eddybrook Lodge encounters many exciting adventures with her best friend. During the summer between her ninth and tenth birthday, Amy and her friend learn many lessons about life. The most important ones are that love does not solve everything and even heroines sometimes need help.

Jamela's dress | by Daly, Niki

Jamela's mama has just bought some beautiful fabric for a new dress. While she's watching it dry outside in the South African air, Jamela wraps it around herself and starts parading down the street. Everyone is watching her, she is so proud. When she gets home, Jamela finds her mama very upset because her fabric is ruined. With the help of a friend, Jamela buys her mama more fabric. At this South African wedding, both Jamela and her mama are beautiful in their new dresses.

Keywords: african, animals, birds, celebration, chicken, clothing, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dog, forgiveness, friendship, games, helping, language, love, market, money, multicultural, photograph, pretend, sewing, shopping, verbal communication, wedding

I wish I had glasses like Rosa/ Quisiera tener lentes como Rosa | by Heling, Kathryn & Hembrook, Deborah

Abby goes to elaborate and comical lengths to get glasses like Rosa. She realizes that she might have something that is just as desirable as the longed-for glasses. Abby gains appreciation for her own uniqueness.

Keywords: art, beach, body parts, comparisons, friendship, glasses, humor, imagination, jump rope, jumping, language, pretend, recess, safety, spanish, swimming, vocabulary

Molasses man | by May, Kathy L.

A young boy and his family make molasses every summer. This summer the sourghum turns into a recipe that the boy's Grandfather has perfected. The boy spends his summer days helping his family make molasses and playing outside during the cooking process. While some molasses is cooling, Mama and her sisters pour it into glass jars and set up a stand near the road for passers-by.

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, books, community, cooking, family, farm, five senses, food, games, generations, glasses, grandparents, happiness, hard work, horse, moving, mule, neighbors, noise, observation, plants, playing, pretend, recreation, sequence, smell, teamwork, traditions

I was born about 10,000 years ago | by Kellogg, Steven

A young boy tells some tall tales by claiming that he's been alive for 10,000 years. He explains how he ate part of the apple with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, how he married Queen Elizabeth, and how he flew to the moon. Even though he stretches the truth quite a bit, it's fun to learn about some important events in history.

Keywords: adventures, creativity, faith, history, imagination, learning, moon, pretend, pride, royalty, storytelling

I need a snake | by Jonell, Lynne//Mathers, Petra

Robbie tries to convince his mommy to get him a pet snake. His mommy tries to discourage Robbie many times. He eventually finds an good solution to please himself and his mom.

Keywords: decision making, family, imagination, parents, pets, pretend, problem solving, reptiles, snake, verbal communication

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