Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

The old woman who lived in a vinegar bottle | by MacDonald, Margaret Read

An old woman complains about living in a vinegar bottle. A fairy friend helps her to grant her wish. But the little old lady is still unhappy and wants more wishes granted by her fairy friend.

Keywords: apathy, assertiveness, author's note, bedtime, british, change, decision making, dreams, fairy, fantasy, feelings, folktale, manners, multicultural, selfishness, sleep, trust, verbal communication

Whose garden is it? | by Hoberman, Mary Ann

Whose garden is it? A garden belongs to everyone because many contribbuted to its growth.

Keywords: animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, garden, identity, leadership, mole, rabbit, recognition, rhyme, rhythm, self confidence, self esteem, selfishness, snake, verbal communication, woodchuck

Meet wild boars | by Rosoff, Meg

Borris, Morris, Horace, and Doris are wild boars. They lack manners and kindness. Do not try to be friends with them because all they will do is cause trouble.

Keywords: animals, boar, conflict resolution, decision making, disobedience, hygiene, manners, misbehavior, mischief, nonverbal communication, rhyme, rude, selfishness

Mooove over! | by Beil, Karen Magnuson

A trolley driver has a set system that he always uses to keep track of the number of passengers: he counts by twos. One day, everything is going right on schedule, until a big, bossy cow comes on the trolley. The driver loses count and the cow forces the other passengers onto the roof. Finally, the driver realizes there is only one passenger, gets everyone back inside the trolley, and pushes the cow off to the streets.

Keywords: animals, author's note, chaos, conflict, confusion, counting, cow, duck, feelings, games, goose, horse, manners, numbers, pig, safety, selfishness, sheep, teaching, transportation, trolley, verbal communication

Why rabbit doesn't lie | by Mashiri, Pascal

While every animal of the forest is planning for next year's harvest, Rabbit decides to grow money. He lies to the chief and keeps the money for himself. Eventually the chief grows angry with Rabbit and demands the money Rabbit was supposed to grow. Rabbit deceives everyone in order to get out of his lie and he vows to never lie again.

The parrot tico tango | by Witte, Anna

Set in a Rainforest of Costa Rica, greediness consumes a parrot named Tico Tango. However, what comes around goes around, and as Tico Tango finds out in this morally centered text, sometimes getting everything you want is not what you need.

The grouchy ladybug | by Carle, Eric

A grouch ladybug and a friendly ladybug fly to a leaf with aphids. The grouchy ladybug tells the friendly ladybug to go away. They decide to fight, but the grouchy ladybug goes on to look for even bigger food. Every animal the grouchy ladybug encounters is not big enough until the whale slaps her across the ocean. At six o'clock, the grouchy ladybug returns to the leaf. The friendly ladybug saves the grouchy ladybug some aphids, and the two ladybugs become friends.

Keywords: animals, aphid, bee, beetle, birds, conflict resolution, crustaceans, elephant, fight, food, friendship, gorilla, greed, hyena, insects, kindness, ladybug, lobster, plants, reptiles, rhinoceros, selfishness, skunk, snake, sparrow, verbal communication, whale

While the horses galloped to london | by Watts, Mabel

Sherman is given a special pot for his grandmother in London. Everyone on the carriage to London thinks the pot is a nuisance. Only when Sherman saves the day was everyone proud to hold the pot.

Keywords: bravery, carriage, decision making, english, family, grandparents, heroism, multicultural, presents, respect, selfishness, travel

Wish come true cat | by Scamell, Ragnhild

The unlikely answer to a wish is a scruffy old cat that has to win the heart of a little girl. It takes a cold snowy day to make his wish come true.

Keywords: acceptance, affection, animals, appearance, attention, cat, communication, companion, conflict resolution, disappointment, friendship, homeless, hope, hunger, kindness, mistake, nonverbal communication, opposites, persistence, sadness, selfishness, snow, sounds, stars, understanding, uniqueness, wish

Bintou's braids | by Diouf, Sylviane

When Bintou, a little girl living in West Africa, finally gets her wish for braids, she discovers that what she dreamed for has been hers all along.

Keywords: africa, african, america, animals, beach, birds, bodies of water, celebration, chicken, clothing, critical thinking, dreams, envy, family, feelings, fish, food, fruit, grandparents, moon, multicultural, parents, prayer, pride, sadness, sea, selfishness, siblings, sleep, sounds, stars, storytelling, stress management, sun, traditions, tree, village

Panda's new toy | by Dunbar, Joyce

Panda just got a new toy and he is having a lot of fun playing with it. Gander wants to try it too, but Panda is unwilling to share. When Gander decides to play with another toy, Panda wants that one too. The friends talk about it and decide that sharing and working together are more fun than being selfish.

Keywords: animals, argument, birds, conflict resolution, cooperation, feelings, fight, friendship, goose, jealousy, panda, playing, sadness, selfishness, sharing, toys, verbal communication

Rockin' reptiles | by Calmenson, Stephanie//Cole, Joanna

Allie the Alligator is a typical young girl. She and her two girlfriends have lots of fun together playing games and dressing up. The three of them will do anything to be able to go to the Rockin Reptiles concert, their favorite band. There's a catch though -- only two can go.

Keywords: alligator, basketball, bias, biking, boat, challenges, competition, conflict resolution, cooking, dancing, dedication, exercise, family, friendship, fun, games, humor, jumping, moving, music, neighbors, peer resistance, play, relationship, reptiles, selfishness, song, sports, technology, telephone, verbal communication

The warrior and the wiseman | by Wisniewski, David

Two sons of the emperor are in competition for the throne. One is a warrior who only thinks of himself, and the other is the wiseman who helps others. The wiseman ends up saving the kingdom and taking the throne.

Keywords: assertiveness, community, conflict resolution, critical thinking, family, helping, responsibilities, royalty, selfishness, siblings, verbal communication

The three robbers | by Ungerer, Tomi

Three robbers terrorize a countryside until they meet a young girl named Tiffany. After meeting the girl, they change their ways. The three robbers use their loot to build an orphanage where all of the lost, unhappy, and abandoned children can live.

Keywords: change, critical thinking, decision making, fear, feelings, giving, love, orphan, robbery, selfishness

Arthur's birthday party | by Hoban, Lilliam

Arthur's determination to have the best birthday party and be the best all-around gymnast causes him to be inconsiderate of the feelings of his sister and friends. When Arthur forgets to be fair and have fun at the competition, his younger sister is quick to point out that each chimpanzee has his or her own special skill to be honored with a medal at the birthday competition.

Yoshi's feast | by Kijikawa, Kimiko

Yoshi is a fan maker in the city of Yedo. His favorite food in the whole world is broiled eels. Every night, his neighbor Sabu goes off to catch eels, broils them on his hibachi, and waits for customers, but they never come. Yoshi thinks that Sabu should share the leftover eels with him, but he is too greedy to give Sabu any of his money. Yoshi continues to sit day after day smelling Sabu's eels, but never buying any of them. Finally, Sabu presents Yoshi with a bill for smelling his eels. Yoshi dances around the town shaking his money box and tells Sabu that he will charge his for listening to…

Keywords: asian, assertiveness, clothing, conflict resolution, cooking, culture, dancing, decision making, exercise, fish, fishing, food, friendship, goal setting, greed, hunger, japanese, kindness, money, multicultural, nutrition, selfishness, sharing, smell, sounds, verbal communication

Auntie claus | by Primavera, Elise

Sophie, a spoiled child, is very excited to get lots of presents on Christmas even though she has everything. She follows her Auntie Claus on a business trip and finds out she is Santa's sister. Sophie learns from this experience that giving is better than receiving.

Keywords: assertiveness, business, celebration, christmas, critical thinking, family, giving, goal setting, holidays, presents, selfishness, travel, verbal communication, wealth

Chestnut cove | by Egan, Tim

Chestnut Cove is a town of strange events, but caring and helpful townspeople. That all changes when King Milford decrees that the one who can grow the largest watermelon will inherit the kingdom. Pretty soon, everyone becomes too greedy to even talk to one another, and it takes a big event to get them back to normal.

Keywords: animals, community, food, garden, greed, helping, hippopotamus, picnic, rescue, selfishness

Helga's dowry: A troll love story | by dePaola, Tomie

Helga, a beautiful troll, sets out to earn her dowry to marry Lars. Her plan doesn't work out like she had hoped. Be ready for a funny ending.

Keywords: assertiveness, conflict resolution, decision making, greed, laziness, loyalty, marriage, self esteem, selfishness, stress management, trolls, verbal communication, wedding

Death of the iron horse | by Goble, Paul

Native American legends guide their people. The story of an iron horse proved to come true when the Native Americans witnessed a train crash. In an attempt to keep the white men from stealing more land, the Native Americans burned the objects from the train.

Keywords: animals, conflict resolution, critical thinking, deer, destruction, feelings, fire, happiness, horse, multicultural, native american, night, nonverbal communication, rabbit, refusal skills, sadness, selfishness, sun, train, transportation, weather

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