Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Big jabe | by 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.

Keywords: 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

Alec's primer | by Pitts-Walter, Mildred

Alec was a slave who wanted to be free. Ms. Josephine, one of his masters and three years older than him, told Alic if he wanted to be free he needed to learn to read. Ms. Josephine taught him to read and when Alec was old enough he couragously fights in the Civil War and obtained his freedom.

Keywords: accomplishment, african american, alphabet, ambition, assertiveness, author's note, biography, books, courage, critical thinking, freedom, goal setting, hard work, learning, multicultural, museum, peace, photograph, prejudice, racism, reading, self esteem, slavery, verbal communication, war

Aunt harriet's underground railroad in the sky | by Ringgold, Faith

Cassie take a ride on the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman as her guide. She learns what steps slaves had to go through in order to reach freedom in the North.

Keywords: african american, assertiveness, conflict resolution, courage, critical thinking, decision making, freedom, goal setting, history, multicultural, nonverbal communication, refusal skills, slavery, teamwork, train, transportation, underground railroad, verbal communication

Freedom school, yes! | by Littlesugar, Amy

Jolie shows courage in her community by protecting the school that will educate her and others. Jolie is afraid others will burn down the school. Jolie never gives up hope, and learns about famous African Americans who were brave and made a difference in their community, just like Jolie.

Keywords: african american, anger, art, body parts, books, bravery, buildings, careers, change, church, community, courage, education, family, fire, freedom, god, hard work, history, music, neighbors, poetry, quilt, relationship, religion, running, school, slavery, song, spiritual, stars, teaching

In the time of the drums | by Siegelson, Kim L.

Mentu and Twi tell the story of an African family newly arrived in the Americas. Twi never gives up on returning to her native Africa. Twi tells stories of cooking, planting, music and dancing from her native land.

Keywords: african, african american, bodies of water, community, creek, culture, escape, farm, feelings, five senses, folktale, freedom, generations, grandparents, history, home, instruments, island, language, magic, music, mythical, relationship, repetition, rhythm, sadness, secrets, ship, slavery, song, sounds, storytelling, transportation

The patchwork path: A quilt map to freedom | by Stroud, Bettye

Hannah and her father are slaves who decide to escape to freedom. They use the patterns in the quilt made by her mother, who passed away, to follow the Underground Railroad.

The old Africa | by Lester, Julius

An elderly slave uses the power of his mind to ease the suffering of his fellow slaves and eventually lead them back to Africa

Keywords: africa, african, boat, bodies of water, escape, farm, fear, feelings, freedom, history, hope, nonverbal communication, ocean, sadness, slavery, stress management, transportation, travel

Afro-bets: First book about africa | by Ellis, Veronica

Mr. Amegashie explores the cultural diversity, rich history, and the beautiful and exciting land of Africa.

Keywords: africa, african, animals, art, bodies of water, business, camel, celebration, ceremony, culture, customs, dancing, desert, discrimination, diversity, egypt, family, forest, geography, ghana, history, horse, hyena, independence, instruments, islam, learning, leopard, library, maps, mountains, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, photograph, religion, river, school, ship, slavery, storytelling, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, water, zimbabwe

African beginnings | by Haskins, James//Benson, Kathleen

Come explore and celebrate the powerful impact people of African descent have made on world history and on the American experience.

Keywords: africa, african, animals, architecture, art, bodies of water, business, clothing, culture, dancing, death, desert, discrimination, donkey, egypt, europe, flood, food, geography, ghana, hard work, history, instruments, islam, leadership, lizard, maps, multicultural, music, muslim, nigerian, nonfiction, nonverbal communication, ocean, religion, river, ship, slavery, time, traditions, transportation, verbal communication, village, work, zimbabwe

To be a drum | by Coleman, Evelyn

Daddy Wes whispers to his two young children about the history of Africans forced into slavery and how the pulse of the drum has moved through them over time. Daddy Wes promises his children that as long as they can hear the heartbeat of the earth, they will be free.

Keywords: africa, african, bodies of water, careers, colors, community, culture, five senses, freedom, hearing, history, instruments, language, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, ocean, playing, pride, rhythm, sea, ship, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, symbols, time, verbal communication, war

I dream of trains | by Johnson, Angela

A young boy from Mississippi listens for the sound of the train whistle while doing his work as a sharecropper. As he picks cotton, he dreams of someday leaving on a train. He refers to the train whistle as a call to his soul.

Keywords: accidents, careers, dreams, family, farm, friendship, geography, hard work, history, hope, multicultural, parents, slavery, sounds, spiritual, storytelling, stress management, train, transportation

In the time of the drums | by Siegelson, K.

Raised by his grandmother Twi, a young boy named Mentu learns of the toils and tragedies of slavery and how one day he too will have to be strong in the cotton fields. As Mentu grows, Twi shares her talks of living in Africa through the use of drums. When Twi's spirit calls her home to Africa, Mentu's day to be strong arrives.

Keywords: africa, african, aging, author's note, beliefs, boat, bodies of water, customs, escape, family, fear, garden, grandparents, hard work, history, island, language, memories, mischief, music, running away, ship, slavery, spanish, storytelling, transportation, travel, verbal communication, water

Creativity | by Steptoe, John

Charles speaks English and Hector speaks Spanish. They learn that even though they speak different languages, they both come from African ancestors. Charles helps Hector adjust to life in the U.S. through fun activities.

Keywords: africa, african american, basketball, clothing, cooking, creativity, culture, curiosity, english, family, fishing, friendship, helping, home, identity, immigrants, language, learning, moving, multicultural, parents, puerto rican, relationship, school, slavery, spanish, sports

Freedom river | by Rappaort, Doreen

John Ripley shows courage and perseverence in Southern Ohio through his actions. John crosses the Ohio River into the slave state of Kentucky to help other African Americans escape to freedom. John listens to nature as he rows a slave family across the Ohio River to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Keywords: african american, author's note, baby, boat, bodies of water, cabin, community, courage, escape, family, fear, feelings, fight, freedom, happiness, history, illustrator's note, listening, maps, money, multicultural, night, parents, prayer, quiet, relationship, rhythm, river, running, sadness, safety, secrets, slavery, transportation, underground railroad, woods, work, worry

Hush harbor: Praying in secret | by Evans, Freddi Williams

Simmy is both excited and nervous for his job as Scout during the community meeting. Simmy is excited because this means the elders trust him, but he is nervous because slaves are not supposed to gather and sing together. Simmy must be very careful and listen for the master during the meeting.

Keywords: african american, anger, anticipation, author's note, bravery, cabin, closeness, communication, cooking, creativity, creek, critical thinking, culture, dancing, death, faith, family, folktale, forest, friendship, hard work, hearing, hope, horse, listening, missing, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, prayer, relief, religion, rhythm, river, running away, safety, secrets, slavery, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods, worry

The roman twins | by Gerrard, Roy

Maximus and his twin sister Vanilla are slaves to the cruel master Slobbus Pompius. They run away when Slobbus buys Polydox the horse then quickly decides to kill him. Maximus and Vanilla go through a chariot race and an invasion of Rome before they finally gain their freedom.

Keywords: animals, architecture, assertiveness, bravery, critical thinking, decision making, freedom, heroism, history, horse, peer resistance, rhyme, siblings, slavery, war, work

A. lincoln and me | by Borden, Louise

A young boy discovers that he shares a birthday on the same day as Abraham Lincoln's. Learn how many other common characteristics a boy shares with a past president.

Keywords: appearance, appreciation, baseball, birthday, body parts, books, bus, calendar, celebration, freedom, friendship, history, individuality, learning, money, monuments, music, playground, president, reading, running, school, self confidence, self esteem, slavery, sports, teaching, transportation

Irene jennie and the christmas masquerade: The johnkankus | by Smalls, Irene

Irene Jennie, a young girl living on a plantation, is sad when she can't spend Christmas with her parents. She prays for things to change and a Christmas parade cheers her up. As she watches the parade with her godmother, she receives a nice surprise.

Keywords: african american, christmas, dancing, feelings, godmother, happiness, holidays, loneliness, loss, multicultural, parade, parents, prayer, religion, sadness, slavery, song, spiritual

Barefoot: Escape on the underground railroad | by Edwards, Pamela Duncan

A boy runs along the pathway of the Underground Railroad until he needs to take a rest. While he is resting, his pursuers are getting closer. They get too close and the boy can not run from his hiding place. Is he bound to be captured or can someone or something help him?

Keywords: amphibians, animals, critical thinking, deer, escape, fear, freedom, frog, history, running away, slavery, transportation, underground railroad

Two tickets to freedom | by Freedman, Florance

A true story of Ellen and William Craft, two slaves, who run away and try to find freedom.

Keywords: african american, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, escape, freedom, history, multicultural, slavery, train, transportation, truth

Browse Abstracts (33 total)