Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

A young woman named Isabella leads a strong and courageous life after being sold three times as a slave girl in the northeastern United States. After she is given a freedom day by a couple living nearby who knew of the 1827 New York law to set adults free, Isabella felt the "power of a nation" in court to win back her son who was unlawfully sold out of state. Isabella later heard God calling her to be a sojourner and spread her message about the value of freedom and what it had been like to be a slave. She would ask people "Is this any way to treat a human being"? Sojourner told her truth so well that she took the name Sojourner Truth and carried a white silk banner with the words "Proclaim Liberty" wherever she went.

The Earth is a large planet made of land, water and the sky. Given its size, Earth is home to humans and animals alike. However, there is only one Earth and we all maintain a responsibility to care for the planet and each other.

Christine King Farris, the sister of Martin Luther King Jr., watched her brother during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She describes her brother’s journey from writing his “I Have a Dream” speech to joining the crowds in their demand for freedom. She was moved by her brother’s persistence and success in persuading millions to believe in and fight for a better tomorrow in which all men are created equal.

An old magician accidentally creates a potion that makes his cat, McTree, talk. Although he is supposed to keep his new talent a secret, McTree ends up a famous attraction at the palace. But when McTree loses his appeal, the King and Queen order the old magician to be kidnapped so he can make all of the castle pets to talk. McTree must use his sense to outwit the royal party and save his old companion.

Duck gets tired of doing chores on the farm, so he holds an election to change the way things are run. Duck wins the election, but gets bored and runs for Governor. He wins again and does not like the stress, so he runs for President and wins. Being President is even harder work than being on the farm so he returns to the farm to write his autobiography.

Ruby Mae, a woman from Texas, has a fear of talking in front of people. Her nephew designs a device to put on her head which she thinks helps her speak more eloquently. She learns a very important lesson in the end.

A witch casts a spell causing every bug not to be able to speak except for one. That one bug visits the witch and tells her that no other bug except for him can speak. So the witch makes the bugs' tails light up so they do not have to speak to communicate.

A dog Martha has the ability to speak when she eats alphabet soup. But when the soup company starts using only half the letters in the soup to save money, Martha can't say what she wants. Afraid of what will happen to her, Martha confronts the owner of the company who agrees to put all the letters back in.

Mei Mei moves from Hong Kong to New York, but she does not want to speak in English. She only wants to speak in Chinese until Nancy comes to the Chinatown learing center to work with Mei Mei.

Arthur wins a contest about how to make America great. He and his classmates are flown to the White House so that Arthur may recite his speech to the President. Arthur worries that he will forget the speech, but everything goes well.

A policeman shares his safety tips with school children. His dull speeches become entertaining when his dog performs tricks on stage behind him. The children pay attention and improve their safety skills.

A family has a pet parrot named Polly that refuses to talk. The family continually repeats nursery rhymes to him, until one day he repeats them back. Now they are all mixed up!

Children of diverse backgrounds are shown and differences are emphasized. Every child has different interests and strengths and all characteristics should be valued. Everyone is special!

Rodney Rat is constantly made fun of by his classmates because he cannot pronounce his r's. Rodney saves the day and earns respect from his classmates when he saves them from the class bully.

Everyone knows that people communicate through talking. What about animals? How do animals communicate? Looking at different animals we can see that each kind of animal communicates in its own unique way using different sounds.

George's mother wants nothing more than for her puppy to bark but George can only meow, oink, quack, and moo. When his mother takes George to the vet, a cat, a pig, a duck, and a cow are all removed from deep inside of George. Finally, George is able to bark until he learns to speak!

A vision of harmony celebrates differences among people. These vibrant pictures and rhymes help portray the notion that uniqueness in individuals is what makes each of us so special.

Rex Q.C. is a dog that belongs to the queen of England. He is allowed to follow the queen wherever she goes. He follows her to goverment parties, garden parties and other special occasions.

George Washington shows his leadership skills by leading the United States Army to victory to gain their independence. Although George is nervous and reluctant, he accepts the challenge to become the first President of the United States of America.