Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

On Noah's ark | by Brett, Jan

In preparation of the rains, Noah's granddaughter helps her family read the Ark and animals. Two-by-two the beautiful animals crowd into the Ark and she keeps herself busy making the animals comfortable hoping for the rains to stop.

Keywords: activities, animals, anticipation, birds, bodies of water, coping, determination, direction, dove, emotions, excitement, family, feelings, generations, grandparents, history, hope, preparation, rain, rainbow, religion, spiritual, stress management

The shaking bag | by Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn

Though Miss Annie Mae doesn't always have much food for herself or her dog Effie Lucille, she faithfully feeds the birds in the lawn. One day a stranger comes to visit. He shakes many special surprises for her out of the old seed bag to reward her for all her generosity.

Keywords: african american, animals, birds, books, dog, fantasy, fire, food, hunger, kindness, multicultural, noise, nutrition, plants, poverty, raven, sharing, sounds, spiritual, unselfish

Matunje and the wooden spoon | by Mashiri, Pascal

During a time of famine, Matunje goes looking for food. He finds mangoes which fall into the water and are carried out to sea. Matunje follows and is led to the sea king who gives him a magical wooden spoon to feed his country.

Keywords: assertiveness, celebration, community, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dancing, famine, feelings, food, fruit, happiness, helping, magic, mythical, nutrition, song, spiritual, tree

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

The magic kite | by Stanbridge, Bobette

A kite travels to America through time and watches America change and grow. Katy the kite spends time with a young girl in a city until it becomes too busy to fly. A Native American medicine man teaches Katy to speak to mother earth, father sky, angels, and fairies.

Keywords: angel, animals, birds, butterfly, elephant, friendship, grasshopper, imagination, insects, kite, magic, multicultural, native american, picnic, prayer, spiritual, tree, turtle

Tutankhamun | by Demi

Keywords: archeology, biography, decision making, education, egypt, egyptian, god, history, hunting, language, marriage, multicultural, religion, royalty, sand, secrets, shapes, spiritual, sun

Up home | by Grant, Shauntay

A young woman of African decent recalls her childhood in her native homeland of Preston, Canada. She remembers long hot days of summer playing with cousins, singing on Sunday mornings, climbing trees and picking blueberries. Gatherings with her family are special celebrations.

Keywords: african american, body parts, canada, celebration, church, climbing, clothing, cooking, family, flowers, food, friendship, fun, garden, glasses, grandparents, history, instruments, love, memory, multicultural, music, nutrition, park, quilt, seasons, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods

A is for africa | by Onyefulu, Ifeoma

The author, a member of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, presents text and her own photographs of twenty-six things, from A-Z, representative of all African peoples.

Keywords: affection, africa, african, alphabet, bodies of water, colors, exercise, family, food, friendship, games, grandparents, home, jewelry, jumping, jungle, language, multicultural, music, muslim, nonverbal communication, photograph, play, religion, river, school, spiritual, traditions, verbal communication, work

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

Painted dreams | by Williams, Karen Lynn

Ti Marie loves to paint, but her family is too poor to afford paint so she uses bricks, stones and charcoal. One day, as she is walking to the river, she sees Msie Antoine painting a snake and admires his art supplies. Later on in the night she decides to look through his trash to see if he has any left over supplies. She uses them to paint on the wall behind her family's place at the Haitian market. Find out how the people at the market react.

Keywords: art, careers, culture, customs, food, haitian, investigation, jungle, language, market, multicultural, nutrition, parents, responsibilities, river, self esteem, siblings, spiritual, success

Ruth and naomi | by Marzollo, Jean

After their husbands sadly pass away, Ruth moves to Bethlehem with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. With no money and no sense of hope, the two women are unsure as to what will happen. A kind farmer known as Boaz, however shows his kindness and restores their happiness so that they can begin anew.

Keywords: anger, bravery, courage, critical thinking, faith, feelings, food, friendship, god, happiness, hard work, helping, kindness, loneliness, love, loyalty, marriage, moving, nutrition, sadness, song, spiritual, stress management, unselfish

Welcoming babies | by Knight, Margy Burns

People celebrate the gift of a new baby in different ways around the world. Babies are welcomed into their families using different customs like singing, kissing, touching, blessing, naming, and other special actions.

Keywords: adoption, afghani, african, cambodian, correspondence, customs, family, food, glossary, grandparents, indian, iranian, Jewish, korean, language, multicultural, muslim, native american, pakistani, parents, puerto rican, quakers, siblings, spanish, spiritual, traditions, vietnamese

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

The golden rule | by Cooper, Ilene

A boy and his grandfather are standing on a city sidewalk when they see a billboard starting Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The boy asks his grandpa what it says and the grandpa reads it and explains the Golden Rule. The boy is intrigued by the rule and starts asking questions. The grandpa explains that each religion has their own version of the Golden Rule. They discuss what the world would be like if everyone followed the Golden Rule. The boy starts to understand the Golden Rule and the grandpa reminds him that the Golden Rule starts with one person: You. It beings with…

Rumi: Whirling dervish | by Demi

Born in Afghanistan in the thirteenth century, Rumi settled in Turkey and became the greatest mystical poet who ever lived. Although he began his adult life as a highly respectable scholar, he found his true calling after becoming the disciple of a mysterious holy man, Shamsuddin, who taught him for three years. From Shams he learned to listen for the sacred sound of God within himself. When his creative spirit was awakened, he recited more than 50,000 rhymed couplets. He wrote about the love that resides in the soul of everyone regardless of religion or background. He founded the order…

Keywords: afghani, arabic, author's note, birthday, creativity, dancing, death, faith, god, history, learning, love, multicultural, muslim, poetry, prayer, religion, rhyme, spiritual, storytelling, turkey, wedding, wisdom

Before John was a jazz giant: A song of John Coltrane | by Weatherford, Carole Boston

Before John became a jazz giant, he loved music, singing, instruments, and the radio. The bustling of the south and the foundation of his church and family allows John to listen and create his own music.

Keywords: african american, body parts, church, cooking, dancing, five senses, history, instruments, multicultural, music, parade, poetry, radio, rhythm, spiritual, technology

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

Grandma's gone to live in the stars | by Haynes, Max

A much cared about Grandmother says good bye to everyone and the things she loved, before going to live with the stars. Grandma says good bye to her son, daughter, grandchildren, cat, dog, garden, town, and earth as she wears her angel wings to the stars.

Keywords: angel, closeness, coping, death, empathy, family, garden, grandparents, grief, illness, loss, nonverbal communication, sleep, spiritual, stars, stress management, verbal communication

Brother to the wind | by Walter, M.P.

This is a story about following dreams and trusting one's spirituality.

Keywords: decision making, dreams, peer resistance, spiritual

Daniel's gift | by Helldorfer, M.C.

This is the story of a young shepard and his vision to get him to the site where baby Jesus lay.

Keywords: assertiveness, baby, christmas, conflict resolution, determination, dreams, holidays, spiritual

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