Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

What planet are you from, Clarice Bean? | by Child, Lauren

Clarice Bean is having a hard time coming up with an idea for her project on the environment. To make matters worse, she is paired up with her tag-along neighbor, Robert Granger. Her situation looks hopeless until her brother becomes an ecowarrior in an effort to free the tree from being cut down in their neighborhood. Robert and Clarice become ecowarriors themselves, saving the tree and their project.

The day I had to play with my sister | by Bonsall, Crosby

A boy has a hard time dealing with his younger sister while teaching her the rules of hide-and-seek. She just won't listen! Uggh...being a big brother can be tough!

Keywords: animals, attention, autumn, behavior, challenges, communication, counting, determination, dog, family, feelings, frustration, games, individuality, learning, listening, numbers, patience, play, playing, relationship, resentment, seasons, sequence, siblings, teaching

Ruby's wish | by Bridges, Shirin Yim

Ruby is known for wearing red and being an exceptionally bright student. Even during a time in China when ...most girls were never taught to read and write. However, Ruby's grandfather hires a teacher to come to the house, making it possible for any grandchild living in the house to learn. This initiates a desire in Ruby to attend university, a place that women in China were not encouraged to go.\r\n*Based on a true story of the author's grandmother.

Keywords: acceptance, accomplishment, ambition, appreciation, art, asian, assertiveness, beliefs, change, china, chinese, conflict, conflict resolution, courage, culture, customs, decision making, dedication, depression, determination, disappointment, emotions, encouragement, equality, excitement, family, frustration, generations, giving, goal setting, grandparents, happiness, independence, individuality, intelligence, kindness, language, learning, listening, new year, nonverbal communication, obedience, parade, patience, persistence, poetry, prevention, progress, reading, recognition, refusal skills, relationship, relief, resentment, resolution, role model, school, self confidence, self esteem, skills, stress management, support, symbols, sympathy, teaching, traditions, understanding, verbal communication, wealth, wish, writing

Sister Anne's hands | by Lorbiecki, Mary Beth

Anna begins her second year of school in the early '60's. Her new teacher, Sister Anne, is different from anyone she had ever seen. The teacher shows the students what tolerance is and they all end up learning from one another.

Keywords: acceptance, african american, appearance, art, body parts, community, counting, differences, discrimination, diversity, garden, god, history, learning, library, multicultural, prejudice, religion, rhythm, school, singing, teaching

Painting the wind | by MacLachlan, Patricia // MacLachlan, Emily

A young boy observes the various painters who travel to his island. Through discussions and interactions with the painters, the boy learns about painting and is finally able to achieve his goal.

Keywords: animals, appreciation, art, beach, bodies of water, body parts, colors, companion, dog, flowers, images, moon, ocean, sea, seasons, shadows, teaching, transportation, weather, wind

How groundhog's garden grew | by Cherry, Lynne

In this story of friendship and sharing, Squirrel teaches Groundhog how to grow a garden. Groundhog learns how to plant and care for many different plants and vegetables. In the end there is enough for all of their friends to enjoy.

Keywords: author's note, autumn, cooperation, critical thinking, friendship, garden, goal setting, groundhog, hibernation, plants, problem solving, seasons, seed, sharing, squirrel, sun, teaching, verbal communication, water, wind

Doodler doodling | by Gelman, Rita

A girl ponders what she will draw on her lined paper with her multicolored pen. She draws people in action. The girl mixes and changes the actions of the people in her drawings. She is proud of her drawings.

Keywords: art, careers, climbing, confidence, creativity, drawing, entertainment, exploration, fantasy, fun, happiness, imagination, patience, persistence, sequence, sports, teaching, transportation

Hunter bunny saves Easter | by Weaver, Alexis Rae

Hunter Bunny, made fun of because of his limp leg, meets Clark, the duck who has trouble seeing and the two become best friends. The night before Easter, the two find the Easter bunny lying on the ground and it is now up to them to deliver the baskets around town. After successfully saving Easter, the return to the forest to find all the animals praising and cheering for them.

Keywords: animals, baby, differences, disability, discrimination, duck, easter, family, feelings, friendship, glasses, handicap, happiness, helping, heroism, holidays, hope, injury, learning, loneliness, moods, parents, playing, rabbit, sadness, siblings, sight, surprises, swimming, teaching, teasing, vision

I was born to be a brother | by Michels-Gualtieri, Zaydek G.

A big brother describes the duties he has when teaching his little sister. He has many responsibilities to uphold and for the most part gets along well with his baby sister. There are times, however, when siblings get in the way, but in the end a little sister is the best thing in the world. (With music CD)

Keywords: anger, baby, careers, caring, child care, closeness, companion, family, feelings, food, friendship, growing up, helping, injury, learning, music, pets, play, relationship, responsibilities, role model, safety, siblings, song, teaching, technology, teeth, television, toys

Hunter bunny learns to ski | by Weaver, Alexis Rae

Hunter Bunny is eagerly awaiting for winter to arrive and is determined to take part in all the activities that come along with it. He visits his fellow animal friends who teach him to ski, skate and snowboard, but with Hunter Bunny's shorter leg, he is unable to be successful. With the help of his best friend Clark, the two find a way for Hunter to be able to ski in the animal ski race. Determined to win, Hunter Bunny practices day and night for the big competition and it pays off in the end when he brings home the first place ribbon.

Keywords: accidents, activities, animals, anticipation, challenges, cold, colors, competition, confidence, determination, disability, dreams, encouragement, excitement, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, handicap, helping, learning, parents, practice, preparation, problem solving, protection, rabbit, reading, sadness, safety, seasons, skating, skiing, sledding, sleep, snow, sports, support, surprises, teaching, teamwork, teasing, uniqueness, wind, winter, zoo

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

The meanest thing to say | by Cosby, Bill

Little Bill meets a new boy at school who challenges him to play a game to find the meanest thing to say. When Bill learns a new strategy from his dad, he decides to avoid the game and ignore the criticism. Soon the new boy gets embaressed, but Bill reaches out to make him his friend.

Keywords: african american, anger, basketball, confidence, conflict, fight, flood, forgiveness, friendship, frog, frustration, games, grandparents, illness, jumping, noise, parents, school, sports, teaching, teasing, walking

Goose's story | by Best, Cari

A young girl and her dog care for an injured goose with one leg. They encourage her to learn to walk, swim, and fly. When they goose leaves for winter, they search for her everyday. A year later the goose returns with a mate and with seven baby geese.

Keywords: accidents, animals, change, colors, differences, dog, fear, feelings, fly, fox, friendship, goose, growing up, injury, learning, loneliness, migration, month, parents, pond, raccoon, rain, robin, sadness, seasons, spring, swimming, teaching

May'naise sandwiches & sunshine tea | by Belton, Sandra

Big Mama shares family memories of her childhood with her grandchild about a special friendship she had with Bettie Jean. Little Miss and Big Mama share the pages of a scrapbook which tells the favorite story of May'naise sandwiches and sunshine tea.

Keywords: african american, books, careers, clothing, dancing, dentist, doctor, dreams, flowers, food, friendship, garden, hunger, imagination, memories, nutrition, parents, photograph, picnic, play, rain, running, school, sun, teaching, technology, telephone, tree, water

Degas and the little dancer: A story about Edgar Degas | by Anholt, Laurence

Marie dreams of being a famous dancer until one day her chance of being in the Christmas show diminishes when her father becomes ill. Marie begins to model for a painter to earn money for her family's lost income. One day, Maria's sculpture shows up in the art museum and becomes the famed sculpture of Edgar Degas.

Keywords: apology, art, careers, dancing, disappointment, dreams, excitement, fame, fear, hard work, illness, loneliness, museum, opera, poverty, practice, school, security, sympathy, teaching

The goat lady | by Bregoli, Jane

Two young children new to Lucy Little Road, help us reveal the simple yet important life of the goat lady; a life that many people in the town despise. Through the children's time spent helping the goat lady, they learn of her vast life experiences. It isn't until after the children's mother takes portraits of the goat lady, that the rest of the town see waht a truly wonderful person the goat lady is.

Keywords: acceptance, aging, animals, appreciation, art, assertiveness, barn, birds, cold, companion, coping, critical thinking, curiosity, decision making, discovery, emotions, environment, food, friendship, goal setting, goat, hard work, home, illness, listening, loyalty, neighbors, nonverbal communication, pets, pride, relationship, respect, support, teaching, trust, verbal communication

Elephants can paint too! | by Arnold, Katya

Comparisons are made between human students and elephants who are learning how to paint. Photographs of elephants and their artwork are shared. Children learn that these elephants have many similarities to humans and must take part in the same learning process as them in order to achieve goals.

Keywords: animals, art, body parts, colors, communication, comparisons, creativity, elephant, food, friendship, goal setting, jungle, learning, nonverbal communication, playing, school, self esteem, similarities, teaching, wildlife

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

Zen shorts | by Muth, Jon

One day, three young children meet a panda after his umbrella lands in their yard. The children become friends with the panda, whose name is Stillwater. He passes on folktales to them to help them solve problems they are having.

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