Starting a Conversation Around Immigration

Whether or not you come from an immigrant or refugee household or know any of these types of children or families, it is important to talk to your kids about what it means and how it might feel to be in the shoes of an immigrant or a refugee. When we are exposed to diverse types of stories at a young age, it helps us to better understand, relate to, and empathize with people who are similar and different from us. Here are some of my favorite children's books about immigrant and refugee children and their families!

María Mariposa by Karla Arenas Valenti

On Maria's first day of school in a brand new city, a Monarch butterfly flies into her bedroom, "a gift from Mexico", she calls it. The butterfly brings with it memories of her home country. Monarch butterflies hold a cultural significance in Mexico because they migrate South every year and arrive in time for Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. They represent the souls of passed on ancestors who come to visit the ofrendas erected by their families. 

"For on its wings, it carried the memory of home: the gold and orange of sunsets over deep blue seas, the purple of flower-heavy jacaranda trees, the polished turquoise of Abuelita's earrings", writes Valenti.

María quickly realizes that the visit from the butterfly has given her "Mexico magic" that she goes on to share with the world! As soon as she leaves her family's apartment, she is spreading her kindness and joy with everyone she encounters. As soon as she gets off the school bus, however, her nerves set in, and she begins to feel very alone in this strange new place. She remembers the butterfly's magic, though, and decides to talk to another girl who is alone on the playground. After making a friend, she feels much more at home! The story ends as the butterfly flies away. "One butterfly departed, leaving behind another" is the closing line. I was so touched by this book and how María brought her magic with her even after leaving Mexico. 

The Home We Make by Maham Khwaja

This story begins as a young girl and her family begin packing to leave their home due to bombing and violence around their neighborhood. The family is so sad to leave, but there is no other option. They walk for what seems like days until they reach a dock where they can await a ship. Along the journey, the little girl finds little pieces of home to cherish: the smell of her mother, the seashells on the beach. After boarding a boat, they arrive at a refugee camp where volunteers provide them with fresh, clean clothes and warm food to eat. She makes friends with the other children in the camp and spends her days playing and meeting people as her parents fill out paperwork to get their visas to go to America. 

Finally, the day comes and they part ways with the refugee camp, bound for their new home. They move into a safe new apartment and take English classes every week at the community center, where they meet other refugees from around the world. After living there for a while, however, someone throws a brick through their window with a note on it that reads "GO HOME". "I look through the broken glass and see the ones who thew the brick, running away, laughing. I want to yell to them I can't!", the little girl thinks. Her Baba reminds her to focus on the kind people in their new home, and the family continues to build their new life.

"One day someone asks me, Where is home? And I don't know what to say. Is home here or there? When I think of home, I think about the sweet taste of plums and the sound of Baba's whistling. Books I know by heart and Mama's flowers..."

Khwaja wrote this book based on her own story of having to flee Pakistan with her parents as a child. This book so beautifully captures the refugee experience, although the author does acknowledge that their story was a very lucky one. Not all families are able to safely find refuge or return to their home countries. The gratitude and hope in this story is so palpable and rich.

Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat

This is the story of Saya, a little Haitian girl who lives with her Papa because her mother has been incarcerated due to a lack of immigration papers. Every day, she listens to the answering machine message on their phone just to hear her Mama's voice. Saya and Papa are allowed to go visit her weekly and Mama is so happy to see them. She calls Saya Wosiyòl, the name of a Haitian folkloric nightingale. Saya cries and screams when they have to leave her in the prison. 

Her Mama begins to mail her a tape each week with a recording of a new bedtime story. Saya is so happy to be able to hear her voice again. Every night, Papa writes letters to local newspapers, judges, and congresspeople trying to urge them to release his wife. One day, Saya asks if she might write one too. Soon after, the family receives a voicemail from a reporter saying they want to feature the story in the newspaper! The next day, another reporter comes to their house for an interview. The judge agrees to release Saya's Mama while she awaits her legal papers. Once she is home again, she tells Saya the story of the nightingale, and how the baby nightingale sings her Mama home. This story brought me to tears and I loved how it was Saya and her determination that helped them release her mother. 

Lolo's Sari-Sari Store by Sophia N. Lee

I adore this picture book about a child and her Lolo, or grandfather, who owns a convenience store in the Philippines, Lolo's Sari-Sari Store. "Sari-sari means 'a good variety'--just look around and you'll see. What help can you give to your community?", Lolo says to his granddaughter time and time again. Neighbors come by every day to buy food, toiletries, and freshly baked pan de sal, Filipino sweet bread rolls. Sometimes, customers come to the store needing something that can't be bought: a listening ear or an icepop on a hot summer day. Lolo's kindness fills the community and teaches his granddaughter about the joy of giving.

When she moves to the United States with her mother, the girl longs for the warmth of her home community in the Philippines and her Lolo's Sari-sari store. She remembers all that he taught her about goodwill, and starts to notice acts of kindness in her new home. She helps her neighbors carry groceries and rescue a cat, and soon befriends another little girl who has just moved to this country. Surrounded by new friends, she realizes that the sunset here is just as brilliant as back home. She holds her hands on her heart, smiling, at the end of the story. 

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

This gorgeous picture book, with illustrations by the author herself, tells the story of a family who had to leave their home country after a violent war. After they lost their father to the war, their mother decided to try to escape the country for a safer place, surrounded by mountains. The family clandestinely loads their suitcases in a car and then travels hidden in different trucks carrying things like produce and pottery. When they finally arrive at the border, they are caught by an angry guard and have to find somewhere to sleep in the forest. Awoken by more guards, they run until they meet a man to take them across the border.

The family continues their journey, having to cross an ocean by ferry. They hear stories from those aboard of the mysteriousness of the underwater world, about what awaits them at the other side of the sea, and about the magic of the forests abroad. Finally on land again, they board a train and continue their travel to a new homeland. As the story ends, the narrator looks up and sees all the birds in the sky, on their own migration paths. 

I hope, one day, like these birds, we will find a new home. A home where we can be safe and begin our story again.

I loved how in this book, the family is on this continuous journey, full of unexpected hardships and new adventure. It really illustrates for just how long some families have to travel to find refuge. On the final page, there is an image of the mother with her two children, riding on the neck of one giant bird among the others in their migration flight. 

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey by Doug Kuntz & Amy Clarice Shrodes

I can't speak highly enough of this book! Based on a true story, Lost and Found Cat chronicles the journey of a refugee family from Iraq as they leave home in search of a safer place to live. Sura is mother to five children: four girls, one boy, and a precious fluffy white cat named Kunkush. When the war becomes unbearable, the family packs up to seek refuge in Europe. Sura carefully stows Kunkush in a basket carrier and brings him along for the trek, taking care to keep herself in the back of the family so that the cat can be hidden from their guides. The family walks for three days through forests and mountains, and Sura lets Kunkush out when they stop to rest. Finally, the family boards a small raft, with nearly 50 other people aboard, to cross the ocean and arrive in Greece. 

Sura struggles to keep Kunkush's carrier steady as the raft is thrown about by the waves, and unfortunately the lid snaps and breaks. When they reach land three hours later, the terrified kitty wanders out of the carrier and into the woods. The family searches for Kunkush, with the help of some volunteers, but sadly, he is nowhere to be found, and the family must continue their journey. 

Weeks later, two of the volunteers find a downtrodden fluffy white cat with matted fur. One volunteer, Amy, suspects that this could be the missing kitty, so she cleans him up and takes him to the vet. She rallies up a whole online movement to reunite the cat, who she's nicknamed Dias, with his family. Gone viral, the message reaches Sura's family, and they are beyond excited! A reporter brings the Kunkush to his family and Sura cries (I cried too) with joy, calling him "Ma habibi" (my darling). This story is so special, and could be a really gentle way to introduce a young child to the concept of refugees. One of the authors of the story, Amy Shrodes, is the volunteer who found Kunkush. Definitely check out the video of the family being reunited, as well! 

Why It's Important

We are constantly modeling ethical behavior and healthy habits for the children in our lives. Books are one of the best ways to teach children empathy because they help us to understand the perspectives of all kinds of different people! To quote Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb in his skin and walk around in it". Sharing children's books about a diverse range of the human experience really is a wonderful way to expand their hearts and minds. Here's a curated book list, created by our Children's Department here at NPL, for more books written by and about immigrants and refugees. I'm Your Neighbor Books is a project that centers children's books about immigrants and refugees from non-European backgrounds and is another great resource for anyone seeking out more of these types of books.