immigration

At The Drop Of a Cat

A 6-year old boy loves spending time with his immigrant grandfather, Luis, who teaches him many things as they spend time in his garden, a place of wonder and illumination. It is the place where the boy practices to read and write, as well as the place where he learns of his grandfather’s experiences. As a war refugee, Luis was unable to go to school and therefore never learned how to read and write. But he instills his wisdom of language to his grandson, as well as his experiences and talents as an artist, a cook and a gardener.

This book is part of the WOW Dozen: Difficult and Challenging Topics in Children’s Literature list.

This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.

Where Butterflies Fill The Sky: A Story Of Immigration, Family, And Finding Home

An evocative picture book that tells the true story of the author’s immigration from Kuwait to the United States.

Yossel’s Journey

Yossel, along with his family, flees anti-Jewish Russian pogroms in the late nineteenth century and settles in the American Southwest where he forges a friendship with Thomas, a Native American Navajo boy.

My Name Is Bana

When seven-year-old Bana Alabed took to Twitter to describe the horrors she and her family were experiencing in war-torn Syria, her heartrending messages touched the world and gave a voice to millions of innocent children.
Written in Bana’s own words, this picture book offers a uniquely intimate child’s perspective on one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history. Bana has lost her best friend, her school, her home, and her homeland. But she has not lost her hope—for herself and for other children around the world who are victims and refugees of war and deserve better lives.

Ojalá Supieras/ I Wish You Knew

Un cuento oportuno y conmovedor sobre la incertidumbre que siente una joven cuando deportan a su padre―y la empatía que crece cuando compartimos y nos escuchamos unos a los otros.
A timely and moving tale about the uncertainty a young woman feels when her father is deported and the empathy that grows when we share and listen to each other.

Hear My Voice/Escucha mi voz: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States

Hear My Voice/Escucha mi voz shares the stories of 61 these children, from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Mexico, ranging in age from five to seventeen—in their own words from actual sworn testimonies. Befitting the spirit of the project, the book is in English on one side; then flip it over, and there’s a complete Spanish version.

Malaika’s Costume

Disappointed and upset at her grandmother’s hand-me-down costume, Malaika leaves the house, running into Ms. Chin, the tailor, who offers Malaika a bag of scrap fabric. With her grandmother’s help, Malaika creates a patchwork rainbow peacock costume, and dances proudly in the parade.

Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 4.

Xochitl And The Flowers/Xochitl, La Niña De Las Flores

Xochitl and her family, newly arrived in San Francisco from El Salvador, create a beautiful plant nursery in place of the garbage heap behind their apartment, and celebrate with their friends and neighbors.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 8, Issue 2

A Year Without Mom

A Year Without Mom follows 12-year-old Dasha through a year full of turmoil after her mother leaves for America. It is the early 1990s in Moscow, and political change is in the air. But Dasha is more worried about her own challenges as she negotiates family, friendships and school without her mother. Just as she begins to find her own feet, she gets word that she is to join her mother in America — a place that seems impossibly far from everything and everyone she loves.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 8, Issue 2