Refugees and Immigration Booklist (younger ages)
We’ve put together a list of recommended texts for primary school aged children. The children’s books on this list can help to explore the refugee experience and the topic of immigration in an age-appropriate way.
NB: This booklist is aimed at children ages 4-7. If you are looking for KS2 books for this topic, we have a separate booklist here.
There are currently around 13 million child refugees in the world – each own with their own story.
With masks on their faces, a family leaves their home. This picturebook story is cleverly told through the vehicle of an older sibling creating a game for her younger brother as they travel – avoid the monsters and don’t get caught. In this long game of ‘tag’ they must be fast and brave; travelling on buses, hitching lifts and often walking alone.
The story is so poignant. It shows the hardships faced on the long journey; the tiredness, the danger, the longing for home and for safety. Drawn in grey tones, the pink and yellow masks highlight the anonymous figures and hidden voices of those seeking sanctuary over an invisible line. Although this story focuses on children crossing the border into the USA, this beautiful book opens up discussions about why families might leave their homes and what life might be like for them as they seek a safer place to settle. The book provides a starting point for discussing themes of displacement and migration with primary school children. The sibling relationship is beautiful and there is essential factual information and additional personal stories within the back matter.
A gentle and lyrical picturebook exploring what it means to undertake a long journey to find a peaceful place to settle. The story creates a clever mirroring between the tale of a tiny swift’s mighty migration journey to find a safe nesting site with the story of Leila, a young girl who flees her home in Northern Africa and who also must travel thousands of miles in order to find a safe place of refuge.
Who are refugees? Why are they called that word? Why do they need to leave their country? In this simple, graphic and bold picture book for young children, author and illustrator Elise Gravel explores what it means to be a refugee. This book is the perfect tool to introduce an important and timely topic to young children.
A poetic, powerful story about a little brother and a big sister finding a new home and new hope after being rescued from a boat lost in the dark sea. A little brother and his big sister try their best to settle in a new home, where they have nothing left from before except each other. The little one makes new friends and quickly learns to laugh again but his sister remains haunted by the shadows of their past and hides away in their broken house. Trying to help his sister, the little one catches a butterfly for her and brings it inside the house. His sister knows that she needs to set the butterfly free … but that would mean going outside. In taking the first steps to face her fears and save the butterfly, she also begins the process of saving herself.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2023
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