Kids' Books About Immigration and Belonging
Immigration stories are family stories. They hold courage, food, language, and the quiet work of belonging somewhere new.
Read these with kids who share that journey — and with kids who have never packed a life into a suitcase.
A simple prompt: “What did this family bring with them that wasn’t in a bag?”
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5 books · add them all, or share the list
Ages 3–8
DreamersIn 1994, 25-year-old YUYI MORALES traveled from her home in Yelapa, Mexico, to the San Francisco Bay Area with her two-month-old son, Kelly, in order to secure permanent residency in this country. Her passage was not easy and she spoke no English whatsoever.
Ages 3–8
IslandbornAs she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: “Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.” Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, ...
Ages 3–8
WatercressAuthor Andrea Wang calls this moving, autobiographical story “both an apology and a love letter to my parents.” It’s a bittersweet, delicate look at how sharing the difficult parts of our histories can create powerful new moments of ...
Ages 3–8
A Different Pond"As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation.
Ages 3–8
The Arabic QuiltThis authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents.