Stories of moving, belonging, and building a new home.
Immigration stories are family stories. They hold courage, food, language, and the quiet work of belonging somewhere new. This hub is for kids who packed, and for kids who have never had to.
We look for leaving and arriving as a life, not a border lecture. We look for what a family carried that was not in a bag. We skip books that treat a migrant child as a teaching object for the other kids.
The picture-book core is in kids' books about immigration: Dreamers, Islandborn, Watercress, A Different Pond, The Arabic Quilt, My Diary from Here to There, and Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote — the last one with you in the room.
Middle grade: Front Desk is funny in the places most immigrant stories get solemn. Filter by audience when you need the backpack instead of the rug.
What did this family bring with them that was not in a bag? If the child answers “nothing,” wait. The second answer is usually the book. More on that pause: after the last page. Pancho Rabbit is not a lights-out book the first time. Stay in the room for the quiet after.
Related guides: Kids' Books About Immigration and Belonging · Inclusive Middle Grade Books That Aren't a Lesson
36 books · Page 1 of 2
Ages 3–8
WatercressAndrea Wang
Author 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
IslandbornJunot Díaz
As 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
DreamersYuyi Morales
In 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
A Different PondBao Phi
"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 QuiltAya Khalil
This authentic story with beautiful illustrations includes a glossary of Arabic words and a presentation of Arabic letters with their phonetic English equivalents.
Ages 3–8
Who belongs here?Margy Burns Knight
Activity guide to accompany the book which describes the new life of Nary, a Cambodian refugee, in America, as well as his encounters with prejudice. Includes some general history of U.S. immigration.
Ages 3–8
Navigating NightJulie Leung
A girl guides her dad on his route delivering Chinese take-out food in this touching picture book -- written by an APALA award winner and illustrated by a Caldecott Honor winner -- that celebrates the unique bond between immigrant parents ...
Ages 3–8
Banquet for CeciliaJulie Leung
Relish in the savory, tangy, and sometimes spicy dishes of Cecilia Chiang, a revolutionary who changed the way Americans viewed Chinese food. From an early age, Cecilia Chiang could be found delighting in the sounds and smells from her favorite room in her home—the kitchen. Little did Cecilia know that she would one day have to escape war and travel to a faraway country, destined to change Chinese cuisine in the United States forever. Experience the dishes Cecilia Chiang enjoyed throughout her life as the seventh daughter in a large family to the owner of the famous Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco.
Ages 3–8
Here I amPatti Kim
"Tells the story in pictures of an Asian family newly immigrated to the United States and the challenges of starting a life in a new place"--Provided by publisher.
Ages 3–8
Paper SonJulie Leung
Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki perfectly capture the beautiful life and work of a painter who came to this country with dreams and talent--and who changed the world of animation forever.
Ages 3–8
Kai's Journey To Gold MountainKatrina Saltonstall Currier
In 1934, twelve-year-old Kai leaves China to join his father in America, but first he must take a long sea voyage, then endure weeks of crowded conditions and harsh examinations on Angel Island, fearing that he or his new friend will be ...
Ages 3–8
A song for BaPaul Yee
In the Chinese opera, men traditionally sing both male and female parts. Wei Lim's father, Ba, however, usually plays masculine characters and sings in a deep bass voice. But Wei's grandfather played female roles, and has secretly taught Wei to sing these difficult parts. When the New World's entertainments begin to cause a shrinking audience for the opera company, and Ba is forced to play female characters, which can help him learn to sing in such high tones? Color illustrations help bring Wei's tale, and this ancient art form, to life.
Ages 3–8
Grandfather's journeyAllen Say
In this Caldecott Medal–winning picture book, master storyteller Allen Say chronicles his family’s history between Japan and California.
Ages 8–12
Front DeskKelly Yang
Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year.
Ages 8–12
When Stars Are ScatteredVictoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.
Ages 8–12
Other Words for HomeJasmine Warga
Jude leaves Syria for Cincinnati in this Newbery Honor novel-in-verse about home and hope.
Ages 8–12
Harbor MeJacqueline Woodson
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.
Ages 8–12
Inside Out and Back AgainThanhhà Lai
Inside Out & Back Again is a verse novel by Thanhha Lai. The book was awarded the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and one of the two Newbery Honors. The novel was based on her first year in the United States, as a ten-year-old girl who spoke no English in 1975.
Ages 8–12
Esperanza RisingPam Muñoz Ryan
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the ...
Ages 8–12
Measuring UpLily LaMotte
"Having just moved to Seattle from Taiwan, twelve-year-old Cici enters a cooking competition to win the chance to see her grandmother again, but she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food."--Provided by publisher.
Young adult
The Sun Is Also a StarNicola Yoon
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • An all-encompassing, whirlwind romance that’s “beautifully crafted” (People) and “full of intelligence, understanding and hope” (Los ...
Young adult
Almost American GirlRobin Ha
This nonfiction graphic novel with four starred reviews is an excellent choice for teens and also accelerated tween readers, both for independent reading and units on immigration, memoirs, and the search for identity.
Young adult
Every Body LookingCandice Iloh
A Finalist for the National Book Award When Ada leaves home for her freshman year at a Historically Black College, it’s the first time she’s ever been so far from her family—and the first time that she’s been able to make her own ...
Ages 8–12
I Lived on Butterfly HillMarjorie Agosín
Celeste Marconi’s peaceful life on Butterfly Hill in Valparaíso, Chile, ends when a dictatorship takes hold. She is sent to Maine while her parents go into hiding — a Pura Belpré Medal novel about exile, waiting, and finding a way home.
