When I watch the news or scroll through Facebook, I’m often troubled by the lack of empathy toward immigrants and refugees. While it may be difficult to help adults shift their perspectives, as parents and educators we can help children become compassionate from a young age. Here are some of my favorite inspiring children’s books about immigrants and refugees.

Disclosure: For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.  

Our Favorite Children’s Books about Immigrants and Refugees

A Different Pond by Bao Phi and Thi Bui

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

While other children might go fishing with their parents for fun, a young Vietnamese American boy wakes early to help his father fish for food. They leave far before dawn because his father has to go to work his second job later (even though it’s a Saturday.)

This picture book sensitively captures the earthy moments of the fishing trip, while also reveals details about what the boy’s father has been through as a refugee after the Vietnam War. My 6 year old was totally absorbed by the book. He especially enjoyed when the boy’s mother refers to him as the “baby brother.” He may be the youngest, but the boy thinks “I am not a baby…I helped catch dinner!” (Recommended for ages 4 – 10. Vietnamese-American author.)

Related Post: Overcoming anxiety so you can talk to kids about race effectively

Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams and R. Gregory Christie

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

At age 8, Garang’s life changed dramatically. He had lived with his family tending their cattle, making them relatively wealthy. But when war came to Sudan, he was separated from his loved ones. Suddenly, he finds himself with dozens of other boys who cannot find their families. Together, they decide to travel to Ethiopia, with Garang chosen to lead a group of 35 boys on the long journey.

There are so many things that touched me about this story. I was amazed at how Garang, himself a young child, could provide such tender care for a younger boy, Chuti, who Garang took responsibility for. The illustrations captured the hardship the “lost boys” endured, but also moments of joy.

My one caveat about recommending this book is for white families especially. There are very few adults in the story, and two of the prominent ones are white. So often our culture portrays white people as heroes and refugees as victims. As you read the story, be sure to draw the children’s attention to the many heroic actions that the Sudanese boys themselves take, centering the story on them. (Recommended for ages 7 to 11.)

Related Post: Helping Kids Understand Immigration (includes additional picture book reviews)

La Frontera: El viaje con papá/My Journey with Papa by Deborah Mills, Alfredo Alva, and Claudia Navarro

This moving and remarkable book justice is a must read for anyone wanting to help kids understand the plight of undocumented immigrant families.

This is a true story of how Alfredo Alva and his father immigrated from Mexico to the U.S without papers. We learn from Alfredo what life was like in his village when both his father and grandfather worked in the pine forest.  But when his grandfather becomes too old to make the daily 5 mile trip to the forest, Alfredo and his brothers start to go hungry.

His father decides that he and Alfredo must go to America where he can earn more, while the other children will stay behind with his mother. During their journey, we not only experience their hardships. We also see how Alfredo’s father encourages him with warmth and humor through their difficult journey.

The book includes several pages of illustrated educational notes that help children explore important questions about why people immigrate and what their experiences are like. (Recommended for ages 6 – 12. Mexican-American co-author. Bilingual English/Spanish book)

To get my resource pack on talking immigration with children, just request access to my free Resource Library using the form below!

For All/Para Todos by Alejandra Domenzain and Katherine Loh

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

Children’s books about social justice issues often try too hard to make the story neat and tidy for young readers. That’s not the case in For All/Para Todos, which encourages children and adults to join in the fight for immigrant rights rather than implying problems have been fixed.

As a child in Mexico, Flor sees all kinds of images showing what life is supposedly like “over there” in the United States. When she and her father are fall on hard times and are forced to immigrate, they begin to see the ways that those images didn’t tell the whole story.

Flor’s father works all the time, but they still don’t have piles of presents under the Christmas tree. Her father reveals the truth that the rules she believed in don’t apply to them because they are undocumented. (Children can see get an idea of what this means through several illustrations of Dad holding papers with large red X’s on them.)

As Flor learns that “justice for all” is really “justice for some,” she decides to use her growing gift at writing to work for change. This book is a powerful explanation of community organizing that is rarely seen in children’s literature. (Recommended for ages 5 -9. Mexican-American author. Bilingual Spanish-English edition. Royalties for this book are being donated to RAICES.)

Love my booklists? Help me create even more!

Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi and Lea Lyon

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

As you’ve probably realized by now, I’m a fan of children’s books about immigrants that are based on the author’s life! Lailah’s Lunchbox is one such story. Last year, when Lailah lived in Abu Dhabi, UAE, she wanted to fast for Ramadan but her mother told her she was too young. This year, she’s finally old enough to join the month-long fast.

But Lailah is hesitant to tell her teacher and classmates in Peachtree City, Georgia that she’s fasting. Will then even understand what Ramadan is? During lunch, Lailah sneaks from the cafeteria to the library to escape the smells and sights of food. There, the librarian helps her figure out how to share her news with her teacher and friends. (Recommended for ages 4 to 10. Pakistani-American author.)

Related Post: 9 Children’s Books that Celebrate Ramadan

Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight by Duncan Tonatiuh

Purchase from Bookshop.org

I worked for many years as a community organizer supporting the labor movement. I’m also a huge Duncan Tonatiuh fan. So, it’s no surprise that I love this book! The book was created in an accordion fold format, similar to an ancient Mixtec codex. It has the feel of a short graphic novel, with a relatable, conversational tone.

Juan, a Mixtec man born in a small Mexican village, points out that “you don’t know our names but you’ve seen us…We may not have documents, but we all have a story and we all have a name.” Juan scrapes by for many years working at a restaurant, where the owner tells him he’s “doing him a favor” by hiring him since he’s undocumented.

But when his Chinese co-worker Li takes him out for happy hour after work, she helps him understand just how unfair their working situation is. When Juan’s wife announces a baby is on the way, he realizes that something has to change, and agrees to go with Li to a workers’ center to learn about how they can organize. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Mexican-American author.)

Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina and Angela Dominguez

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

Many children’s books about immigrants deal with kids’ challenges in learning a new language. Mia has a different problem. Her Abuela has just moved in, and Mia wants to get to know her. But Mia’s español is not good enough to communicate her daily news from school. Abuela’s English it “too poquito” to tell Mia stories about her life.

Mami reminds Mia that she used to be unable to talk with her classmate Kim, who is now one of her best friends. Mia starts putting post-it notes on everything in the house with the English words, just the way their teacher did for Kim in the classroom. But it’s a brainstorm Mia has at the pet store that will help Abuela feel most at home. (Recommended for ages 4 to 10. Cuban-American author.)

Related Post: How to stand up for immigrant rights with your kids

Areli Is a Dreamer by Areli Morales and Luisa Uribe

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

DACA recipient Areli Morales tells her own true story of being undocumented and dreaming big dreams in this moving book. When she was very young, Areli lived with her Abuela in Mexico, hoping that her parents would return from the United States soon. They’ve been gone so long talking to them on the phone almost feels like talking to strangers.

When Areli is able to join them later in Nueva York, adjusting to school is hard. She doesn’t understand her teachers. While Areli makes friends with other children who speak Spanish, some of her classmates tease her and call her illegal. Areli knows that she is not against the law! Her mother tells her that she hopes someday Areli can become a citizen, like her brother Alex (who was born in the U.S.)

Over time, America becomes home to Areli, and she begins to recognize that many people (or their ancestors) immigrated to the United States. Her dreams of a better life for herself grow strong. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Mexican-American author.)

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs and Nizar Ali Badr

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

Who would have thought that pictures made from stones could express so much emotion? This book came into being when the author found Nizar Ali Badr’s stone portraits of Syrian refugee life on Facebook. Badr is not even able to preserve his stone creations with glue because it has become too expensive in his war-torn country. Instead he photographs them, and then often takes them back apart.

The bilingual English-Arabic story tells the journey of a little girl named Rama and why their family had to leave Syria.  The sculptures show them carrying heavy packs among ” a river of strangers in search of a place to be free.”

The family eventually finds a home among new neighbors who “welcomed us with open arms.” Given the many places Syrian refugees have not been able to find welcome, I agree with Teaching for Change that adult readers should tell children that while we wish refugee families always find welcoming homes, often that is sadly not the case. (Recommended for ages 6 to 12)

Related Post: Kids’ books and activities for learning Syrian culture

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

In this inspiring tale, award winning illustrator and children’s book author Yuyi Morales shares her own tale of immigrating to the United States from Mexico with her infant son. In this strange new place, there was much that was unfamiliar, and “we made lots of mistakes.”

The day that changes their lives in America is when they first visit the library. Pages and pages of vivid illustrations show mother and son exploring piles of books with looks of wonder on their faces. Books were how they found their voices in a new land. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Mexican-American author. The Spanish edition can be found here. )

Related Post: 17 Engaging Picture Books Starring Latinx Characters

My Chinatown: One Year in Poems by Kam Mak

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

Author Kam Mark grew up in New York City’s Chinatown. In these poems he shares a child’s point of view of what it’s like to grow up in two cultures at once. Some things are discouraging, like “school, where the English words taste like metal in my mouth.”

Others are fascinating, like the bird store full of winged creatures living in bamboo houses. In the middle of the bustling neighborhood, it sounds “like the woods in spring.”

The book’s illustrations are so vivid and carefully composed that they almost look like photographs! (Recommended for ages 4 – 10. Chinese-American author.)

Related Post: 11 Diverse Poetry Books for Kids

One Green Apple by Eve Bunting and Ted Lewin

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

It’s only Farah’s second day of school in her new country, and today is a special field trip. She’s trying to get used to how things are different here, like the way that boys and girls sit together in school. Some of the children are friendly, while others have mentioned her home country’s name in cruel tones.

There’s so much Farah wishes she could communicate, but she doesn’t yet have the words in English. She feels apart from the other children, but eventually she decies to join in as they make apple cider. This simple story is an excellent one to help children consider what everyday experiences are like for kids who are new to a culture and language. (Recommended for ages 4 – 9)

Related Post: 12 Books to Help Children Understand Islamic Faith and Culture

Goodbye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances Park, Ginger Park, and Yangsook Choi

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

“My heart beats in two places: Here, where I live, and also in a place where I once lived,” the author tells us. This story shares her sad memory of what it was like the day her family left their home in Korea. Her most treasured posessions have already been packed away in a box labelled “lovely things.” Jangmi doesn’t want to leave her best friend, Kisuni or the chummy Korean melons she loves to eat.

As her parents describe what her new house will look like, she can’t imagine it. After all, it won’t have the familiar rice paper doors, or the ondal fire in the cellar that kept the whole house warm.

Once they arrive, two things make Jangmi believe that perhaps one day this new place would feel like home. First, her box of “lovely things” arrives. Then a neighbor arrives with honeydew melon, as sweet at the chummy she left behind in Korea. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Korean-American author.)

Two White Rabbits by Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

Two White Rabbits addresses a similar scenario as La Frontera, but since it has much less detail it can read to a younger audience. A little girl is traveling with her father, but she doesn’t know where. There is much greater detail in the pictures than in the story itself, so I encourage adults to take time to guess what is happening in the pictures with the children you read to.

Love my booklists? Help me create even more!

The little girl dreams that they are moving without having to stop. “But we do stop. Because the people who are taking us don’t always take us where we are going.” On this page, we see the father and daughter running away as others are taken by soldiers from train cars.

The child’s playful interactions with other children and rabbits (both real and made from clouds) lend some lightness to the hardships of their journey. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)

Related Post: 6 Ways Kids Can Learn about Farmworkers’ Rights

My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits and Gabi Swiatkowska

Purchase from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)

Yoon loves writing her name in Korean. Her names looks happy to her, because “the symbols dance together.” Her father shows her how to write Yoon in English, and assures her that it still means “Shining Wisdom.”

But at school Yoon would rather write the word her teacher introduces: cat. She the starts to imagine herself as one. As she learns new words, she drifts into fantasies about what it would be like to be a bird or even a floating cupcake! But how will she find her place in her new school? At home she had many friends and she was her teacher’s favorite student. (Recommended for ages 4 to 10)