Family, Refugee, and Immigration

Books about families who went through relocation. Different, unique stories of refugee and immigration experience is included in this category.

“There is no 'us' and 'them.' There is only us, one human family, connected in ways we sometimes forget.”

PreK-3

The Ugly Vegetables

Grace Lin

A young Chinese-American girl feels jealous that her neighbor's gardens are filled with flowers while her's is filled with ugly vegetables.

#Chinese #ChineseAmerican #Asian #AsianAmerican #Family #Gardening #Food

PreK-3

Apple Pie on 4th of July

Janet S. Wong & Margaret Chodos-Irvine

A Chinese-American girl tries to tell her parents that the 4th of July is no time for Chinese food.

#Chinese #ChineseAmerican #AsianAmerican #Family #Food #Holiday #Patriotism #Immigration #Assimilation #

K-3

Path of Stars

Anne Sibley O'Brien

Dara's grandmother tells stories about growing up in Cambodia.

#Family #Grandmother #Asian #Cambodian #AsianAmerican #AAPI #War #Immigration #Refugee #Death #Culture

PreK-3

Watercress

Andrea Wang

A young girl's parents take watercress growing at roadside as vegetable, which she is embarrased. Then her parents share stories of family in the past experiencing hunger and difficult times and their appreciation of food and everything. Then the girl becomes to understand.

#Heritage #China #Immigrant #Asian #Family #Memory #Embarrassment #Culture #Poverty #Hunger

K-5

Yang Warriors

Kao Kalia Yang

A group of kids in refugee camp train themselves to be as brave and skillful as warriors. They seek opportunities to avoid soilders to seek fresh food to take care of other people in refugee camp.

#RefugeeCamp #Refugee #Brave #Children #Hardship #HmongAmerican #Asian #Intelligence #Help #CareOthers

PreK-3

Show Way

Woodson, Jacqueline

Soonie's great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation. She sewed secrets into quilt with unique patches that direct slaves to freedom. The special way of sewing is passed on to later generations.

#Slavery #Love #Family #Tradition #Activist #Freedom #Power #Heritage #History #AfricanAmerican

K-3

The Most Beautiful Thing

Kao Kalia Yang & Khoa Le

A girl struggling with her family's little money grows to appreciate the most important things in life through her grandmother's stories.

#Hmong #Family #Poverty #Asian #AsianAmerican #Immigration #SocialClass

1-2

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story

Thao Lam

A girl and her family flee to America from the war happening in their home country, Vietnam.

#Family #Refugee #War #Love #Flee #Vietnamese #Frighten #Separation #Courage #Wordless

PreK-4

Alfredito Flies Home

Jorge Argueta

An El Salvadorian refugee travels back home for the first time--on a plane--since fleeing to California on foot.

#Refugees #ElSalvador #America #Family #Traveling #Airplanes

2-5

Nim and the War Effort

Milly Lee & Yangsook Choi

Based on the author's childhood memories, Nim's story celebrates the patriotism of Asian family members in embracing their new home and country and their efforts to maintain their cultural traditions.

#Patriotism #HistoricalFiction #AsianAmerican #Chinatown #Family #War #Community #Prejudice #Racism #PowerOfChildren #WWII #Culture

2-5

Coolies

Yin & Chris Soentpiet

Shek and his brother Little Wong move to California to build railroads and save enough money to have their mother and other brothers join. However, they are met with many challenges of racism and difficult work.

#HistoricalFiction #Chinese #Asian #AsianAmerican #Perseverence #Prejudice #Racism #Railroads #1800s #Family

3-4

La Frontera / The Border

Deborah Mills, Alfredo Alva

A young boy and his father take a difficult trip from Mexico to Texas looking for a better life.

#Family #Fathers #Immigration #Mexican #MexicanAmerican #Border #Hispanic #Latinx #Migration #Poverty #Home #Perseverance #Courage