Diverse Books - Refugee Experience - Picture Books

Based on a true story, this inspiring tale shows how a desperate situation can be improved by finding common ground through play.

Hassan, newly-arrived in the United States and feeling homesick, paints a picture at school that shows his old home in Somalia as well as the reason his family had to leave.

"Follows young Mai and her mother's perilous journey from Vietnam to America to find Papa--who left ahead of them to start a better life for their family"--

After his home is destroyed by war, eight-year-old Viktor finds hope in the survival of two very special fish.

"When war threatens their home, Idriss and his mother must flee. He clutches his lucky charm--a single marble--throughout their journey, walking over hazardous terrain, crawling under barbed wire, and sailing on a fragile little boat. Will the marble's luck help them avoid capture and bring them to the safety of a new world?"--

When an Iraqi family is forced to flee their home, they can t bear to leave their beloved cat, Kunkush, behind. So they carry him with them from Iraq to Greece, keeping their secret passenger hidden away. But during the crowded boat crossing to Greece, his carrier breaks and the frightened cat runs from the chaos. In one moment, he is gone. After an unsuccessful search, his family has to continue their journey, leaving brokenhearted. A few days later,...

When Saya's mother is sent to jail as an illegal immigrant, she sends her daughter a cassette tape with a song and a bedtime story, which inspires Saya to write a story of her own--one that just might bring her mother home.

"One night they came ... The darkness grew colder, deeper, darker, and swallowed up everything ... Marwan is a young boy on a journey he never intended to take, bound for a place he doesn't know. On his journey, he relies on courage and memories of his faraway homeland to buoy him. With him are hundreds and thousands of other human beings, crossing the deserts and the seas, fleeing war and hunger in search of safety. He must take one step after another--bringing...

After leaving his war-torn country with his family, Mustafa visits a park near his new home and finds beautiful flowers, lady bugs, fall leaves, and finally, a friend.

A homesick little girl who has recently moved to an unfamiliar country comforts herself by clinging to an old blanket, but when she meets a new friend, the relationship helps her take her first steps into a new culture.