Refugees and Immigrants

Complete Book List

I’m New Here is a simple text about three kids trying to adapt to their new school and homes.

In French and English, Where in the World, is a more sophisticated text for older students.

 

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War, Peace, and Remembering

Here are some great books for reading with kids this Remembrance Day.

Why Do We Fight? is a fantastic book about how conflicts happen. Loaded with information, this is a great book to explore with older kids. I love the lay out of the book, with it’s stark graphic design and simple colours.

 

The award winning book The Sky of Afghanistan is gorgeously illustrated and tells of how one girl wishes for peace in her homeland.

What Does Peace Feel Like? is the perfect starter for writing about or presenting on peace. Read it aloud and have the kids brainstorm their own ideas. Use the ideas to write poetry, statements about what peace means to them, creating posters, or short speeches for presentation.

A Little Peace has beautifully photographs and simple text that makes it a perfect read aloud for younger students.

I LOVE this almost wordless book that begins with a frog sitting peacefully in a rock and ends in full scale war. Great to read with older kids to launch discussions on war and conflict.

Not a typical pick for Remembrance Day, The Rabbits, is a thought provoking tale of how one group arrive in a new land, takes over, enslaving the original inhabitants, and creates a harsh industrial landscape in a once beautiful land. I think it supposed to tell the tale of colonization in Australia, but you can easily draw parallels to European arrival in the Americas. A great pick for older students.

Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen is one of my most favourite books to read aloud with children. It always makes me cry. It is the true story of a young woman, living in a concentration camp, who rescues a group of children left to die. She hides them in the camp and with the help of many people, manages to feed them and keep them alive throughout World War II.

Along the same lines, this novel is the true story of a young Jewish boy living in Poland during World War II. When Germany invades Poland, Yanek Gruener and his family are forced to live in a Jewish ghetto. The family struggles to survive and is eventually split when his parents are deported and taken to a concentration camp. Yanek is on his own in the ghetto until he too is taken away. In three years, Yanek Gruener lives in 10 different concentration camps.

 

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Why Do We Fight?

Gorgeously designed book about why people fight. Clearly describes how large and small conflicts happen. Promotes critical thinking.

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The Road to Afghanistan

A story of la young soldier who goes on a peacekeeping mission to Afghanistan. Beautiful paintings illustrate a country in turmoil from a foreign soldier’s point of view.

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Remember

A few books I recommend for Remembrance Day…

Focus on Peace:

Such a great book. Paulie Patrami achieves world peace one cupcake at a time. How will you achieve world peace?

Each two page spread begins with the statement: Somewhere today and then tells how peace is happening around the world. Photographs include a variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

Beautiful photographs of people all over the world, very simple text.

And a couple books about war:

The true story of a young woman who saves a group of children, hides them, feeds them, and cares for them in a concentration camp. This

True story of a stuffed bear sent in a care package to a young soldier in World War 1. The bear returns from the war, but the soldier doesn’t.

This is one of my most favourite books. A wordless picture book that begins with a peaceful frog sitting with his flower on a rock, that somehow evolves into an all out war. Brilliant for discussions.

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