Children's Book Suggestions | Citizenship Status

In honor of the UN's International Day of Migrants, here are a few books for young readers about the experiences of immigrants and refugees.

Updated November 30, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Refugee
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
The award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel from Alan Gratz tells the timely--and timeless--story of three different kids seeking refuge. A New York Times bestseller! JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration...

Three stories of refugees from different times and places that intertwine in present-day New York City. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Front desk
Yang, Kelly
Paper Book
An empowering story of empathy, courage, and hope, based on the author's real-life experience immigrating to the US as a child and working at the front desk of the motel where her parents work. Ten year-old Mia Tang moved to the US for a better life, a freer life, but...

Another series based on the author's childhood experiences as an immigrant starring a Chinese girl whose parents take over the management of a hotel in 1990s LA. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

What is a refugee?
Gravel, Elise
Paper Book
Who are refugees? Why are they called that word? Why do they need to leave their country? In this simple, graphic and bold picture book for young children, author/illustrator Elise Gravel explores what it means to be a refugee. This book is the perfect tool to introduce an...

A colorful, straightforward guide to explaining this difficult topic to young children. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

Stepping stones: a refugee family's journey
Ruurs, Margriet
Paper Book
When I was little, not so long ago, my brother, Sami, our friends and I played on sunbaked soil. We laughed, ran across rocks and sand, free as birds. Then the birds stopped singing. People began to leave our village. First a trickle,...

A narrative story that recounts an all-too-common refugee experience, illustrated with stone collages. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)


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