Youth Immigrant Experience Booklist

The Welcoming Library invites readers of all ages to explore stories about our New Arrival and New American families. Let’s welcome our new friends as we celebrate our commonalities and differences! This collection of New Arrival and New American picture books will be highlighted in a pop-up displays unit in many of our community libraries this spring. While the displays in branch feature in-library browsing copies, you will find these titles on library shelves, available to check out.

Updated April 7, 2023
F
Fort Vancouver Regional Library DistrictProgram Librarian
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The suitcase
Naylor-Ballesteros, Chris
A powerful story about immigration, trust, and new beginnings, full of heart and humanity, for anyone who has ever felt unwelcome or out of place. Perfect for fans of Allen Say, Francesca Sanna, and Yuyi Morales.  When a weary stranger arrives one day, with...
Watercress
Wang, Andrea
Caldecott Medal Winner Newbery Honor Book APALA Award Winner A story about the power of sharing memories-including the painful ones-and the way our heritage stays with and shapes us, even when we don't see it. New England Book Award Winner A...
Wherever I go
Copp, Mary Wagley
A hopeful and timely picture book about a spirited little girl living in a refugee camp. Of all her friends, Abia has been at the Shimelba Refugee Camp the longest--seven years, four months, and sixteen days. Papa says that's too long and they need a forever home. Until then,...
Story boat
Maclear, Kyo
When a little girl and her younger brother are forced along with their family to flee the home they've always known, they must learn to make a new home for themselves-wherever they are. And sometimes the smallest things-a cup, a blanket, a lamp, a flower, a story-can become a port of hope in a...
My two blankets
Kobald, Irena
Cartwheel moves to a new country with her auntie, and everything is strange: the animals, the plants--even the wind. An old blanket gives Cartwheel comfort when she's sad--and a new blanket just might change her world. This multicultural story of friendship is about...
My two blankets
Kobald, Irena
Cartwheel moves to a new country with her auntie, and everything is strange: the animals, the plants--even the wind. An old blanket gives Cartwheel comfort when she's sad--and a new blanket just might change her world. This multicultural story of friendship is about...

eBook

Wishes
Van, Muon
An arresting, poetic journey and a moving reflection on immigration, family, and home, from an acclaimed creative team. Wishes tells the powerful, honest story about one Vietnamese family's search for a new home on the other side of the world, and the long-lasting and powerful...
That's NOT how you do it! /
Hofmann-Maniyar, Ariane,
Lucy knows how to do everything. She knows how to eat with a spoon and fork, play the xylophone, paint elephants - and lots more besides! All her friends ask her for help if they need to know the right way to do something. When Toshi arrives, Lucy thinks he can't do anything properly at all. He eats...
A Different Pond
Phi, Bao
A 2018 Caldecott Honor Book that Kirkus Reviews calls "a must-read for our times," A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Graphic novelist Thi Bui and acclaimed poet Bao Phi deliver a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and...
A different pond
Phi, Bao
A 2018 Caldecott Honor Book that Kirkus Reviews calls "a must-read for our times," A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Graphic novelist Thi Bui and acclaimed poet Bao Phi deliver a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and...

eBook

Priya dreams of marigolds & masala
Patel, Meenal
Priya lives in the United States and her family is from India. She feels the magic of the place her family comes from through her Babi Ba's colorful descriptions of India--from the warm smell of spices to the swish-swish sound of a rustling sari. Together, Priya and Babi Ba make their heritage live...
The little house of hope
Jennings, Terry Catasu?s
When Esperanza and her family arrive in the United States from Cuba, they rent a little house, una casita. It may be small, but they soon prove that there's room enough to share with a whole community. "It was a little house. Una casita . . . It was small.
Watercress
Wang, Andrea.
Caldecott Medal Winner Newbery Honor Book APALA Award Winner A story about the power of sharing memories--including the painful ones--and the way our heritage stays with and shapes us, even when we don't see it.  New England Book Award Winner

eBook

In my mosque
Yuksel, M. O.
Don't miss out on this beautiful celebration of Islam and mosques as spaces for spiritual gathering! Step in and discover all the rituals and wonder of the mosque in this lyrical debut picture book from M. O Yuksel, with gorgeous artwork from New York Times bestselling illustrator Hatem...
Wishes
Van, Muon Thi.

eBook

When Lola visits
Sterling, Michelle
Four starred reviews! In an evocative picture book brimming with the scents, tastes, and traditions that define a young girl's summer with her grandmother, debut author Michelle Sterling and illustrator Aaron Asis come together to celebrate the gentle bonds of familial love that...
Alma y co mo obtuvo su nombre
Martinez-Neal, Juana
¿Cómo terminó Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela con un nombre tan largo? Mientras Papi le cuenta la historia de cada uno de sus nombres, Alma comienza a sentir cómo cabe perfectamente en ellos. What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story...

en español

Alma and how she got her name
Martinez-Neal, Juana
A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book "A beautifully illustrated, tender story to be shared with all children, sure to evoke conversations about their names." --School Library Journal (starred review) If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too...
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Martinez-Neal, Juana.
A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book "A beautifully illustrated, tender story to be shared with all children, sure to evoke conversations about their names." --School Library Journal (starred review) If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too...

eBook

Auntie Luce's talking paintings
Latour, Francie
A Haitian American girl finds connection to generations of family lore in this story of identity, heart and home. Every winter, a young girl flies to Haiti to visit her Auntie Luce, a painter. The moment she steps off the plane, she feels a wall of heat, and familiar sights soon...
Where are you from?
Me ndez, Yamile Saied
This resonant and award-winning picture book tells the story of one girl who constantly gets asked a simple question that doesn't have a simple answer. A great conversation starter in the home or classroom--a book to share, in the spirit of I Am Enough by Grace Byers and...
Dario and the whale
Malone, Cheryl Lawton
CCBC Choices 2017 Little Free Library Action Book Club, Young Readers A lonely boy spending his first summer at Cape Cod and a right whale calf who has migrated to the area with his mother become unlikely friends.
Salma the Syrian chef
Ramadan, Ahmad Danny.
"Sure to become a favorite book about overcoming hardships and helping others. This is truly one story not to be missed." --Provo Library Children's Book Reviews 17 awards, nominations, and distinctions! Newcomer Salma and friends cook up a heartwarming dish to cheer up Mama. ...
Dreamers
Morales, Yuyi.
We are resilience. We are hope. We are dreamers. Yuyi Morales brought her hopes, her passion, her strength, and her stories with her, when she came to the United States in 1994 with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.<...

eBook

Someone new
O'Brien, Anne Sibley
"A great book to help students of all ages understand how they can welcome new members into their classrooms and communities."−School Library Journal In this companion story to I'm New Here, three elementary schoolers--who aren't new--begin to understand and...
Somos como las nubes = We are like the clouds
Argueta, Jorge
An eloquent and timely plea for understanding refugees. Why are young people leaving their country to walk to the United States to seek a new, safe home? Over 100,000 such children have left Central America. This book of poetry helps us to understand why and what it is like to be them. ...

Bilingual

Dreamers
Morales, Yuyi
We are resilience. We are hope. We are dreamers. Yuyi Morales brought her hopes, her passion, her strength, and her stories with her, when she came to the United States in 1994 with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.<...
The journey
Sanna, Francesca
". . . a wonderful teaching tool for those who are welcoming refugees into their community."--The New York Times With haunting echoes of the current refugee crisis this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and...
Two white rabbits
Buitrago, Jairo
In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the US border. They travel mostly on the roof of a train known as The Beast, but the little girl doesn't know where they are going. She counts the animals by...
Dos conejos blancos
Buitrago, Jairo
In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the US border. They travel mostly on the roof of a train known as The Beast, but the little girl doesn't know where they are going. She counts the animals by...

en español

Where Are You From
Saied Méndez, Yamil
This resonant and award-winning picture book tells the story of one girl who constantly gets asked a simple question that doesn't have a simple answer. A great conversation starter in the home or classroom--a book to share, in the spirit of I Am Enough by Grace Byers and...

eBook

I'm new here
O'Brien, Anne Sibley
Three students are immigrants from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia and have trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English in their new American elementary school. Through self-determination and with encouragement from their peers and teachers, the students learn to feel confident and...
La casita de Esperanza
Jennings, Terry Catasu?s
When Esperanza and her family arrive in the United States from Cuba, they buy a little house, una casita. It may be small, but they soon prove that there's room enough to share with a whole community. "It was a little house. Una casita . . . It was small.

en español

Big red lollipop
Khan, Rukhsana
Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, and her mother, Ami, insists that she bring her little sister along. Rubina is mortified, but she can't convince Ami that you just don't bring your younger sister to your friend's party. So both girls go, and not only does Sana demand to win every...
Anya's secret society
Nayberg, Yevgenia
In Russia, right-handedness is demanded--it is the right way. This cultural expectation stifles young Anya's creativity and artistic spirit as she draws the world around her in secret. Hiding away from family, teachers, and neighbors, Anya imagines a secret society of famous left-handed artists...
Mustafa
Gay, Marie-Louise.
Boston Globe, Best 2018 Books for Children TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Finalist Mustafa and his family traveled a long way to reach their new home. Some nights Mustafa dreams about the country he used to live in, and he wakes up not knowing where he is. Then his...
My day with Gong Gong
Yee, Sennah
A day in Chinatown takes an unexpected turn when a bored little girl makes a connection with her grandpa. May isn't having fun on her trip through Chinatown with her grandfather. Gong Gong doesn't speak much English, and May can't understand Chinese. She's hungry, and bored with Gong Gong...

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