SJPL Picks: Immigration Stories in Picture BooksLike this list

50 items

• Lolo's Sari-sari Store

  Lee, Sophia N.,

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  After recently moving to the United States, a young girl reminisces about her time spent helping her Lolo run his sari-sari store in the Philippines, and uses some of his wisdom to make herself feel more at home.

• Maribel's Year

  Sterling, Michelle,

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  Celebrate the special connection between father and daughter in this gorgeously evocative picture book, recounting the year a little girl and her mother spend in America while waiting for her father to join them from the Philippines. After…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mina Belongs Here

  Niebuhr-Siebert, Sandra,

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  At Mina's kindergarten she listens to stories, songs and chatter in an unfamiliar language. She tries out sounds that roar in her throat and tickle her tongue until the new words feel like her own. Then one day, Mina realises that this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• To the Other Side

  Meza, Erika,

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  A girl reframes the dangerous border crossing between Mexico and the United States as a game to help her brother through the journey.

• Finding Papa

  Krans, Angela Pham,

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  Young Mai and her mother embark on a long, perilous journey from Vietnam to America to find Papa, who left ahead of them to start a better life for their family.

• Rosa's Song

  Rhee, Helena Ku,

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  Newly arrived from South Korea, Jae meets Rosa, who shows him that his imagination can bring back memories of his old home, which helps him guide other newly arrived kids.

• Tomatoes in My Lunchbox

  Manoli, Costantia,

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  [A]...child, newly arrived in another country, feels displaced, lonely, and a little scared on her first day of school. Her name doesn't sound the way she's used to hearing it. She knows she doesn't fit in. And when she eats her whole…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gibberish

  Vo, Young,

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  When Dat starts school in a country where he does not speak the language, everything around him sound like gibberish until a new friend helps him make sense of his new world.

• With Lots of Love

  Torres Sanchez, Jenny,

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  When she and her family move to the United States, Rocio, who has grown up in Central America, does her best to adjust but misses her Abuela a lot until she receives something special just in time for her birthday.

• I Am Golden

  Chen, Eva, 1980-

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  This moving ode to the immigrant experience, as well as a manifesto of self-love for Chinese American children, is a jubilant celebration of accepting who you are.

• Light for All

  Engle, Margarita,

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  The ever constant Statue of Liberty holds “the powerful light / of a mighty lamp / [that] shines / for all!" She shines as generations of immigrants join their families on our shores with anticipation and fear. She glows for the survivors…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Welcome Chair

  Wells, Rosemary,

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  In this story based on true events, a treasured wooden chair is passed down from family to family, with each new owner carving the word "welcome" in a new language.

• A Feast for Joseph

  Farish, Terry,

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  A resettled refugee kid loves his people’s ways of life and strives to feel at home in his new country. Joseph’s memories of the tented refugee camp in East Africa, where he used to live, are full of people eating together, dancing, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wishes

  Van, Muon,

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  Stunning illustrations tell the story of one family’s exodus from Việt Nam to the security of Hong Kong. The heartrending tale, told with minimal text, reveals the hardships faced by a mother and her three young children as they make an…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Like a Dandelion

  Lee, Huy Voun,

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  Like feathery seeds, a young girl and her mother take flight, putting down roots in an adopted country. Soon they blossom in their new home, strong and beautiful among hundreds of others just like them

• Home Is in Between

  Perkins, Mitali,

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  Shanti and her parents leave their Bengali village and move to America, where everything seems strange at first: the town, the language, and the people. Shanti constantly shifts back and forth, firmly holding on to the familiar world of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Watch Me

  a Story of Immigration and Inspiration

  Richards, Doyin, 1974-

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  Joe came to America from Africa when he was young. He worked hard in school, made friends, and embraced his new home. Like so many immigrants before and after him, Joe succeeded when many thought he would fail.

• A Thousand White Butterflies

  Betancourt-Perez, Jessica,

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  Newly arrived from Colombia, Isabella's first day of school in the United States is cancelled because of snow and when Isabella notices a girl playing outside she makes a new friend, despite the language barrier.

• Sugar in Milk

  Umrigar, Thrity N.,

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  A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness, with a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Paper Boat

  Lam, Thao,

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  In an Author’s Note, Lam ... likens refugees to ants: migratory, collaborative, adaptable, and resilient. In the brilliant Paper Boat, she captures these shared traits with simplicity and depth, using a limited palette of precise…Read moreRead more of this annotation