Current headlines include these concepts: borders, walls, refugees, family separations, authoritarian regimes. informants, and asylum seekers. These issues are not new. They were on the minds of people during the years following World War II.

Walls introduces young readers to the politics and intrigue behind a wall that was created sixty years ago as a guarded barrier, physically and ideologically dividing Berlin. This fictional account of events begins in August 1960 and culminates with initial construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961.

Fifteen-year-old Drew McMahon and his family relocate to Berlin for his father’s next military duty assignment. They reside in the zone occupied by America.

Drew’s mother views this as an opportunity reconnect with her German relatives. She introduces her family to their German cousin Matthias who lives in the Soviet Union Sector. Initially, both boys appear to have little in common. Drew plays baseball and is an "army brat." Matthias is a skillful soccer player who pledged to take up arms against NATO.

This little treasure is a love letter to community, culture, and heritage. My Two Border Towns chronicles a typical Saturday journey of a father and son to a nearby town. A routine that is both ordinary and extraordinary.

Cover art brilliantly depicts a mirrored image of young man. He’s the same person, but each image colors his world in a particular way.  Both towns offer context and dimension to his life.

Title page features a stylized overhead view of the two towns, the river that divides them and the road that connects them. The image is a prelude to a story of separation and connection.

It's going to be a special day. Nai Nai has invited Lili to help her make baos. This granddaughter not only loves to eat these steamed bundles of goodness, she loves to make them.

With charming watercolor illustrations, Lili describes each step. She begins by making the dough, then creating the filling, and finally tucking the filling inside each little pastry pillow. She refers to helpful cooking tips "secrets." 

When Nai Nai is missing cabbage leaves to line the bamboo basket and keep the bao from sticking, Lili ventures up to Babcia's apartment on the 5th floor for cabbage. She discovers that Babcia has cabbage to share but needs a potato for the pierogi she is making. This pattern continues. Lili traipses up and down the stairs, locating a missing ingredient for the resident grandmothers as each cooks her own version of savory filled pastries: ravioli, tamales, beef patties, fatayer, pierogis and of course, baos.

Details from each apartment showcase the diversity of this community. In addition to learning various names for grandmother, readers are introduced to common phrases and greetings in a variety of languages.

An infographic offers a concise map of Lili’s journey throughout the apartment complex. The location for each type of dumpling is identified.  Bonus: ​A bao recipe is included.

Melissa Iwai's Dumplings for Lili is delicious introduction to a variety of tastes and cultures. 

The tale begins in the dead of night as a young girl rouses from sleep and with her immediate family prepares to leave behind all that she has ever known and travel across the sea in search of the promise of safety and security.

Wishes tells the immigration story from an unusual point of view. This perilous journey is described through the wishes of inanimate objects.
​
​A bag wished it was deeper.
The boat wised to be bigger.
​The heart wished it was stronger.

Mượn Thị Văn based the narrative on her family's experience as immigrants and refugees. Her sparse yet thoughtfully selected text tells a powerful story.

The plight of immigrants arriving at the United States’ Southern Border is well documented.  Politicians, media outlets, community leaders, humanitarian groups, and religious organizations have weighed in on the subject.

​Seventeen Mexican and Mexican Americans artists illustrate the children’s descriptions of their current surroundings. These artists’ distinctive illustration styles offers readers a views of the migrant experience from multiple perspectives. Follow the links listed below to view the work of each visual artist.

"Project Amplify is a national nonprofit (501c3) launched to establish legal protections for children in government care." Co-Founders Professors Warren Binford, Hope Frye, Erin Albanese work to shape legislation and provide legal support for child migrants. All royalties from Hear My Voice/Esucha mi voz will be donated to Project Amplify. 

Picture books for young readers.

Chapter books for middle grade.

Not every story has a happily-ever-after. Some stories are drawn from the well of sorrows and painted with tears of anguish. Aida Salazar gives young audiences a searing portrait of the life of girl trapped in the nightmare of an immigrant from Mexico seeking asylum in the United States.

Betita lives in East Los Angeles with her parents who are undocumented workers, hoping to find a permanent home in the United States. Her father works as a construction laborer and dishwasher. Her pregnant mother earns money as a nanny.  Though life is challenging, these parents dream of building a new life for their family in the United States.

One day the unthinkable happens. Papi is apprehended by ICE agents for failure to appear in court and is taken into custody. Betita is left with an aching heart and a small square of fabric from her father's pillow.

​

Like Scheherazade, ​Nayeri weaves a thousand and one tales into an opulent Persian tapestry: a story of mythology and memoir, of lineage and loss. A story that is as true as what you see with your own eyes and as real as what you cannot see.
The saga begins as a ten-year-old Iranian refugee stands up in an Oklahoma schoolroom and tells classmates his story, his history.
There are so many things going on in this narrative. Several pages are devoted to considerations of poop. It should not be surprising. This is not some esoteric philosophical treatise, although there are ample references to God and religion, anxiety and resilience, dignity and prejudice. At its core, it is a story of basic human needs. It's a story of survival. Nayeri lays bare his heart, his devotion to his mother, his complicated relationship with his father. It’s a guidebook for navigating a strange western culture and for methodically escaping the cruelty of others. It’s all of it. 

A middle grade tale that is funny, heartwarming and painfully honest. Daughter of immigrant parents, eleven-year-old Yumi Chung constantly feels parental pressure to excel academically.
Mom has decided that Yumi will spend her summer with tutoring sessions in preparation for the SSAT, Secondary School Admission Test. ​​​Yumi grudgingly heads off for morning test prep sessions combined with three hours of afternoon study at the library.
Then something amazing happens.
​She discovers a comedy club adjacent to the library.  YouTube sensation Jasmine Jasper is facilitating a comedy camp. Yumi succumbs to temptation and steps inside. She is mistaken for a camp registrant who failed to show. Here’s Yumi’s chance to shine. Performing using another identity frees her from stage fright. She is a success!

Late 1930's were perilous times in Europe. The Nazi party was ascending to power and invading surrounding nations.
Twelve-year-old Esther’s family are Polish Jews. They face a future filled with uncertainty and fear. Bravely Esther leaves her mother, siblings, and grandmother to join her father in Cuba. The plan: father and daughter will secure funds for the entire family to escape the dire conditions in their homeland and emigrate to Cuba.
Through a series of letters to her sister, Esther describes her life in this new country. Her correspondence is infused with sensory descriptions: luscious tropical fruit, beautiful countryside, eloquent Spanish language, and the poetry of José Matí. ​She tells of heartbreaking setbacks and small triumphs.
​Initially, the two earn money peddling religious statues in the predominantly Catholic villages. It seems an unusual thing: Jews selling religious statues. Sadly, this venture produces little income.

Siblings Sara and Emiliano Zapata are on the run, hoping to elude an international human trafficking cartel. Illegal continues their story which began with Disappeared. After leaving Juárez, Mexico, the two separately cross the Rio Grande River, hoping to outpace and outsmart the syndicate.
The story is told in the alternating voices of the brother and sister. Sara opts to legally request asylum as she believes that ample documentation will support her amnesty claim. Emiliano chooses to go underground, hiding in the back of a horse trailer to evade detection and eventually living in the basement of his father’s home in a Chicago suburb.
​​The two share an dangerous secret: a cell phone containing damning photographs and documents detailing human trafficking that originates in Mexico and extends into the United States. Sara entrusts the phone to her brother. Sara and Emiliano must protect this valuable piece of evidence without endangering one another.

Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed's When Stars Are Scattered introduces readers to the reality of survival for displaced individuals, an existence filled with deprivation, uncertainty, and boredom.
Jamieson chronicles the childhood of Somali refugees Omar Mohamed and his younger brother Hassan.
​The narrative is based on Omar’s memories. He and Hassan escaped Somalia's civil war, lost contact with their parents, and were given shelter at a camp located in Kenya. Looked after by a kind woman, they subsist on meager rations and sleep in a tiny tent. Omar assumes responsibility for disabled brother's daily care. Life changes when a UN worker suggests that Omar attend a school organized for the camp's children. Education becomes his lifeline and an escape from the grim reality of camp life. Fifteen long years later, the two resettle in Arizona.

A comic book set in 1946 with 2020 sensibilities features the traditional superhero trope: Man of Steel versus an archenemy. Metropolis is plagued with a sinister influence. It’s up to the caped crusader with an assist from a couple of kids to defeat evil and protect the city’s citizens.
​Inspired by the 1940s Superman radio series “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” Gene Luen Yang chronicles a lesser-known aspect of bigotry and racism in American history: Chinese Americans targeted by white supremacists.
​​​The narrative has two plot threads. Alternating stories chronicle a Chinese American family's move from Chinatown to a new neighborhood. This is juxtaposed with the tale of a superhero arriving to earth from another planet. ​Both threads explore the plight of individuals who are perceived as different. ​Both are stories of immigrants. Stories of aliens.

Addition books featuring immigrants. The titles include a variety of immigrant experiences.
Some stories are memoirs, others offer fictionalized narratives. The assortment includes various formats: picture book, poetry, prose, and graphic novel. There are titles for elementary school, middle grade, and young adult audiences.
Sample several different titles for a deeper understanding of the immigrant story.

Omar Mohamed's initiative helps students in an African refugee camp succeed in school  Refugee Strong.

Inspiring stories from the people who have welcomed refugees. International Rescue Committee offers specific suggestions to support refugees.