A while back I shared some excellent middle-grade reads illuminating the immensely difficult sagas of refugees and asylum seekers. Today I’ve got another stack of powerful, poignant, hopeful stories of both immigrants and refugees. Some are ideal for young children; …
Tag: war
the Somme and the Psammead…a WWI novel for Veterans’ Day
Five Children on the Western Front, by Kate Saunders first published in the UK, 2014; American edition 2016 by Delacorte Press 247 pages Today is Veterans’ Day. Remembrance Day in other parts of the world. Set apart due to the …
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the harrowing journey of a refugee
The Journey, written and illustrated by Francesca Sanna published in 2016 by Flying Eye Books I’ll just tell you right from the start — this stunning book is one of my all-time favorites of 2016. The plight of the refugee. …
children’s literature in a grief-struck world
By far the most popular post I’ve written in five years of blogging is my musing on the role of children’s literature in a sorrowing world. I wrote that in March of this year. Here we are in November, and …
a pain so deep…the life of a child soldier
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War, by Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine, illustrated by Claudia Dávila published in 2015 by Kids Can Press There is no shortage of terrible realities to mourn in our world, …
all kinds of courage…six for Veterans’ Day
With thanks and recognition to veterans and their families: Tucky Jo and Little Heart, written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco published in 2015; a Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Master storyteller Patricia Polacco brings us …
The Day My Father Became a Bush…a quirky, affecting refugee story
I have one more book to open your heart to the refugee experience, this time a short chapter book with a small heroine you’ll love. The Day My Father Became a Bush, written and illustrated by Joke van Leeuwen published …
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war and peace…five journeys towards peace in a war-torn world
Who will Time Magazine’s Person of the Year be this year, I wonder? If a refugee is not in the running, I will be surprised, even disappointed. What a year it has been for the innocent victims of war. And what …
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fiction favorites…The Red Pencil
The Red Pencil, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Shane W. Evans published in 2014 by Little, Brown and Company In her small Sudanese village, Amira has grown up simply and happily. Her parents love her. The wheat on their …
kids caring about the world…a sampling of kids’ lit with a humanitarian heartbeat
How big is your world? Those of us living in the U.S., sadly, really have to work at pushing the boundaries of our world past local affairs and celebrity gossip. News headlines omit much real, often painful, news of the …
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