Refugee Week: 6 Books to Read with your Kids

Refugee Week: 6 Books to Read with your Kids

The Little Refugee by Anh Do

Anh Do’s inspirational story about his family’s incredible escape from war-torn Vietnam and his childhood in Australia, told especially for children.

Anh Do nearly didn’t make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. It was a dangerous journey, with murderous pirates and terrifying storms, but they managed to survive. Life in suburban Australia was also hard for a small boy with no English and funny lunches. But there was a loving extended family, lots of friends, and always something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. And eventually for a young Anh, who tried hard to see the bright side of life no matter what the difficulty, there was triumph. The Little Refugee tells the uplifting and inspiring story of the incredible childhood of one of Australia’s favourite personalities. Ages 4+

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs

A unique dual-language (English and Arabic) picture book about the Syrian refugee crisis inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr.

Rama and her family are forced to leave behind everything they know and love. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama’s family sets out to find refuge in Europe. Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr’s stunning stone images illustrate Margriet Ruurs’s thoughtful and moving story.

Waves by Donna Rawlins, Mark Jackson and Heather Potter

Every journey is perilous, every situation heartbreaking. Every refugee is a person forced by famine or war or fear to leave their home, their families, their friends and all they know. Children have travelled on the waves of migration to the shores of Australia for tens of thousands of years.

This book tells some of their stories.Waves is a narrative non-fiction book about the waves of migration to the shores of Australia.

 

 

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf

Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.

There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it.

He’s nine years old (just like me), but he’s very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn’t like sweets – not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite!

But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn’t very strange at all. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help.

That’s where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we’ve come up with a plan. Ages 8+

My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner

A young boy discusses the journey he is about to make with his mother. They will leave their town, she explains, and it will be sad but also a little bit exciting. They will have to say goodbye to friends and loved ones, and that will be difficult. They will have to walk and walk and walk, and although they will see many new and interesting things, it will be difficult at times too. A powerful and moving exploration that draws the young reader into each stage of the journey, inviting the chance to imagine the decisions he or she would make.

Ages 3-6

 

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

“I look up to the birds that seem to be following us. They are migrating just like us. And their journey, like ours, is very long, but they don’t have to cross any borders.”

With haunting echoes of current affairs this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and everything they know to escape the turmoil and tragedy brought by war. This book will stay with you long after the last page is turned. Ages 3-6

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  1. Glenys Robinson says:

    Fabulous books. It would be great if our politicians read them too!