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When Mamá is sent to a detention center in Tijuana because she doesn’t have the right immigration papers, José must get used to life without her. He and his father visit Mamá at the center, where they talk about the future in which they will be together. Based on the experiences of René Colato Laínez’s students, both he and illustrator Joe Cepeda strike the right balance of honesty and hope in depicting this difficult yet common situation for families along the border.

From North to South

René Colato Laínez

Illustrator:

Joe Cepeda

Age Level:

6-9

Product Descriptoin: “After fleeing war-torn Russia and trekking across Europe, determined to make a new life for themselves in America, in Sept. 1922, 11-year-old Yehuda Weinstein, his mother, & his younger sister boarded the S.S. Rotterdam, bound for the U.S.What happens to Yehuda and his family on Ellis Island is both a touching story & an illuminating account of the immigrant experience. Illuminated with beautifully evocative paintings, family photos, period postcards, and sepia prints.”

Journey to Ellis Island

Carol Bierman, Barbara Hehner

Illustrator:

Laurie McGaw

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: “In 1933, seven-year-old Li Keng’s father decided to bring his family from a small village in southern China to California. Getting to America was not easylife in America during the Great Depression brought many exciting surprises as well as a few disappointments. Hunger, poverty, police raids, frequent moves, and the occasional sting of racism were a part of everyday life, but slowly Li Keng and her family found stability and a true home in Gold Mountain.”

Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain

Li Keng Wong

Age Level:

9-12

“Narrated by elder sister Annushka, the story tells of two Russian girls who leave their native home and their beloved grandparents to begin a new life in New York with their father. Their parting from their relatives is wrenching, yet their future is full of possibilityAn afterword includes an antique photograph of the real sisters, the author’s mother and aunt, along with a historical note regarding the persecution of Jews in Russia during the late 1800s.” — School Library Journal

Annushka’s Voyage

Edith Tarbescu

Illustrator:

Lydia Dabcovich

Age Level:

6-9

Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story

Eve Bunting

Illustrator:

Ben F. Stahl

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Fiction, Historical Fiction

When Sun learns that it is time to make the journey to America, he begins to prepare for his interrogation at Angel Island. Sun studies hard, but he often gets the directions of the compass mixed up. What will happen if he can’t remember if the school is east or west of his house? Based on the story of her father-in-law, Milly Lee provides a touching look at the story of Chinese immigrants who came through Angel Island, complemented by Yangsook Choi’s lovely and evocative paintings.

Landed

Milly Lee

Illustrator:

Yangsook Choi

Age Level:

6-9

“Kai, 12, is the fourth-generation male in his family to leave China for the U.S. He’s on his way to join his father, who is an American citizen in San Francisco. But after the long journey and tense medical examination, Kai is locked up on Angel IslandThe character Kai is based on a real person, whose photos, then and now, are part of the historical notes at the back of the book. Opposite each page of the intensely moving, detailed text are beautiful full-page watercolor-and-pencil illustrations that capture the crowded holding place, and, in unforgettable close-ups, the characters’ heartbreak and strength.” — Booklist

Kai’s Journey To Gold Mountain: An Angel Island Story

Katrina Saltonstall Currier

Illustrator:

Gabhor Utomo

Age Level:

6-9

Based on his father’s immigration files from Angel Island, Laurence Yep and his niece Dr. Kathleen S. Yep bring us the story of a ten-year-old boy from China who must prepare for his interrogation at Angel Island. The young boy memorizes everything from the layout of his village to the number of doors in the house, and continues his study on the sea voyage to San Francisco with his father. The Yeps provide a powerful account of the intensity and challenge Chinese immigrants faced at Angel Island, as well as the complexity of the relationships for those families who were spread between China and the U.S.

The Dragon’s Child: A Story of Angel Island

Laurence Yep, Dr. Kathleen S. Yep

Age Level:

9-12

We the People: Angel Island

Alice K. Flanagan

Age Level:

9-12

Grandmother has a surprise for Mayumie — is it a visit to the zoo, a museum, or the big city? When they finally reach their destination, Mayumie understands what makes visiting a cherry blossom grove so special: the beautiful pink flowers only bloom once a year! Readers will be enchanted by the magic of the story and the illustrations that capture the stunning colors of the cherry blossom trees. An author’s note provides historical details, as well as information on the cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC.

The Falling Flowers

Jennifer B. Reed

Illustrator:

Henry Cole

Age Level:

9-12

Genre:

Fiction

On a summer day when no one can think of anything to do, “playing war” seems like the perfect way to spend the day to Luke and his friends — until they realize that their new friend, Sameer, has had more experience with war than any of his friends can imagine. Beckwith and Lyon offer a poignant look at real and imagined war from a child’s point of view. Teachers with refugees may find this an effective bridge for discussion.

Playing War

Kathy Beckwith

Illustrator:

Lea Lyon

Age Level:

6-9

After much practice, Mai is finally ready to make her own pa’dau, or embroidered story cloth. Listening to the stories of her grandmother and the other women at the refugee camp, however, she feels that there are no stories left for her to stitch. Can she find a story of her own? This moving tribute to the Hmong people is richly enhanced by a breathtaking, intricate story cloth woven for the book by pa’ndau artist You Yang.

The Whispering Cloth

Pegi Deitz Shea, You Yang

Illustrator:

Anita Riggio

Age Level:

9-12

Lina has not worn shoes for two years. On the day that new clothes are delivered to her refugee camp, she is excited to find a beautiful yellow sandal with a blue flower in the middle. She wonders where the other sandal might be — until she sees it on another girl. Evocative paintings capture the spirit of friendship that develops between these two survivors, as well as the dramatic setting of their story. Based on the lives of Afghan refugees living in the Peshawar Refugee Camp.

Four Feet, Two Sandals

Karen Lynn Williams, Khadra Mohammad

Illustrator:

Doug Chayka

Age Level:

6-9

Ziba has left the war-torn Afghanistan to come to a place that is safer and warmer — Australia. As the tiny fishing boat rises and falls on the sea, Ziba remembers all that she left behind, and dreams of the freedom that awaits her in her new life. Haunting illustrations convey both the pain and hope that consumes Ziba on her journey. Based on the stories of the Hazara refugees living in Australia.

Ziba Came on a Boat

Liz Lofthouse

Illustrator:

Robert Ingpen

Age Level:

6-9

Every day, Angelina tells her mother she wants to go home. Not to their new city home, cold and gray and unfamiliar — but their old island home in Jamaica, sunny and colorful and filled with rainbow-colored fruits and birds. Angelina believes she’ll never feel at home in this new place, until her mother finds a wonderful surprise in the newspaper. A beautiful tribute to the traditions of the West Indies, Carnival, and the longing for home that young immigrants will recognize immediately.

Angelina’s Island

Jeanette Winter

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

As a young girl begins to get used to her new life in the U.S., she compares everything around her to life back in her country. Some things — like sharing a big meal with her family — are just like home. Other things, however, like not being able to speak to her classmates easily, are not like home. The simple structure and colorful illustrations of the story provide an interesting model for immigrant or new students to compare one home to another. Bilingual text.

Just Like Home

Elizabeth I. Miller

Illustrator:

Mira Reisberg

Age Level:

3-6

When Krysia is six, her family leaves Poland for America. The journey is difficult, as is the arrival at Ellis Island when the family is separated. While the family waits for Papa, Krysia sits down by the Christmas Tree of the Great Hall at Ellis Island and watches as other fellow travelers begin to sing and dance. The mood is festive, but Krysia begins to worry — will Papa ever return? Cultural details from Polish customs passed down through the author’s family enhance the touching story of one family’s Ellis Island experience.

An Ellis Island Christmas

Maxinne Rhea Leighton

Illustrator:

Dennis Nolan

Age Level:

9-12

Every once in awhile, Grandma shares the story of her mother’s journey to America as a young girl. Grandma doesn’t leave anything out, from the moment her mother boards the ship with her older brother to the moment the children are reunited with their parents. Levinson offers a touching portrayal of the immigrant experience that children will relate to, complemented by Goode’s detailed and often humorous illustrations. This book is featured in Reading Rainbow episode #29 about immigration.

Watch the Stars Come Out

Riki Levinson

Illustrator:

Diane Goode

Age Level:

6-9

Annala lives with her family in New York — everyone, that is, except for her two little brothers. She misses them terribly, but whenever she asks her parents when they will come, they can only respond, “Soon, Annala.” Annala can’t help wonder, however, if that day will ever arrive. A touching depiction of the separation that so many immigrant families endure in search of a better life. Out of print but may be available in libraries.

Soon, Annala

Riki Levinson

Illustrator:

Julie Downing

Age Level:

6-9

When Miss Bridie left her homeland in 1856, she could have brought any number of things on her journey — but she chose a shovel. With the shovel, she creates a new life for herself filled with gardens, orchards, ice skating, and a family. The story provides an opportunity for students to think about what they would take if they were moving to a new country, as well as the ingenuity and hard work of our nationâ€™s immigrants.

Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel

Leslie Connor

Illustrator:

Mary Azarian

Age Level:

6-9

Meet Rachel and her cousin, Grisha, two Jewish children living in a small town in Russia. When soldiers begin to attack their town, the family decides that they must set sail for America and their grandmother offers Grisha a new coat instead of his old, tattered coat so that the family will make a good impression at Ellis Island. Grisha insists, however, on keeping the coat that is so special to him — a decision that ultimately helps keep the family together in America. Based loosely on a true story, young readers will appreciate the emotional impact of the story as well as the beautifully evocative illustrations.

The Memory Coat

Elvira Woodruff

Illustrator:

Michael Dooling

Age Level:

6-9

Meet Sofia, a feisty 9-year-old who has left Italy and her precious tomatoes behind for a new life in America. Despite a grueling journey, all goes according to plan — until she is detained at Ellis Island. This chapter book from the “My America” series offers an unusual look at the experience of detained immigrants from a young girl’s point of view.

My America: Hope in My Heart

Katherine Lasky

Age Level:

9-12

Mario is leaving El Salvador with a new pair of shoes — and a good thing, too, because he has a long and difficult journey ahead of him to reach a new country. His shoes carry him through rain and across mountains, all the way to the river where his mother is waiting on the other side. Young readers may need some information explaining the context of the story, which is based on the author’s journey from El Salvador in 1985. Painted illustrations on grainy wood backgrounds match the gritty but hopeful tone of the story.

My Shoes and I

René Colato Laínez

Age Level:

9-12

Betsy Maestro takes readers through America’s rich and complex history of immigration, highlighting the ways that each wave of immigrants helped America become the nation it is today. Maestro’s inclusion of Native Americans and African slaves underscores her thoughtful and sensitive approach, which she masterfully conveys through her accessible writing. Readers will pore over Susannah Ryan’s detailed and playful illustration spreads depicting immigrants of all backgrounds sharing activities here in America together.

Coming to America: The Story of Immigration

Betsy Maestro

Illustrator:

Susannah Ryan

Age Level:

6-9

Reading 101

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Book Finder

From North to South

Journey to Ellis Island

Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain

Annushka’s Voyage

Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story

Landed

Kai’s Journey To Gold Mountain: An Angel Island Story

The Dragon’s Child: A Story of Angel Island

We the People: Angel Island

The Falling Flowers

Playing War

The Whispering Cloth

Four Feet, Two Sandals

Ziba Came on a Boat

Angelina’s Island

Just Like Home

An Ellis Island Christmas

Watch the Stars Come Out

Soon, Annala

Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel

The Memory Coat

My America: Hope in My Heart

My Shoes and I

Coming to America: The Story of Immigration

Book Finder

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