11 Books to Teach Students About the Refugee Experience

From We Are Teachers: 11 Books to Teach Students About the Refugee Experience:

Stories about refugees are often featured in the news, both on television and on social media. When you return to the classroom this fall, questions about refugees might come up, as there’s a good chance that your students have seen these stories and are curious:

What’s a refugee? Someone who had to leave their home country and can’t return. Why did they leave? Because of war or other things that might harm them.Where do they go? They go to other countries. Here are 11 Books to Teach Students About the Refugee Experience that you can use to develop student understanding.

Here is a list of 11 children's books to teach students about the refugee experience that you can use to develop student understanding.

1. My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald (K–3)

MY TWO BLANKETS tells the story of a refugee from Africa and how she makes a new friend by sharing her language, one word at a time. This story about the refugee resettlement experience also has themes about friendship and dealing with change.

2. LOST AND FOUND CAT by Doug Kuntz (K–3)

LOST AND FOUND CAT is the true story of how one family took their cat with them when they fled Iraq. On the way to Greece, a frightened Kunkush escapes, and the family has to continue on without him. When aid workers find Kunkush, they work to reunite him with his family. This book introduces children to the basics of how and why people leave their country as well as the ways that people help along the way.

Read on for more recommended Books to Teach Students About the Refugee Experience from We Are Teachers.