Comings and Goings: History through the Eyes of Refugees

When I started collecting titles for World Refugee Day, I thought I might be hard pressed to assemble a respectable representation. But the abundance of books that came readily to hand testifies to the importance and relevance of this topic.

Circumstances that prompt people to leave behind home, property, and extended family are never felicitous, and the situations into which they arrive are often fraught. The books below sketch some of these departures and the variety of modes by which refugees make their way to a new life, sometimes over a span of years, sometimes in a matter of days or even hours.

Besides providing a window on refugee crises of the past century, these books augmented my understanding of the conflicts that gave rise to them. The list is organized by region and, roughly, chronology. Most are directed at grade schoolers, but middle school students (even high schoolers, in the case of Peter Sís) can enjoy and benefit from these personal perspectives on history.

These works could also be grouped according to the authors’ relationship to the subject matter: some have themselves been displaced, some are descended from refugees, and others fit neither category but have aided and advocated for displaced persons. Many titles focus on the refugee experience; some call attention to ways citizens of the host country can demonstrate hospitality. I hope these stories will prompt us all to consider how we can respond with compassion to families and individuals uprooted from their homeland.

Europe

Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War, by Mónica Montañés, trans. Lawrence Schimel, ill. Eva Sánchez Gómez (Eerdmans, 2022, 88pp, ages 9–14)

Despite its length, this dual point-of-view chapter book is a quick read, with large print and plentiful pictures. Firstperson accounts alternating between brother and sister Paco and Socorro relate the hardships of a family loyal to the existing Republican regime. After their father is exiled to France by Franco’s rebel forces, education and ration cards are hard to come by and other exigencies of war constantly looming. In eight long years they receive only five letters from their father, the last of which is an invitation to join hm at last in Venezuela. There Paco and Socorro adapt, still different from those around them, but free. Back matter elucidates the history of the Spanish Civil War and its long aftermath, touching on the response from other countries and the role of WWII, as well as subsequent conflicts that have ejected civilians from their homes.

How I Learned Geography, by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar Strauss, 2008, 32pp, ages 5–8)

In 1939 Shulevitz’s Jewish family fled besieged Warsaw, first east to present-day Kazakhstan, later to Paris, and then Israel. This  book describes their Central Asia sojourn, where the family shares a small house with an impoverished local couple. One evening their father goes out to buy bread and comes home with a map instead. Initially furious, young Uri finds that the vicarious journeys it inspires sustain him through days of hunger and monotony.

Nicki & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued, by Peter Sís (Norton, 2021, 64pp, ages 7–10)

This moving story relates how an ordinary British citizen went to extraordinary lengths to evacuate children from Czechoslovakia in the face of advancing Nazi armies. Vera Gissing was one of 669 refugee children sent out by train, thanks to Nicholas Winton’s efforts. War followed swiftly, and the phenomenon went largely unremarked until 1988, when Winton’s wife stumbled upon the children’s records in the family attic. Gissing’s memoir, Pearls of Childhood, provided the inspiration for Sís’s picture book.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sís (Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux, 2007, 56pp, ages 8–12)

Sís’s intricate illustrations convey at least as much as his narrative. Here he applies his quirky style and abundant skill to autobiography, depicting his first thirty-six years of life under various repressive regimes in Czechoslovakia. Perhaps most effective is his representation of the sixties, when Western culture of varying stripes (from Beatles to Beach Boys) resonated with the hemmed-in youth and artists of Eastern Europe. Finally, in 1984 Sís left to work on a film project in Los Angeles and failed to return.

The Three Golden Keys, by Peter Sís (Frances Foster, 1994, 58pp, ages 8–11)

History, legend, memory, and imagination weave a magical dream world wherein Sís returns to Prague, his beloved home until his flight from the communist regime. Sís’ssignature illustrations, crammed with detail, reveal stories of their own. Close scrutiny of the fine print discloses darker matter, potentially troubling but generally digestible for the designated age group. As with most of these titles, the content merits discussion with grownups. 

Korea

The House Before Falling Into the Sea, by Ann Suk Wang, ill. Hanna Cha (Dial, 2002, 40pp, ages 4–8)

The makers of this book draw upon their personal and family histories to relate a story of compassion and strength, beautiful in both idea and image. When refugees begin first trickling then streaming out of the north of Korea, Kyung’s family home near the ocean fills to the brim. Kyung loses patience with her parents’ relentless hospitality, and the approaching war adds fear to frustration. Gentle exhortation from her parents, gratitude from their guests, and the finding of a new friend all help Kyung come to terms with discomfort and inconvenience.

Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans, by Tina Cho, ill. Keum Jin Song (Bonnier, 2018, 40pp, ages 4–8)

For North Koreans, the crisis did not end with the conclusion of the war. Song’s glowing illustrations and the mission of mercy depicted here contrast with the hardships of North Korean life described in the back matter. In 2016 former North Koreans at a church in Seoul attempted to send balloons carrying rice across the border to relieve the desperate situation of their countrymen. No one knows if the operation was successful, but their efforts and courage are remarkable nonetheless. Rice from Heaven inspires sorrow but also action on behalf of those oppressed for any reason.

Africa

Room for Everyone, by Naaz Khan, ill. Mercè López (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy, 2021, 40pp, ages 2–7)

Amongst an array of worthy works on a serious subject, Khan offers a refreshing bit of levity. Combining a counting book with rhymed verse and glimpses of life in Tanzania, Khan relates young Musa’s dismay as more and more passengers, human as well as animal, cram into the “daladala” (bus). López’s lively illustrations reward repeated and protracted observation; don’t miss the chickens’ antics.

My Name Is Sangoel, by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mahammad, ill. Catherine Stock (Eerdmans, 2009, 36pp, ages 5–10)

After the death of his father, Sangoel (“Sun-goal”) and his mother and sisters leave Sudan to start over in America, where everyone struggles to pronounce his name. Sangoel comes up with an ingenious solution. This sensitive story touches on the importance of a name and the heritage it represents.

Wherever I Go, by Mary Wagley Copp, ill. Munir D. Mohammad (Atheneum, 2020, 32pp, ages 6–9)

This is one of the few titles on this list to deal with refugee camps and the plight of those who often subsist there for years with little hope either of returning home or resettling elsewhere. Seven-year-old Albia displays indomitable spirit and creativity, filling her days with dreams and imagination, richly expressed by Mohammad’s watercolors. In a thoughtful afterword, Copp expands on the number of displaced persons worldwide and offers supplementary reading for young people, including many more picture books. 

Southeast Asia

Wishes, by Mượn Thị Văn, ill. Victo Ngai (Orchard, 2021, 32pp, ages 4–8)

Though inspired by the author’s flight from Vietnam with her family in the early 1980s, Wishes could chronicle any manner of crisis that forces people from their homes. Simple text and subdued hues suggest a combination of sorrow for the loss of home, apprehension in the face of danger and hardship, and hope for the future.

Finding Papa, by Angela Pham Krans, ill. Thi Bui (HarperCollins, 2023, 40pp, ages 4–8)

Like many on the list, this work also draws on the author’s childhood experiences. Krans adeptly relates her childhood puzzlement when her father leaves and fails to return, having gone ahead to find a home in America. Later the girl and her mother slip away from their village to brave the hazards of an ocean journey in a small boat. The child’s perspective carries through to their reunion with an unfamiliar mustached man who is, of course, her beloved father.

Last Flight, by Kristen Mai Giang, ill. Dow Phumiruk (Levine Querido, 2023, 56pp, ages 4–8)

This fictionalized account describes the author’s experiences on the last flight allowed to leave Vietnam in 1975, six days before the fall of Saigon. The courage, generosity, and resourcefulness of both rescuers and refugees make for an astonishing tale. Only eighteen months old at the time, Giang has drawn on the memories of others, including at least one of her seven siblings, to represent a child’s point of view. 

South Asia and the Middle East

The Moon from Dehradun: A Story of Partition, by Shirin Shamsi, ill. Tarun Lak(Atheneum, 2022, 40pp, ages 4–8)

This title and the following one share a number of points in common. Illustrations in both lean toward the comic style, and both describe post-colonial phenomena that displaced thousands of families in the aftermath of WWII. A hasty and hazardous departure from a beloved homeland appears in each, as well. Here protagonist Azra grieves her doll, inadvertently left behind. But an unexpected discovery on the other end of her journey from India to newly formed Pakistan hints at hope for a new beginning.

My Father Dreams of Palestine, by Hannah Moushabeck, ill. Reem Madooh (Chronicle, 2023, 40pp, ages 4–8)

Moushabeck relays her father’s memories of his homeland, a place his three daughters have never seen. His stories encompass visits to his grandparents in the Old City of Jerusalem, markets and music, churches and mosques, pigeons and his family’s popular coffeehouse. In the author’s note Moushabeck describes the precipitate flight on May 15, 1948, when her father’s family took refuge in a Greek Orthodox Monastery following the withdrawal of British troops from Palestine. Eventually the author’s extended family scattered across the globe to North and South America and Europe.

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey, by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes, ill. Sue Cornelison (Dragonfly, 2019, 32pp, ages 3–10)

In 2015 Kunkush the cat left Iraq in a basket carried by her doting family. The authors describe the ensuing weeks-long journey and its accompanying hazards. Their part of the story takes up on the Greek island of Lesbos, where the longsuffering feline escaped and fled into the woods. Shrodes identified her, having heard of the missing kitty, and took her in tow until a global news and internet campaign located her family. The authors’ undertakings make them well qualified to report not only their part in the drama but the many ways to serve those in crisis.

Stepping Stones, by Margriet Ruurs, trans. Falah Raheem, ill. Nizar Ali Badr(Orca, 2016, 28pp, ages 6–8)

This book is remarkable on many counts, not least of which is the striking illustration style. The stunning stone creations are just one product of the lifelong craftsmanship of Syrian artist Badr, who has never left his hometown. Also intriguing is Ruurs’s account of how the book came about through a web of international online connections (not unlike the search for the cat Kunkush). Of further note is its bilingualism, with text in English and Arabic. A portion of the sales goes to support refugee aid, and the back matter lists additional organizations through which readers can assist.

My Beautiful Birds, by Suzanne Del Rizzo (Pajama Press, 2017, 32pp, ages 6–10)

As with Stepping Stones, a significant contributor to this book’s appeal is its astonishing illustrations—three-dimensional scenes created with polymer clay and other mixed media. A Syrian boy forced from his home with his family grieves the domesticated pigeons he has left behind. But in the camp he finds new friends, both avian and human. An exquisite evocation in word and image of beauty in the midst of pain and hardship.

Ziba Came on a Boat, by Liz Lofthouse, ill. Robert Ingpen (Kane/Miller, 2007, 32pp, ages 6–8)

Published long before the most recent Afghan crises, this title projects the hopes of a family fleeing Afghanistan. Ingpen’s masterful paintings in classical style contrast with the harsh realities that have driven this Hazara family from their home. Those who have read Kite Runner may recall this minority people group, often discriminated against even in their home country. Lofthouse records that this title was inspired by her interaction with Hazaras in Perth. One can only imagine the arduous journey that would take a family from Afghanistan (by boat!) to Australia.

Nonspecific to Region

Lilah Tov, Goodnight, by Ben Gundersheimer, ill. Noar Lee Naggan(Nancy Paulsen, 2020, 32pp, ages 2–6)

Rhymed lines and rich-hued illustrations make this a soothing bedtime book, even for youngsters who won’t grasp the significance of the family journeying through its pages. Lilah Tov is Hebrew, and certain images evoke Judaism, but no specific refugee situation is in view. The creators focus on the hope and resilience of those who leave home to make a new place for themselves.  

There’s Room for Everyone, by Anahita Teymorian (Tiny Owl, 2018, 32pp, ages 4–7)

This whimsically written and illustrated book was birthed by the author’s frustration over humans’ inability to share their space, whether metaphorically or literally. It addresses both the sorts of situations that force people from their homes and the tensions that can arise from an influx of displaced persons. Teymorian lives in Iran, itself a country from which many have felt obliged to flee over the past four decades.

Sugar in Milk, by Thrity Umrigar, ill. Khoa Le (Running Press Kids, 2020, 48pp, ages 4–8)

This book charmed me on so many levels. For one, it’s the first time I’ve run across reference to Parsis outside of personal experience and Wikipedia. In an account that bears the trappings of myth and legend, Umrigar depicts this ethnic minority’s arrival from ancient Persia on the shores of India. The encounter between their leader and the local king is laced with wit and irony. Among the book’s delights are Le’s sumptuous illustrations in varying hues of blue—midnight, aqua, turquoise, lapis—incorporating traditional Persian motifs. The whole is framed by a young girl’s struggle to make a new life in America. Inspired by her aunt’s analogy, she finds that friendliness is met, in turn, with warmth and kindness. Though set in ancient India and modern America, the message pertains anywhere.

Night on the Sand: A Journey Toward Hope, by Monica Mayper, ill. Jaime Kim (Clarion, 2022, 32pp, ages 4–7)

Separated from their parents and forced from their home, two siblings rely on one another in the wake of an unspecified natural disaster. Mayper draws attention to fellow victims who share what they have and demonstrate the truth of the book’s refrain: “We were not alone.”

The Treasure Box, by Margaret Wild, ill. Freya Blackwood (Candlewick, 2013, 40pp, ages 5–8)

The exquisite illustrations alone were enough to earn this volume a place on this list. But Wild’s thoughtful narrative is equally notable, with its consideration of what constitutes a treasure and its themes of heritage and identity. The prominence of books and libraries, of course, mustn’t go unmentioned, nor the images of moving beyond loss to restoration and growth.  

My Two Blankets, by Irena Kobald, ill. Freya Blackwood (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 32pp, ages 5–8)

My search for more of Blackwood’s work led me here. Once again, the illustrations contribute mightily to an effective narrative. A child from an unspecified place of origin (the illustrations suggest Africa) is tempted to hide under the protective “blanket” of her familiar native language. But amiable overtures from a girl in the park entice her into a world of new words. Aided by her friend, she weaves a second blanket from the sounds of a language that becomes more familiar day by day.

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World Refugee Day is an international day organised every year on 20 June by the United Nations. It is designed to celebrate and honour refugees from around the world. The day was first established on 20 June 2001, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Wikipedia