Whether your little one is stepping inside the classroom for the first time ever or for the first time since last year’s virtual learning, these first couple of weeks in school are sure to be a mix of nerves and excitement. This last year no doubt tested the patience of kids of all ages and caregivers alike. So much change in so little time is difficult to process! Reading together invites the opportunity to talk about school expectations. Sharing stories can help identify and tackle any fears so that your little one can start off school on the right foot.
A story that reminds us it’s okay to be different and have the courage to stand out and tell your story, even if not everyone understands because in our differences we find similarities.
Asiya is wearing a Hijab for the first time in school. Though kids at school bully Asiya, her mother’s words and her little sister’s admiration give her strength to be her true self.
Little Bat is excited about night school but soon finds it difficult to make friends. He retreats into a cubby where Ophelia the possum is also hiding. Together they meet other nocturnal buddies and learn how to make friends.
Sophie’s world is changing; it seems scary and she’s worried about going outside. With her Grandfather, they make masks for her entire neighborhood. This book teaches kids the importance of wearing masks to keep everyone safe.
It is no secret that anti-immigrant rhetoric has increasingly been normalized over the recent years and utilized as a scapegoat to attack BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) communities. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once said: “…show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” Well, the narrative about the job takers, the criminals, the worst of the worst has stuck and it’s here to stay.
Within our own immigrant communities, however, we’ve always heard of the gut-wrenching stories about undocumented children in detention centers. At quinceañeras and family gatherings, we’ve always heard the Tias whispering to one another about how “so and so’s father” had their naturalization certificate torn into little tiny pieces and got taken by the Migra, the border patrol feet away from American soil. We’ve heard of all the atrocities that occur long before any foot is ever set on this imaginary line that separates us from a good and ordinary life.
It wasn’t until July of 2019 when the outcry of activists and whistleblowers finally put a spotlight on these issues for the rest of the country. Reports about the unsanitary and unsafe conditions children as young as five months old endure in these so-called detention centers led to an ongoing conversation that keeps unraveling the harsh reality. The traumatization of undocumented children furthers when they have to face the reality that they might have to appear in court often without legal representation resulting in a high probability of being sent back to the country they fled from or a country that is completely foreign to them.
Whether they are part of the 29,792 unaccompanied minors who were apprehended in the fiscal year 2021 alone or part of the 16.7 million people who have at least one undocumented family member in their household, their story matters and it must be told. However, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), which has been documenting statistics on diversity in children’s books, of the 3,682 children’s books they reviewed in 2018, 252 depicted Latinx characters and only 207 books were written or illustrated by Latinx creators. The statistics dwindle for other ethnicities compiled in this report. Unfortunately, there just isn’t any data available that compiles any children’s books dealing with the diverse stories about immigrants, refugees, and undocumented folk.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has said: “Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” These stories should be written accurately and they should be written by those who’ve lived through them. These stories must be told not only so that those who may not understand learn to empathize, but so that those whose legal definition blurs can see themselves reflected and begin to heal some of their trauma.
Here are 5 excellent books I recommend to start off with:
This story is from the perspective of a child who uses counting as a coping mechanism to distract herself from the difficult experiences in her journey to a new country. Though never mentioned in the book, both she and her dad are most likely Guatemalan refugees as Guatemalan worry dolls are shown at the beginning of the book, and illustrations of soldiers are sprinkled throughout the book. She also travels via train, most likely alluding to the infamously dangerous train dubbed as The Beast that runs from Guatemala all the way to the United States.
In this story, we follow Estrella whose father has been recently deported to their country of origin. She wishes people around her knew how her life has been affected by his absence. Her teacher notices she is withdrawn and distraught so she creates a safe space to talk about the things Estrella and her other students wish they knew. This gives Estrella the courage to share not only how much she misses her dad but also about the things they did together that brought her joy.
This story parallels Estrella’s story as Jose’s mom is also unexpectedly deported back to Mexico. Jose’s family lives close to The Tijuana US-Mexico border so Jose and his dad travel through the border to see his mom. Mama doesn’t know when she will come back to the United States. Jose and his dad must return to their home in the US without Mama. This is a book that tells the stories of countless children in between two borders.
Saya’s mom is sent to a detention center for being undocumented. It’s been a long time since her mom’s been home and the only thing she finds comfort in is her mother’s greeting on the answering machine. After Saya accidentally deletes the answering machine greeting, Mama sends bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on a cassette tape. Saya decides she will write a story of her own, one that could potentially help get her mother back home.
Henri’s uncle invites him and his parents to leave Haiti and come to New York City to live with him. Hoping for a better life, Henri and his parents leave on an old rickety boat. The boat overturns in the middle of a storm and Henri’s parents float further away as he calls to them. When he finally makes it to his uncle’s home in New York, he becomes withdrawn, unable to speak. One day he takes a bucket and uses it as a drum. It calls to him so he starts using it to cope and express his emotions.
This book is written by Areli Morales, a DACA ( Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient who shares her own story as an undocumented immigrant child. In this moving picture book, Areli has to leave her home and Abuelita, to join her parents and her older brother Alex in New York. After her classmates bully her for not knowing English she learns about the term “Illegal”. Areli struggles with this imposed identity and the heavy consequences that could arise should anyone find out about her legal status. In the end, we see Areli give herself permission to dream and to exist just as she is.
The conversations you have with your child are creating a (1) rich vocabulary, (2) creative thinking, (3) conversation skills (e.g., taking turns, listening), (4) self-awareness and expression, and an attending mindset (e.g., making eye contact, body language, reacting by smiling, etc.).
Building a storytelling, reading, and singing routine is a quick way to boost your child’s early literacy skills. Parents can also engage their children by discussing what items to put in their cart at the grocery store. For example, you could discuss what the household is making for dinner, the array of colors you see in the food packages, and the texture of fruits and vegetables. Use descriptive words such as “smooth, shiny” or “fuzzy, soft”.
Reading a wordless book can give you and your child a chance to make up your own story.
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All are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
