Recommended Reading

• The House That Love Built – Sarah Jackson and Scott Sawyer
  • A moving memoir about building Casa de Paz, a hospitality home for immigrant families. This book shares firsthand stories of love, resilience, and radical hospitality at the U.S.–Mexico border.
• Everyone Who is Gone is Here – Jonathan Blitzer
  • An investigative deep dive into U.S. immigration policy and its human consequences, told through the voices of migrants, activists, and border agents.
• Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen – Jose Antonio Vargas
  • Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Vargas shares his personal journey as an undocumented immigrant living in the U.S., challenging readers to rethink what it means to belong.
• The Devil’s Highway – Luis Alberto Urrea
  • A harrowing true story of 26 men who crossed the Arizona desert and the tragedy that followed. This powerful narrative explores border policy, human smuggling, and the realities of migration.
• Separated – Jacob Soboroff
  • A gripping investigative account of the family separation crisis at the U.S. border. Soboroff pulls back the curtain on government policies and the children impacted by them.

Recommended Reading: Elementary 

Recommended for Grades 3–5

• Salma the Syrian Chef – Danny Ramadan
  • Set in a Canadian refugee center, this heartwarming story celebrates food, creativity, and the love between a mother and daughter.
• Four Feet, Two Sandals – Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed
  • In a refugee camp, two girls learn the value of sharing and friendship through one precious pair of sandals.
• Children in Our World: Global Crisis – Louise Spilsbury
  • This nonfiction book explains global issues in an age-appropriate way, helping children understand crises like war and poverty with compassion and clarity.
• Children in Our World: Refugees and Migrants – Ceri Roberts
  • A thoughtful and accessible look at the reasons people become refugees and migrants, helping young readers build empathy and global awareness.

Recommended for Grades 2–5

• The Journey – Francesca Sanna
  • Told through a child’s eyes, this poignant picture book explores a family’s escape from war and the uncertainty of seeking refuge.
• My Two Border Towns – David Bowles
  • A boy and his father cross the U.S.–Mexico border to help asylum seekers, highlighting community, compassion, and cultural connection.
• Hear My Voice / Escucha mi voz – Warren Binford for Project Amplify
  • A bilingual collection of true stories from children detained at the U.S. border, told in their own words.

Recommended for Grades 2–4

• The Interpreter – Olivia Abtahi
  • A tender and timely picture book about a young girl who interprets for her Afghan mother and learns the power of her voice and culture.
• My Two Blankets – Irena Kobald
  • A gentle and powerful picture book about the struggle of learning a new language and finding comfort in unfamiliar surroundings.
• Home is In Between – Mitali Perkins
  • A Bengali girl adjusts to her new American home while holding onto her cultural roots in this sweet and poignant story.
• My Beautiful Birds – Suzanne Del Rizzo
  • A beautifully illustrated story of a Syrian boy who finds healing and hope through caring for birds after fleeing his war-torn home.
• How I Learned Geography – Uri Shulevitz
  • Based on the author’s childhood, this story shows how imagination and a simple map brought hope and escape during a time of war and displacement.
• How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story – Eve Bunting
  • A suspenseful and hopeful tale of a family fleeing danger to find freedom, arriving in America just in time for a new kind of Thanksgiving.
• Little Bird Laila – Kelly Yang
  • A lyrical and inspiring story about a young girl navigating a new country, learning to soar while honoring where she came from.
• Calling the Water Drum – LaTisha Redding
  • A moving story of a Haitian boy who loses his parents during their journey to America and uses a water drum to express his grief and memories.
• Lost and Found Cat – Doug Kuntz & Amy Shrodes
  • Based on a true story, this inspiring tale follows an Iraqi refugee family’s journey and their determination to reunite with their beloved pet cat.

Watch and Reflect

• Immigration Nation (Netflix)
  • An eye-opening docuseries that offers an unfiltered look at U.S. immigration enforcement and its real-life impact on families.
• Living Undocumented (Netflix)
  • Follows eight undocumented immigrant families as they face possible deportation, offering deeply personal insight into life in limbo.
• Salam Neighbor
  • Salam Neighbor is an award-winning film and campaign. Immerse yourself in the lives of Syrian refugees through the journey of Chris and Zach, as the first filmmakers allowed to be registered and given a tent inside a refugee camp.
• Limbo
  • A powerful and quiet drama about asylum seekers living on a remote Scottish island, waiting in uncertainty.
• Human Flow (Amazon)
  • Directed by Ai Weiwei, this documentary captures the global refugee crisis across 23 countries, showing the vast human impact of displacement.
• Encanto (Disney+)
  • While not directly about immigration, this animated film celebrates multigenerational family, identity, and the pressures of carrying family legacy—resonating deeply with many immigrant experiences.