about proximity

Reading with your kids is an easy way to place your whole family in the proximity of renewal.

As parents, it’s important to teach our kids the perspective of those who have immigrated to a new home. Immigration reform is a huge topic right now. My husband is teaching an Office of Social Justice curriculum entitled The Church Between Borders all over the United States right now. Children’s books are an excellent way for us to teach our children.

The Name Jar by: Yangsook Choi (In a new school, Unhei struggles to use her Korean name.)

Harvesting Hope By: Cesar Chavez (The story of Cesar Chavez who sought to improve the lives of migrant farm workers.)

Henry and the Kite Dragon by: Bruce Edward Hale (A story based on true events, two rival groups of children from Chinatown and Little Italy learn what they share.)

Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan By: Coretta Scott King (Based on true events, orphaned boys from the war in Sudan, walk to a refugee camp in another country.)

The Whispering Cloth by: Pegi Dietz Shea (life in a refugee camp in Thailand, a little girl tells her story through traditional pa’nadau)

I Hate English! by: Ellen Levine (the struggles of learning a new language in a new country.)

One Green Apple by: Eve Bunting (the story of a young Muslim immigrant)

The Lotus Seed by: Tatsuro Kiuchi (a young girl immigrates from Vietnam.)

How Many Days to America By: Eve Bunting (a family is forced to flee their Caribbean home and board a boat to America.)

The Color of Home By: Mary Hoffman (Hassan feels homesick after fleeing Somalia, to a refugee camp, to a new home in England.)

Hannah is my Name By: Belle Yang (a young girl immigrates from Taiwan to San Francisco.)

Waiting for Papa By: Rene Colato Lainez (Beto and his Mama have left El Salvador and with the help of an immigration lawyer they wait for Papa.)

Leaving Vietnam By: Sarah S. Kilborne (Tuan and his father flee Vietnam and immigrate to America.)

My Name is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River (poems in English and Spanish) By: Jane Medina (Jorge tries to assimilate to his new home in American and hold his Mexican heritage close.)

Super Cilantro Girl By: Juan Felipe Herrera (Esmeralda Sinfronteras is a super-hero who goes great lengths to rescue her Mom. The story highlights concerns children may have about national borders and immigrant status.)