Anne Sibley O’Brien

Books that Help Your Children Learn About the Lives of Immigrants and Refugees

Books that Help Your Children Learn About the Lives of Immigrants and Refugees

       Reports about immigrants and refugees are constantly in the news.  Your children hear about these groups of people and I’m sure have many questions about them and the lives they came from as well as the lives they are living now.   To help your children understand and learn more about them, I recommend having them read books that tell their stories as well as the history of our country. 

       Below is a listing of some books for your children.  Of course, this list is not exhaustive and I provide website links as well to assist you in doing your own searches. 

  • What is a Refugee? Author Elisa Gravel, ages 3-7 – introduces a refugee

  • The Name Jar Author Yangsook Choi, ages 4-8 – describes the challenge of having a name that is hard to pronounce and how it makes a child feel

  • I'm New Here Author Anne Sibley O'Brien, ages 5-7 – tells the story of 3 children from different countries as they enter elementary school

  • Dreamers Author Yuyi Morales, ages 5-7 – tells the story of leaving a country but still bringing all your beautiful culture with you

  • My Little Golden Book About the Statue of Liberty Author Jen Arena, ages 2-5 – tells the history of the Statute of Liberty

  • What Was Ellis Island? Author Patricia Brennan Demuth, ages 8-10 – tells the history of Ellis Island as the entry point into the United States for millions of immigrants who wanted to start a new life

  • 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World (Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls), ages 6 and up – tells the stories of 100 immigrant women who have had an impact

  • The Arabic Quilt Author Aya Khalil, ages 6-8 – tells the story of a girl from Egypt who starts elementary school in America

 

For more information, please visit:

https://www.readbrightly.com/books-about-immigration-for-kids/

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Children's-Books-on-Immigration/zgbs/books/271597011

Teaching Your Children About The 4th of July And Then Celebrating With Them

Teaching Your Children About The 4th of July And Then Celebrating With Them

The 4th of July or Independence Day holiday weekend is approaching and what do you have planned for your family’s celebrations? I recommend spending some time with your children teaching them about the historical facts that lead up to the 4th of July and the founding of our great country and then having a lot of fun activities afterwards.

The history of our Independence Day is riveting and powerful. One way to help your children learn about it is by reading my book It’s Not About You Mrs. Firecracker – A Love Letter About the True Meaning of the Fourth of July. It is historically accurate and has colorful illustrations and lots of humor. There are many other books available as well. Since we are a diverse country filled with immigrants and refugees, consider having your children read as well about them. Some recommendations are: I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien; Landing at Ellis Island by Dr. Holly Karapetkova; The Journey by Francesca Sanna; and Dreamers by Yuyi Morales.

I have written two prior blog posts that have very helpful tips: Teaching Your Children the Importance of What Happened on July 4th and Celebrate with Your Children the Freedoms We Have This July 4th.

In addition to my blog posts, there are many websites that have suggestions of activities. Make this July 4th weekend extra special by planning some teachable time with your children and then fun outdoor activities.

To learn more, please visit these websites:

https://www.weareteachers.com/fourth-of-july-activities/

https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/g4463/4th-of-july-activites/