Immigrants and Refugees

What if the entire human race had to emigrate? In Geoff Rodkey’s We’re Not From Here (Yearling, 2020), Earth is uninhabitable and Mars grim, so the remainder of the human race heads out for the planet Choom, home to several alien races, most predominately the Zhuri, who look like giant mosquitoes. In the twenty years in bio-suspension that it takes to make the trip, however, the government of Choom has changed hands and the human refugees are no longer welcome. Young Lan Mifune and family are chosen as a test case, to prove that humans can assimilate peacefully – in the face of discrimination and anti-human propaganda. For ages 9-12.

In William Alexander’s Ambassador (Margaret K. McElderry, 2015), 11-year-old Gabe Fuentes has two sets of problems: his undocumented immigrant parents are in danger of deportation – and Gabe himself has been tagged as Earth’s ambassador to the galaxy, thus discovering that Earth is in danger and that he himself is the target of an assassination plot. A clever and exciting adventure for ages 8-12.

Shaun Tan’s wordless graphic novel The Arrival (Arthur A. Levine, 2007) is the story of one man, threatened by fearsome dark shapes, who travels to a new country, where he discovers a fantastical and awesome new world. An artistic masterpiece for ages 12 and up.

In Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land (Ace, 2018), the immigrant is Valentine Smith, a human raised by Martians on Mars. Now on Earth, he must attempt to understand and adapt to human culture – which eventually results in him changing it altogether. Originally published in 1961, it’s still a good discussion book for teens and adults.

In District 9 (2009), a South African sci fi alternate history, a population of refugee insectoid aliens (nicknamed “the Prawns” by humans) who arrived by spaceship have been confined for decades in a slum-like internment camp called District 9. It’s intense – there’s violence and profanity – but for mature teens, there’s a lot to talk about with this one. Rated R.

From Crayola, Welcome Immigrants has suggestions for making an immigrant-style marketplace diorama using clothespin dolls.

By Alexandra Michaels, The Kids’ Multicultural Art Book (Williamson, 2000) has over 100 craft projects from African, Native American, Asian, and Hispanic cultures and more. For ages 7 and up.

By MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter, Global Art (Gryphon House, 1998) is a continent-by-continent tour of the globe, with geographical and historical background information and over 100 hands-on projects. For ages 7-12.

Deanna F. Cook’s Cooking Class Global Feast (Storey, 2019) is a collection of 44 yummy recipes from cultures around the world, including those of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. Step-by-step instructions illustrated with color photos. For ages 6-12.

Welcome Blanket, started in 2017, combines crafting and immigration. Participants make handmade blankets of all kinds which can be displayed in an art show, then mailed (see website) to be distributed to immigrant and refugee shelters.

From the National Gallery of Art’s Uncovering America resources, Immigration and Displacement includes a large number of downloadable annotated images related to immigration, along with suggested activities and discussion and research questions. Adaptable for grades K-12.

New York City’s Tenement Museum has online exhibit exploration guides, videos, and lesson plans all related to the immigrant experience in New York.

From Scholastic, Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today is a multifacted lesson plan for grades 3-8, in which kids explore an interactive timeline, take a virtual tour of Ellis Island, meet assorted young immigrants via video interviews and essays, study immigration data in the form of charts, tables, and graphs, and more.

From the Library of Congress, see assorted Classroom Materials on varied immigration topics using primary sources from the LOC collection,

From Independent Lens/PBS, The New Americans is a film about immigrants in America, featuring people from Nigeria, Palestine, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and India. Included at the website are a series of downloadable lesson plans on immigration for grades 7-12.