refugee/rɛfjʊˈdʒiː/ :  A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Barely a day goes by without the plight of refugees making headlines, whether through a tragedy, political conflict or a heart-rending tale of survival against the odds. In response to this, many children's books have been published over recent years to help young readers understand the refugee situation and encourage them to make sense of a difficult topic. 

An image from A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis and Jo Weaver.

Picture Books that sensitively depict the refugee experience 

A recent Debut of the Month, The Endless Sea by filmmaker Chi Thai is a beautiful and poignant picture book that tells of the author's experience fleeing South Vietnam as a child. Reviewed for LoveReading by Charlotte Hacking who described "A powerful, emotive and essential read, opening our eyes to the very real experience of so many across history. In a world where so many are still displaced by war, and othered as a result, The Endless Sea is an engaging, moving and necessary reminder of the need for compassion and humanity." 

Also drawn from personal life experience, The Bicycle is a story of the power of an act of kindness, shown to young child traumatised after months of travel searching for a safe place to settle. Written by award-winning author Patricia McCormick with Mevan Babakar, our LoveReading4Schools expert reviewer Amy McKay selected The Bicycle as a Book of the Month and wrote "Handling a difficult subject with understanding and warmth, this is a beautiful book to introduce children to the plight of refugees and how one small act of kindness can make a huge difference. It is an excellent selection for those wishing to help children develop empathy and compassion for those forced to flee their homes. An author’s note from the real life Mevan, explaining more about her journey and life as a refugee, makes the already touching story feel even more real and urgent to readers of all ages."

For older readers, the reality of being a refugee is told through powerful fiction

In A Boy, Everywhere and the sequel novel Kicked out A.M Dassu expertly portrays the experience of a very ordinary 13 year old boy attending school, playing football, PlayStation and has his own iPad – the only thing different about Sami is that he lives in Damascus. As the war in Syria advances, Sami and his family are forced to leave their home and their country on a perilous journey to England. "Written with a deep understanding and meticulous research into similar journeys this is a book that will not leave you for a very long time. The switches from adversity to hope to despair in Sami keep your heart in your mouth and is so realistic I was raging at the government for its inhuman treatment of desperate refugees. Read this book – it’s needs to be in classrooms and on bookshelves everywhere – it will change you and stay with you." Read Tricia Adams' full review here, and you can follow Sami's journey in Kicked Out.

The Ukranian conflict, and the events in Israel and Gaza, has made the consequences and impact of war feel more real to children. “Thursday 24 February 2022. The day the Russians came” was the day everything changed for 15-year-old Kat and her family. Beginning at this fateful moment, and informed by the author and his family having hosted refugees from Ukraine, Malcolm Duffy’s Seven Million Sunflowers is incredibly moving, authentic and perfectly-pitched." Reviewer Joanne Owen goes on to write "Conflict, in all its forms, is poignantly evoked when devastating news comes from home just as Kat experiences troubles in her new UK life — the politics of war becomes excruciatingly personal, with all the challenges of being a teenager heightened by the conflict. Written in attention-grabbing style — a potently direct first-person narrative with poetic impact — Seven Million Sunflowers is charged with empathy and utterly un-put-down-able."

Resources and information to raise awareness about refugees

It is estimated that over 122 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes to find safety.

Refugees are protected through international law and should not be returned to countries where their lives are at risk. There are numbers of charities across the world that do incredible work supporting refugees, helping with asylum requests and providing immediate aid; food, shelter and medical assistance, and protecting the human rights of these very vulnerable people.

For more information about Refugee Week, events taking place and ways in which you can get involved visit refugeeweek.org.uk and follow the latest updates @RefugeeWeek

Amnesty International.  If you are interested in finding out more about the refugee crisis there are articles, blogs and videos on the Amnesty International website.  You can also hear an interview with Lord Dubs, the Labour Peer who campaigns for the rights of refugees. As a child he was rescued from Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport, just before the outbreak of World War Two. Listen here.

Or visit www.unhcr.org which is the UN Refugee Agency, a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.

The British Red Cross supports refugees seeking help in the UK. You can read some of the true stories from thousands of refugees the British Red Cross have helped at www.redcross.org.uk - and find out what special services are available to young refugees, some of whom arrive in the UK without their parents or other family members. There are extra resources here for primary, secondary and home learning including a workshop to help develop empathy for migrants.

Medecins Sans Frontiers - Doctors Without Borders are a global humanitarian movement that responds to medical emergencies caused by conflict, displacement and disaster. Find out more about their vital work here.

Refugee Strong is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering refugee communities by providing support and hope through education. Refugee Strong is driven by a single goal: to make the world a better place for all through empowering students living in refugee camps to achieve their educational dreams and inspire refugee students to continue their studies. Founder Omar Mohamed said "I lived in Dadaab Refugee camp for over 15 years. I know what it's like to spend your entire childhood without resources. Now, I'm working to change that for my family, friends, and neighbors." You can read more about his extraordinary story in his book When Stars are Scattered.

An image from My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner

From simple picture books and non-fiction titles to hard-hitting, gritty YA novels, books are a great way to illuminate and explore the contribution and benefit to our society that refugees bring, and the hardship and challenge they endure. The books in this collection appeal to a wide range of ages and are perfect to help initiate a discussion as a family or in the classroom to explore what it really means to escape your home and seek refuge elsewhere.

“I look up to the birds that seem to be following us. They are migrating just like us. And their journey, like ours, is very long, but they don’t have to cross any borders.” The Journey by Francesca Sanna

With thanks to Chris Naylor-Ballesteros for the feature image taken from his picture book, The Suitcase.

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