Immigration - for kids
Discover the best books about immigration for kids! Explore inspiring stories and educational resources to help children understand and appreciate the journey of immigrants.
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When Jessie Came Across the Sea
by Amy Hest
A thirteen-year-old Jewish orphan reluctantly leaves her grandmother and immigrates to New York City, where she works for three years sewing lace and earning money to bring Grandmother to the United States, too. Reprint.
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Hope in My Heart
by Kathryn Lasky
After her family immigrates to America from Italy in 1903, ten-year-old Sofia is quarantined at the Ellis Island Immigration Station, where she makes a good friend but endures nightmarish conditions. Includes historical notes.
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The Journey of Emilie
by Marcia Hoehne
Based on true stories of immigrant families. Will Emilie ever see her brother again? "Nordamerika?" Twelve-year-old Emilie Borner jumped at her brother's shout. Karl leaped from his chair and towered over Pap. "You want to emigrate—auswandern? Well, I'm staying here!" The lure of "America letters" from New World settlers has reached the provinces of central Germany. August 1855 finds the Borners, a middle-class farm family struggling with crop failure, making plans to heed God's call leading them westward. Emilie is torn. America is just a dream to her, and she loves the rugged beauty of her native land. Besides, her best friend, Louise, must stay, while snoopy, snooty Rosamund Albrecht comes along! The Borners' journey from Germany to Wisconsin is filled with hardship and surprises. Hated by a fellow traveler, accused of theft aboard ship, and worried over the sadness of a little girl, Emilie finds that only faith and the help of new friends can carry her through. In the New World, the challenges only grow. Can the Borners meet their needs for shelter, clothing, and food for the winter? Can the heartbreaking split in their family be healed? And when Emilie and her younger brother are stranded in a blizzard, can they even survive? In The Journey of Emilie, Emilie Borner finds that God hears and answers our prayers—sometimes in unexpected ways. Marcia Hoehne has written several books for children. Many of the characters and events in The Journey of Emilie are based on the lives of the author's great-great-great grandparents who emigrated from Germany to Wisconsin in 1855. Mrs. Hoehne lives in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, with her husband and three children.
Book
Journey of Pieter and Anna
by Helen DenBoer
Based on true stories of an immigrant family. How can Pieter leave behind his dog and his best friend? "I just saw her again," Pieter said to Elizabeth. "The girl from the ship and --she's hiding up on the roof." He had first noticed her the morning they left Troy on the canal boat bound for Buffalo. She had followed a large family of Netherlanders onto the boat, then turned away clutching a bulging green traveler's bag. Who was she and --and why did she seem to be hiding? Pieter Dekker does not want to leave the Netherlands for America, but his father tells him the religious persecution is too great and --they want to worship God in their own way. So the family sets out for America. On the Erie Canal, they buy passage on a canal boat, where Pieter and his sister Elizabeth discover Anna, a ten-year-old girl trying to get to Michigan by herself. Why is Anna alone? Can Pieter talk his family into helping her? And can Pieter forgive his father for bringing him to this strange and unfamiliar land where he has to work so hard? In The Journey of Pieter and Anna, Pieter Dekker learns to trust God's direction in his life as he learns to be thankful for all that God has given him. Helen Denboer is a teacher and librarian whose Dutch ancestors settled in Wisconsin, bringing with them a rich Christian heritage. She lives in Germantown, Maryland, where, like her ancestors, she attends a Christian Reformed church.
Book
Journey to America
by Clare Pastore
Now available in a digest-sized paperback format, Berkley Jam's Journey to America book series begins with this story of a young Irish girl who arrives in Boston in 1849 with her brother. In a series of letters to her parents back home, Fiona describes her life in America, how she searches for family members there, and her experience in making a new friend.
Book
So Far from Home
by Barry Denenberg
In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a great longing for her family.
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Land of Hope
by Joan Lowery Nixon
Russian immigrant Rebekah Levinsky hopes desperately that her dream will come true in America. On the difficult ocean journey to the "land of opportunity" she meets two other girls--Kristin Swensen from Sweden and Rose Carney from Ireland. The three quickly become friends as they share their visions of the future and endure life on the overcrowded ship. Once they reach Ellis Island the girls must separate and Rebekah and her family settle in New York on the Lower East Side. Instead of finding streets paved with gold, they slave seven days a week in a sweatshop. Will Rebekah find the courage to conquer the odds and find happiness in the United States of America.
Book
The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History
by Jennifer Armstrong
American history comes alive in these 100 true stories that define our country. This magnificent treasury tells the story of America through 100 true tales. Some are tales of triumph—the midnight ride of Paul Revere, the Wright brothers taking to the air, Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Some are tales of tragedy—the fate of the Donner Party, the great fire in Chicago, the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. There are stories of inventors and athletes and abolitionists and artists. Stories about struggling for freedom—again and again, in so many ways. With full-color illustrations on nearly every page and short, exciting stories, this book is perfect for browsing by the entire family. Notes at the end of each story direct readers to related stories. And a guide to thematic story arcs offers readers (and teachers) an easy way to follow their particular interests throughout the book. A treasure trove of a book that belongs in every home! “This lively and engaging collection of stories recounting American history is a wonderful gift not only to the children of this country but also their parents. I can’t wait to share it with my grandchildren.” —Tom Brokaw
