Welcome: a book about friendship by Alison Green illustrated by Axel Scheffler

I know it is the end of the school year in many parts of the world and here in Australia it is Winter and we are about halfway through our school year but I'd like to suggest you pop the title or cover of this book onto your list as a perfect one to read at the start of the school year.

I worked in many different schools but one thing I really loved to see or meet in my library were class groups where it was so obvious the teacher took time to create a community with her group - kids who listened to one another, kids who were kind and respectful of each other, classes where every kid felt equally important - no social isolates or queen bees. 

The words say inside this book but really it could say inside this classroom or even better, albeit an ambitious idea, inside this school:

"Inside this book we make everyone welcome. Whether you're big or small, jumpy or flappy, stompy and noisy, or a little big shy and quiet, all are welcome."

And I love the conversations you could have around this line:

"Our best friend might turn out to be someone who's very different from us."

But this book is also not saccharine. There might be times when someone does not want to share or when someone is cross or upset or gets into an argument. Of course there are ways to resolve this. 

Then "we cheer everyone on and congratulate everyone when they've tried really hard. If things haven't gone so well, we're always there with a hug or a kind word."

This book comes from Three Peas - they are a charity with gives practical help to people who had to flee their homes - refugees. We have a politician here in Australia at the moment who has no idea about the concept of welcome. I would love to gift her this book even though sadly she probably lacks the intelligence to understand the importance of the ideas in this special book. I guess this book would be way too obscure for her.

‘Now, imagine if the whole world was like this book – if everyone was kind and helpful and welcomed everyone else. Doesn’t that sound good?' Read reading hub

This book follows on from Kind:

Kind

This is the third book - it is a board book for very young children:

World Refugee Day

What is a Refugee?
A person forced to flee their country because of 
violence or persecution

World Refugee Day is an international observance established by the United Nations in December 2000, evolving from Africa Refugee Day, and first celebrated globally in 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. In 2026, the theme is “Solidarity with Refugees” emphasizing meaningful action to support refugees beyond awareness, ensuring they have dignity and opportunities to rebuild their lives. Read more about Refugee Week in Australia.

You might like to begin with this twenty-minute video made for IBBY Australia - The Refugee Experience Through Picture Books.

Now take a look at this post from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. Her post has links to two Pinterest collections (here is the other one for younger children) and several posts from previous years. You are sure to find lots of wonderful books to add to your school library or to hunt out in your local public library and share in your family.

Our National Centre for Australian Children's Literature is where you can find a wealth of fantastic materials: Refugee Week 2025; Refugees a select bibliography 2024 and their Cultural diversity Database.

First off, I do need to share this book which is our IBBY Australia 2026 Notable title. There will be a display of all the IBBY Notables at the International IBBY Congress in Ottawa in August this year. 

IBBY Honour Book 2026 - Then and Now

Here are some of the books from the video:

Welcome

Grandma's Treasured Shoes

Lubna and Pebble

Mustafa

The Colour of Home

My name is not refugee

Shelter

The Suitcase

Click the label on this post to find more books including Middle Grade Novels about the refugee experience. And here are a couple of newer books that were not included in the video:

Watercress

The Bicycle

A Map for Falasteen

Why not link the Soccer/Football world cup with this topic:

Meet the Canadian illustrator Thao Lam

Image source: House of Anansi 

About Thao Lam: Thao Lam fled from Vietnam to Canada with her family as a child. Learning English was difficult, and it was picture books that helped her understand this new world and ignited her passion for visual storytelling. She has an insatiable love for colored and textured papers, which she uses to create her exuberant collages. Source

Take a look here to read more about many of these titles.

The Paper Boat is part of the IBBY Silent Book collection and Everybelly was selected as a title for the 2026 USBBY Outstanding International Book list. 

Read the Kirkus Star review of The Paper boat. Here is a video of Thao talking about this book. 

Bookseller blurb for Thao (the book): A funny, eye-opening story about the challenges of growing up with an unfamiliar name and learning to be true to yourself, new from the critically acclaimed Thao Lam. Even though it's only four simple, familiar letters long, nobody can ever pronounce Thao's name. She's been called Theo, Tail, even Towel! But the teasing names - Tofu, Tiny, China Girl - are worse. Maybe it's time to be someone else? Thao decides to try on a different name, something easy, like Jennifer. It works, but only until she opens her lunchbox to find her mother's Vietnamese spring rolls, ... Thao's favorite! Now, it feels a lot more comfortable to be herself. Simple on the surface, this story inspired by Thao's own childhood is full of humour, heart, and important ideas of diversity, inclusion, and cultural pride. The story will be instantly relatable to readers who have ever felt different. Designed with a playful emphasis on typography, and Thao's own childhood photos added to her signature cut-paper collage, THAO champions being true to yourself and your background, and being empathetic towards others. It is a celebration of all that's in a name and the power of owning your identity.

Kirkus Star review comments:

Every Belly: Through cut-paper collage illustrations, Lam spotlights a noteworthy diversity ... 

Wallpaper: Paper-collage illustrations lend texture and depth to this fantastical story, with individual elements providing layers so real readers will want to lift them up and peek underneath. Simple shapes (triangles for trees) and careful attention to detail make complex emotions visible and real for young readers. The hand-lettered title adds to the accessibility and childlike qualities of this book. A unique and visually stunning approach to the classic dilemma of making new friends.

The Line in the Sand: The artwork uses bold pops of color and geometric designs to tell an elegant, profound story.

Watercress by Andrea Wang illustrated by Jason Chin

Watercress isn’t loud. It doesn’t need to be.

The prose is spare and poetic. The watercolor illustrations are subtle, immersive, and rich with emotion. This book whispers truths: about shame and pride, about family and survival, and about the painful beauty of remembering. The Wardens of Magic

Understated, deep, and heart-rending -

bring tissues. Kirkus Star review

The big mystery of this Caldecott winning book is that it was not distributed here in Australia and yet this is a story that could easily translate to our context. AND this book won the 2022 Caldecott Medal. You can still buy this book but the hardcover edition of this book costs between AUS$35 and AUS$47 and so will be beyond the budget of most school libraries. Trove only list ten public and university libraries with this book. Luckily, I was able to re-read Watercress in a public library a couple of weeks ago - Green Square Library. I discovered it there a couple of years ago. You can see the whole book on this video. Here is an interview with Andrea Wang and Jason Chin.

Here is the synopsis from Wikipedia: A young girl is in the car with her brother and parents when they come across wild watercress growing on the side of the road. Her parents excitedly pull over and instruct the children to help them gather the watercress. The girl feels embarrassed to be seen by passing cars and disgusted by the mud and snails that are on the plants. The watercress is prepared for dinner that night, but the girl initially refuses to eat it because she is ashamed of their "dinner from a ditch". Her mother brings out a picture from her childhood and, for the first time, talks about the famine that her family suffered. Feeling guilty, the girl takes a bite of the watercress. She discovers that she likes the taste and reflects on the new memory she and her family have created.

My former school had a unit of study with the Grade 6 classes about our multicultural country here in Australia - Watercress is a book I would have loved to share as a part of this class topic alongside other books about The Refugee Experience Through Picture Books. 

You should also look for this book which is based on the years in China of the great famine.

Sparrow Girl

Author note from Andrea Wang: This story is about the power of memory. Not just the beautiful memories, like the ones my mother and father had about eating watercress in China, but also the difficult ones, the memories that are sometimes too painful to share. It starts with my own distressing memory of being made to pick watercress that was growing wild by the side of the road. As the child of Chinese immigrants, growing up in a small, mostly white town in Ohio, I was very aware of how different my family and I were from everyone else. It's hard to feel like you don't belong, and collecting food from a muddy roadside ditch just made that bad feeling more intense for me -- something my very practical parents didn't understand. When I was young, my parents didn't talk about their memories of China, of growing up poor, losing siblings, and surviving war. I don't blame them -- these are difficult topics to discuss with children. But it's important, too, for children to understand their family history. Perhaps if I had known about the hardships they had faced, I would have been more compassionate as a child. Maybe I would have felt more empathy and less anger. More pride in my heritage and less shame. Memories have the power to inform, to inspire, and to heal. This story is both an apology and a love letter to my parents. It's also an encouragement to all children who feel different and to families with difficult pasts -- share your memories. Tell your stories.

Prizes for Watercress:

• Caldecott Medal Winner
• Newbery Honor Award
• Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
• Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award 2022
• New England Book Award Winner
• 2021 Boston Globe – Horn Book Honor Book
• 2021 Cybils Award 

See more here. 

I previously talked about these books by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin:

Luli and the Language of Tea

Life after whale

The Bicycle by Patricia McCormick and Mevan Babakar illustrated by Yas Imamura

"When Mevan was a little girl she lived in a land where figs fell from the trees and the air smelled like honeysuckle."

Mevan lived in Kurdistan in the north of Iraq. 

"But the ruler of Iraq had always made the people in Kurdistan feel like they didn't belong. ... Then he sent soldiers to force them out of their homes."

Mevan and her family have to leave. Mevan tries to stay small and invisible. After trying to find a home in many different countries and after two years of dangerous travel the family arrive in the Netherlands. Looking out of the window Mevan sees kids and grown-up riding their bikes with big smiles. What she doesn't know is that someone has been watching her. It is Egbert, the building maintenance man. 

"He bought blankets to one family, a lamp to another, a coat to one family, a flowerpot to another."

Have you guessed his gift for Mevan? You will be in tears when you read the epilogue to this story. As an adult Mevan is able to go back to the Netherlands and through social media she finds Egbert. 

The author asks you to think - "in a world where there are many people running from war, from hunger, from hatred ... what's one kind thing I can do?"

As an adult reader, when you pick up this book, do not skip past the author's note on the first page. Kirkus say this too: An important, stirring tale—just be sure to read the backmatter.

"Millions of children all over the world are refugees like I was. As I write, there are more than 43 million children who have had to leave their homes because it isn't safe for them to stay there. ... Our family went from Kurdistan to Türkiye, Azerbaijan to Russia, the Netherlands and finally the United Kingdom. Over the course of four years we travelled by car, by boat, by foot, by ferry, by plane and by train. In Russia we were robbed by people who pretended to help us and left us stranded, we told the police but instead of helping us, they ripped up our refugee papers. Being a refugee will always be a part of who I am ...But it's also taught me about the miraculous power of kindness."  Mevan Babakar

Read more about this true story here. And the author talks to the UNHCR in the UK.

My friend alerted me to this book which she discovered because she keeps an eye on titles listed for the Read with Empathy Collection. If you work in a school or public library these lists contain a wealth of fantastic books. The other bonus is that exploring these lists you might discover publishers that produce other great books. The publisher of The Bicycle is Farshore (imprint of Harper Collins).

Welcome to Farshore! We are dedicated to our mission of making every child a proud reader, with books that will delight children of all ages – from early years to primary, secondary, and beyond. Whether they are a seasoned bookworm, reluctant reader, or somewhere in the middle, we’ve got titles that will inspire, challenge, and make them laugh out loud.

With our Australian children it would be good to pair this book with The Wobbly Bike - and then have a discussion with your older students about the different life experiences of the two children in these books - a refugee child and a child living in rural Australia. 

The Wobbly Bike

You might also have this book in your library:

I previously shared these books illustrated by Yas Imamura who lives in the US.

Love in the Library

Do Something for Someone else

This is a book you really should add to your library collection. 

A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh illustrated by Aliaa Betawi

A haunting, powerful, and crucial tale of culture and identity. Kirkus Star review

On the second page of this book the teacher answers the student with the most chilling words:

"Miss Baker, why isn't Palestine on the map?' Miss Baker looked at the map. 'I think there's no such place,' Miss Baker said."

Falasteen's family are from Palestine and so now she needs answers. Before I continue I need to talk about the name Falasteen. 

The name "Falasteen" is an Arabic name that refers to the historical region of Palestine. It is derived from the word "Filistin," which is the Arabic name for Palestine. The name carries cultural and historical significance, representing the land and people of Palestine.

Back at home Falasteen asks her grandpa about the school map. He takes out his notepad and draws a map with city names including the name of their home.

"Here is your map, omri,' he said. 'Your teacher needs teaching. You can show her this so all of your friends can learn too."

Next stop, Falasteen asks her grandma who is making delicious spinach pies. Grandma shares the memory of leaving their home. Falasteen's mother was a tiny baby.

"The soldiers came with their tanks and guns. ... They burned the fields and the olive trees."

But grandma has kept hold of her house key. (Try to find this book - The Key from Spain). Grandma gives her precious key to Falasteen. That night Falasteen talks to her mother. 

"Sometimes people live in countries. Sometimes countries live in people. Palestine lives in you and me."

Publisher blurb: At school, Falasteen and her classmates are tasked with finding their families' home countries on a map, but no matter how hard she looks, Falasteen can't find Palestine. Can a place exist if it's not on a map? Confused, Falasteen turns to her family for answers. Her grandfather, grandmother, and Mama encourage her to see their homeland from a different perspective, and each of their stories helps her understand her people's history and her own place in the world.

This is a timely book that helps answer a question that teachers and parents are likely to be asked today. It is not an easy question to answer but here the author handles it with a refreshingly matter-of-fact approach that will reassure as well as inform. Falasteen is a very recognisable child and her curiosity is normal. The family’s response is well handled. The illustrations are child friendly and engaging bringing life to the text. This is a story firmly grounded in reality and should be welcomed in every library. For adults the author provides further information at the end of the book. Books for Keeps

Further reading:

• Kids Britannica
• Globe Trotting Kids
• UNICEF "A child-friendly guide to the Gaza crisis"

A Map for Falasteen thematically explores the universal idea of identity and belonging. This would be a rich book to use while learning about these topics, but also these larger ideas are explored through this specific context — offering an opportunity to consider how it must feel to not find your home on a map. This creates a unique opportunity to empathy and understanding in young readers that home, who we are, is more than what could be defined on a map? Palestinian artist, Aliaa Betawi’s art enhances and compliments the narrative. The deliberate colours of the illustrations — warm tones of yellow and orange for present-day scenes, and cool blues for memories of Palestine — help the young reader move between the past and the present, but also offer a visual representation of hope and loss. They also incorporate meaningful aspects of Palestinian culture highlighting Falasteen’s enduring connection to her homeland. Source Instagram 

Awards:

• Jane Addams Foundation Honor Award
• 2025 California Book Award
• The Arab American Book Award
• The Muslim Book Reviewers Judges’ Award
• Kirkus Best Book of 2024 
• Booklist Editors Choice of 2024

I spied this book in Gleebooks and grabbed it with both hands because I am in the process of preparing a short video presentation (with Dr Robin Morrow) on the topic of "The Refugee experience through Picture Books" and I knew this could be a text we might include.

Maysa Odeh is a Palestinian writer who grew up between Amman, Jordan and the United States. Her debut picture book was written during the assault on Gaza in 2021, which sparked a conversation between herself and her inner child. A Map for Falasteen answers the questions she was too shy to ask as a child of Palestinian refugees. What is a homeland? Where do you find it? How can you be sure it’s there when you can’t see it? Maysa resides in California with her daughter who asks questions all day long in Arabic and English, and sometimes even in her sleep. Read this interview with Maysa about her book. 

Aliaa Betawi is a self-taught Palestinian artist based in Alexandria, Egypt who developed her craft by observing her gifted mother. She believes that every kid deserves a childhood filled with magical, joyful memories and this is what she works to give to all kids, including herself. A Map for Falasteen was her opportunity to capture a single elusive memory in Palestine, a memory she could not enjoy as a Palestinian child in exile.

Noah's New Home by Zeshan Akhter illustrated by Nabila Adani

Many years ago my Grade 6 students and I used to watch a ABC program where refugee children talked about leaving their homeland, their dangerous journey across the world, arriving in a new place, and their hopes for the future. I vividly remember one young girl who talked about her sister's reaction to planes flying over head. She would run for cover - shaking and terrified - even though she was safe here in Australia, because the sound of a plane meant a bomb was about to be dropped. I watched this program many times but that interview is the one that has lingered with me decades later. 

In this book it is the sound of fireworks that are terrifying for young Noah. He recalls his memories - good and bad - of his homeland. One day a bomb landed and it killed his Baba. This is such a terrible memory.

"The air shook. The windows shook. Noah shook. Noah my darling it's just fireworks ... But fireworks made Noah remember when the sky exploded outside his old home."

Luckily Noah has good friends and neighbours who offer other activities such as drawing, music and delicious food - and each of these allow Noah to remember the good times. Best off all someone suggested headphones so Noah can see the pretty colours without the scary sounds. 

This book is included on the Inclusive Books for Children (IBC) Awards and Read For Empathy – Primary list. Noah's new home is available in paperback for a really good price here in Australia. I highly recommend this book as an addition to your Primary school library. 

Bookseller blurb: In a tale of home and healing, Noah’s family have taken a journey no one should have to make. They arrive in a different country as refugees. While settling into their new house, Noah misses his Baba, Jida and their old home. When a fireworks display brings back both happy memories and difficult moments of their journey and arrival, his family and their new community support him in facing his fears and feeling hopeful for the future. This timely and heartfelt story is a deeply emotional exploration of the lasting impact of the refugee experience and the tragedy of war. The perfect companion to The Suitcase, The Journey and The Other Side.

I am not sure if these are the books the publisher blurb means:

The Suitcase

To the other side

I previously talked about this book by Zeshan Akhter. She lives in Glasgow.

My name is a gift

Nabila Adahi lives in Indonesia. You can see more of her books here. I am keen to see this one:

Story Boat by Kyo Maclear illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Check out my previous post about Story Boat.

A colleague and I have been working on a video presentation entitled 

"The Refugee Experience through Picture Books".

We plan to share familiar and hopefully unfamiliar titles from Australia, UK, Canada, and USA. If you join IBBY Australia you will find this and other videos on a variety of topics. (The videos are fairly simple but I think over time we have shared some very useful content and book ideas).

Story Boat is a Canadian picture book. 

Here are a couple of other books on this topic you could share with the youngest children in your school library:

Mustafa

Amira's Suitcase

Welcome

The Sunbird by Sara Haddad illustrated by Baraa Awoor

Begin with this text quote:

"Before they left, Nabila went to the olive grove one last time. She wandered among the trees that were never just trees. They fed her, sheltered her, kept her company. She loved to climb them so much that, in the warmer months, Nabila spent more time above the ground than on it. She even had a job to climb to the very top of the olive trees and pick the best olives, the sweetest fruit. The people in the village called her the sunbird."

Now you also need to know that the Palestine sunbird is the national bird of Palestine. It is a symbol of  beauty, resilience and freedom. These THREE words are very important.

Now go back to the quote - Who is Nabila? Why are they leaving? Where does she live? Are her family with her? Where will she go? Are there no olive trees in the new place? Will she be safe? Will she be happy?

How would you feel if all you had of your home was the front door key? 

 I just had to show you a Palestine Sunbird and how spectacular they look

This book is told in three parts - we begin in Australia in October 2025. People are gathering for a protest march just as they have every week for the last two years. Then the time shifts back to December 1947 as Nabila recounts the story of her childhood and her Nakba story. In the final chapter the focus switches back to that first day in 2025 where Nabila is sharing her story with her new young friend Zane. I was so moved when Nabila, now aged in her 80s, gives Zane that small stone she picked up near her home on that terrible day when the bombs began to fall.

1947 "As she squatted to pick up a stone to throw into the water, she heard it and felt it and saw it all at once, the first of the bombs."

2025 "This stone is for you. Take care of it. Every day, hold it between your fingers, raise it to your nose, close your eyes and breathe in deep. If you clear your mind and concentrate hard, you will smell the autumn rains."

From the cover and title you might think this is a simple book for a young reader but reading this book you will discover it is so much more. This is one of those important books that I would love to put into the hands of readers aged 10+ as a way to give a small understanding of the history of Palestine as told through the eyes of a young child. Older readers will want to discover more about UN Resolution 181 and Resolution 194. Huge thanks to UQP for my advance reader copy of The Sunbird. I especially appreciated the Author's Notes and glossary. This book will be released on 3rd February 2025. Gleebooks Kids will hold a launch event on 7th February.

The Sunbird (my copy) is an adaption of an adult novel which was published in 2024. The adult version is 128 pages so it is a slim novel - the young reader version has 73 pages. Hopefully this book will be shared with lots of readers but I also hope it 'lands' in the right section of a bookstore - with the middle grade novels and not shelved with very junior beginning chapter books. Booksellers need to read this book both because it is important and then because they can then match it with the 'right' reader. Similarly if you are in a school library make sure you read this book - it is fabulous and most certainly deserves your attention. There is something truly powerful about reading a book set during a terrible world event which is told through the eyes of a child. 

Adapted for young readers from her critically acclaimed adult novel, Sara Haddad's middle-grade story about a child's experience of the Nakba is a lyrical ode to sovereignty, freedom and homecoming.⁠ How could a new country be put inside a country that was already there? Where would the new country go? Where did it come from? What would happen to the people who were already there?⁠ It’s 1948 and Nabila Yasmeen lives a happy life in her village in Palestine. She plays in the hills with her friend Khalil and climbs high in the olive trees to pick the sweetest fruit. But when bombs start falling, Nabila and her family are forced to leave. Where will they go?⁠ Embellished with beautiful line illustrations by renowned Palestinian artist Baraa Awoor, 'The Sunbird' is the poignant story of a little girl who just wants to go home.⁠ Instagram

Publisher blurb: It’s 1948 and Nabila Yasmeen lives a happy life in her village in Palestine. She plays in the hills with her friend Khalil and climbs high in the olive trees to pick the sweetest fruit. But when bombs start falling, Nabila and her family are forced to leave. Where will they go?

Here is the original adult edition:

The adult book The Sunbird was originally self-published and then 'discovered' by UQP

Read more here and here is a review and there are more details here too.

The Sunbird discusses themes of migration, post-colonial dispossession 

and displacement, truth-telling, protest, community, identity, belonging and culture.

I had not heard of the Palestinian artist Baraa Awoor. I really like the cover of The Sunbird but I do hope this book, as I have said, reaches older readers even though the cover gives the impression of a book for a younger audience and the publisher suggests 8+. I think this book will better suit readers aged 10+. The small black and white drawings scattered throughout the book are also perfect.

You can read an extract from The Sunbird (young readers edition) here

Baraa Awoor is a self-taught, award-winning illustrator from Gaza, Palestine, currently based in Cairo and holding a UAE Golden Residency. With a background in education and years of artistic practice, she brings stories to life through acrylics, oil pastels, colored pencils, and mixed media and collage. Her work has been exhibited internationally, with recognition at prestigious events such as the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Sharjah Reading Festival, and exhibitions in Geneva. Baraa has led international workshops on illustrating children’s books in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, sharing her creative process with young artists. Her books have been translated into several languages, including Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Turkish, and English. Mama's Scent is her first book to be published in the United States. Simon and Schuster

Companion books:

Oranges in no Man's Land

The Kites are Flying

The Key from Spain

I plan to look for these books - two picture books and one YA novel which link with The Sunbird.

These Olive Trees Kirkus Review; Homeland Kirkus Review

Where the Streets had a name Kirkus Review