Refugee stories for elementary grades book recommendations with free printables for elementary to help understand some of (the) Ukraine situation, what is a refugee? What do refugees experience? These books have free instant download PDF teaching resources. Additionally, other resources on this subject are included in this post to help with more information for students.
You may remember the book Paddington Bear from your own childhood. Stowaway Paddington arrives in London after an earthquake kills his parents in deepest, darkest Peru. What a long journey. Arriving with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffel coat, and a love of marmalade, the tag he wears asks someone to “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” The Browns do so. Today I made coloring pages to accompany this story which many children may not realize is the type of thing happening at this time. Wait until the subject of Ukraine comes up in class and be proactive by having these coloring pages as well as the book ready to pull out at a moment’s notice. A storybook can help with many discussion topics that are beyond childhood concerns. The free instant download is at the next link.
Paddington-Bear-coloring-pages-free-for-teachers and parents
The post for I Am New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien has a free supplement printable for the book. The book is about three English as a Second Language (ESL) children adjusting to new classrooms.
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz is a story from World War 2 that resonates for today’s children as it is child-centered and informative. This post has a short review of the book and a free printable. Although this book looks like a fun fantasy story, it is actually about how a boy uses his imagination to escape his life as a refugee.
A Different Pond Book Companion Freebie — The post has a free book companion PDF for teachers to use with the book by Bao Phi. It is the father, not the son who goes fishing with him at night, that is the refugee.
The author of The Breadwinner spent several months interviewing women and girls in refugee camps in Pakistan and used the interviews as the basis of her novels. The stories are based on true facts. It is difficult for some of us to believe what some children have to endure in life. The stories are historical fiction and contain no false information. It was adapted into an animated film released in 2017. The free instant download for The Breadwinner is at this link.
Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis is set in Afghanistan. This trilogy won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. I would consider this book Young Adult for ages 12-18. It is very sad as it deals with the reality of war. Four children band together during the story and one is able to find a parent by the end of the book. It is not light reading. The free teaching supplement is at the blog post.
Poverty in America affects many of our schools. Students with a better understanding of how poverty affects people can have increased empathy towards those who may be suffering in one or more areas. I felt with the refugee situation and the fact children have perhaps been exposed to the fact people live in poverty a class discussion could be held. The free teaching resource is at this link.
Thank you for reading, as and always, I hope this helps some teachers and homeschools. Carolyn
