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  Carrying Home in Our Hearts: Picture Books That Illuminate Refugee Experiences
  by HAhmie

  Picture books pack the power to introduce, share, and discuss a wide range of topics, including current events that can often be difficult for young minds to comprehend. Working with tools like imaginative illustrations, rhythmic and poetic text, and notes from creators, picture books provide a channel of open and honest communication about sensitive, and important subjects. The two picture books featured here both shine a light on the lived experiences of many families who will go to great lengths to seek a better, safer life for themselves and their loved ones. Displaced refugees and immigrants often face treacherous journeys, with several taking with them only the barest of necessities…often only what they can carry. I hope that you carry these stories with you long after the last page has been turned.

  

  MY HOME IS IN MY BACKPACK

  In our first story, from publisher Floris Books, we meet a young girl named Clara. She and her family – consisting of her papá, mamá, brother Pedro, and their dog Coco – set out across their country as their beloved homeland is no longer safe for them. Traveling over plains, through dense forests, and across rivers, Clara begins to question why they are leaving home, and where they will end up. Her mamá reassures her by saying they carry their home with them, and as long as they have each other, they will never be without a place to belong. “We all carry our special homes with us – in our backpacks and pockets, and in our hearts.” Clara begins to realize that what makes up her special home is her family, drawing, and her favorite memories. She decides to talk with the families traveling alongside her, and documents what makes up their special homes in her notebook.

  Throughout MY HOME IS IN MY BACKPACK impactful yet whimsical illustrations from Angela Salerno feature fields of displaced refugee families intermingled with the juxtaposition of Clara’s journal doodles creating a mild reminder that this story is being told from a child’s point of view. With gentle, first-person text by author Eugenia Perrella, this book highlights the innocence of Clara as she finds herself, along with several other families, thrust into a confusing and chaotic situation that feels out of their hands. At one point, Clara even refers to hiding silently from what appear to be guards or lookouts as “a hiding game” mentioning how they must be quiet, so they don’t lose. Though this title does introduce a relevant topic in a nonabrasive, child-friendly way, at its heart, this book is about holding the things most important and dear to us in our hearts. A creators’ note in the back speaks more to the events that inspired this work, including photographer Gregg Segal’s Undaily Bread Project with the United Nations Refugee Agency, which shone a light on the crisis of refugees fleeing Venezuela. This inspiration is reflected in both the text and illustrations, making it easy to see this book carries with it something special that needs to be shared with the world, as is evident by its placement on several award lists including the 2026 USBBY Outstanding International Book Award, Notable Books for a Global Society list, and the 2026 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books Award.

  

  

  APRIL’S JOURNEY

  The second story featured unpacks the impact of war on children in a somber, inspiring way. Readers land abruptly in the havoc and chaos that has just befallen young April. She stands amidst the rubble of what was once her home, her town, her country. “After the bombs, there was nothing. There was no one.” A small girl with blonde pigtails and a backpack holding only a stuffed rabbit stands, staring at the debris. She and her backpack set out across a bleak landscape that has been decimated by war in search of a safe place to survive. After days of traveling through the rain and snow, April stumbles across Julio, a young boy carrying only his stuffed teddy bear. Being alone is no longer quite as scary now that they have each other. After sleeping in abandoned buildings, building a raft and setting out to sea, hope finally appears in the form of a boat arriving to take them to a new, safe home. APRIL’S JOURNEY is an eloquently stirring work from authors Annamaria Piccione and Luis Amavisca and world-renowned illustrator Francesc Rovira. Limited yet thought-provoking text sits on stark white backgrounds interspersed with gorgeously detailed color pencil drawings that highlight how Rovira has brilliantly used negative space to hold the raw emotion that floods these pages. The setting of this book is never mentioned, allowing it to feel like anywhere and everywhere children may be facing these hardships. Publisher NubeOcho partnered with Amnesty International for the release of this book in both Italy and Spain, where €1 (a bit more than a US$) for every copy sold goes towards fighting for the rights of migrants and refugees around the world. This book is available simultaneously in English and Spanish with EL VIAJE DE ABRIL.

  Both of these titles introduce families to the topic of displaced people and refugees in an accessible and moving way. Each of the children featured finds hope and solace in the friends and family that stay by their sides during troubling times. All around the world families are facing similar circumstances. When the material objects of our lives are removed and we can take only so much with us, we see what is truly valuable to us. Stories about these lived experiences do more than tell individual journeys: they build bridges of empathy helping young readers to consider lives that may be very different from their own. By bringing the stories from these pages to bookshelves, we share a thread of resilience, hope, and the search for belonging despite loss and uncertainty. Books like these are important because they encourage compassion and awareness while educating children about events that are relevant to a more understanding and inclusive world.

  GOING BEYOND THE BOOK

  For extended discussions on the topics featured throughout these two titles, try engaging in an activity that spotlights the things that are important to the children with whom you are sharing these stories. This could be done by providing children with a “What’s In My Backpack?” printable and asking them to fill the backpack with the things in their lives they see as important or which they would bring with them if they had to leave their home. This could also be done as a group activity if hosted in a homeschool or school setting where children create colored cut-out versions of the things they consider special. These can all then be collaged into a larger home or backpack outline on a bulletin board or wall feature.

  A second activity that could be presented is creating a welcome kit list for a child or family who may be new to the neighborhood as a refugee or displaced person. Ask the children to discuss their suggestions respectfully before deciding on which items are both helpful and practical for kids to collect to add to such a kit.

  Activities like these can help children process both stories and build empathy in a meaningful, age-appropriate way.

  

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