Three Picture Books for Immigrant Heritage Months #AfricanImmigrant Edition
Did you know that June is Immigrant Heritage Month in the United States. Throughout history, African immigrants have brought their unique cultures, traditions, and dreams, enriching communities they move to. In honor of this month, I’ve handpicked three picture books highlighting the experiences of African immigrant stories.
Threads of Me: Kente for Show and Tell by Erica Asante (Ghana): When Mr. Washington asks the class to bring in something for show and tell that represents who they are and where they come from, Ama rushes home to get ideas from Nana. Nana reaches into the vast collection of her stories and retells Ama the story of Kente, a handwoven fabric once reserved only for the royalty of the Asante Kingdom in Ghana.
Sofie and the City by Karima Grant (Senegal): Sofie doesn't like living in big American city and would rather go back to Senegal. "It is really too ugly here," she tells her grandmother on the phone. "I think I should come home." "Before you come back," her grandmother sayds, "you'll just have to make it pretty." But how can Sofie ever make the city pretty? It all begins when she meets a girl with a box of chalk.
When I Get Older by K’NAAN (Somalia): In his first book for children, When I Get Older, Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, and songwriter K’NAAN tells his own story. Born in Somalia where he was thirteen years old when the Somali Civil War began in 1991. This picture book tells his story from Somalia to the United State to Canada as a refugee (Touches on mature themes: war and xenophobia).
