“We’re moving somewhere else today. I like my house. I want to stay.”
A little boy finds boxes all over the house as his family prepares to move. When he does not want to leave his house, his mother explains that Jesus understands because He left his home to come to a new place, too. At the new house the boy finds his toys in the boxes and settles in. The text in this short book is a rhyme, and the rhythm and repetition of phrases may be as soothing to children as the message.
Reading level: age 5-7 years
This is a story about a young MK’s first days in American school after living in France. Colorful watercolor illustrations and simple sensitive writing make this book a good one for young children, especially those going through reentry.
Reading level: age 5-8 years
Farah is the new kid in her classroom and she can’t speak or understand much English yet. Everything is new and she seems so different from the other kids. Even though her parents encourage her that this move will be good in the end, she misses her old home. On a field trip, she starts to see ways that the sounds here in the new place are similar to ones back home and she takes the first steps towards making friends and learning English.
This book would be great for TCKs learning a new language or going to a new school for the first time. Though it seems more aimed at immigrant families than TCKs there is a lot of overlap.
Reading level: age 5 to 9 years
This is a story about a girl starting school at an International School overseas (“Detinu” is “United” spelled backwards). A typical book about starting a new school, but with a TCK twist – the new classmates are from all over the world. Sydney is nervous to start 3rd grade but by the end of the day she has the beginnings of new friendships and is optimistic about the coming year.
Reading level: age 7 to 10 years
This collection of short poems tells the story of a Chinese American brother and sister moving away from their home and extended family in San Francisco. Their grandmother gives them each a memory box to fill with tiny treasures as they make the journey to their new home. This melancholy book could help kids in the midst of a move and inspire them to savor memories and say goodbye well.
“For their move far away, Gracie and Jake are sad to leave
the golden bridge,
the trolley tracks,
and Nai Nai.
“But they fill empty boxes with treasures—
a marble, a snake,
a pair of wings.
Tiny reminders of all they love—
so happiness stays close,
no matter where they go.”
Reading level: age 5 to 8 years
Baby bat, Stellaluna, is separated from her mother and raised in a nest of baby birds. She adjusts to their ways but never quite fits until she meets fellow bats & finds she’s “normal.” Her adopted bird siblings can’t do what she can, but although they are both different and the same, they stay connected. Though not a TCK book, it could have applications for expat kids, growing up between two different ways of life.
Reading level: age 4 to 7 years
