Naomi is a 12-year old Canadian girl who is forced to move to a small northern town in Japan and no one asked her if she wanted to go. She left behind her friends and her beloved grandparents and her dog Billy and she is not happy about it. Everything is strange in Japan and she’s seen as a strange outsider, not even able to read or communicate at first.
Gradually, Naomi begins to learn about Japanese festivals and foods and customs. She becomes friends with Midori, a Japanese girl her age who used to live in the US. And from there Naomi’s world begins to open up even more and she learns to love Japan and the people in her village. As she learns about her new home, the readers also get to learn about the language, writing and history of Japan. It’s a sweet, calming read and I was sad to put the book down.
This is the first book in a trilogy.
Starting from when a kid is preparing to move until they’re settled in their new home, this colorful workbook gives kids a chance to process the whole moving experience. A little migratory bird named Nor guides the process with colorful pages and chances to draw pictures and write out answers to questions. There are five chapters to this book:
- Where and how you are right now
- The place you are moving to
- The move is on the horizon
- Get ready for moving day
- You have arrived
I think this is one of the best workbooks for kids who are moving internationally, whether it’s their first or fifth move. It asks great questions and it’s wonderfully illustrated and engaging.
This workbook was originally written in Swedish and available in both English and Swedish.
Reading level: age 6 – 12 years
Miko’s Journey is a picture book with a coloring page next to each story page, following the adventure of Miko the chameleon who is moving to a new forest. Miko has to say goodbye to his family and friends and start the scary adventure to his new home. Though he has fun in his new forest and learning a new language, he misses his friends too. The story ends with Miko making friends with a zebra and getting to ride on his back.
After the story, there are extra coloring pages of Psalm 139:9-10 and then 8 discussion questions for kids who have recently moved to a new place.
Since this story was published by the Assemblies of God, it isn’t available to buy online but you can contact the publishers through their email: askmiko72@gmail.com
Reading level: age 4 to 8 years
This novel follows Adelaide, who has lived her whole life in a small Ethiopian village with her anthropologist father, disengaged mother and two younger sisters. When she’s told that her family is moving to South Carolina you can’t help but cringe in thinking about this naive village girl leaving her village for the first time. Adelaide isn’t excited about it either and vows to come back and marry her childhood sweetheart.
Most of the story follows Adelaide’s friendship with the African American students who have enrolled in her white school. It’s 1964 in the South of the US and racial tensions are high. No one can understand why a white girl is friends with the black students and Adelaide can’t understand why it’s such a big deal since she has always been friends with black Africans.
This TCK novel follows some typical themes of culture shock and reentry which were rather extreme for Adelaide as she is basically as sheltered as someone can be. I also loved how Kindberg looked at racism and how white expats can be embracing of other cultures overseas and racist in their own countries. The end of the story also shows how difficult and different it can be to go back to where we grow up as an adult and realize we don’t fit like we used to.
Set in the US in the days of the pioneers, this story, full of sorrow, tenderness and wisdom, is perfect for TCKs who face moving far from loved ones.
Lydia’s parents are packing the covered wagon that will take them to Oregon, a thousand miles away from all she’s ever known, and heartbroken Lydia just “can’t say goodbye to grandma.”
Lydia finds Grandma swinging on her swing and “picturing” – recalling memories of the good times they shared together. And thus begins a gentle, deliberate process of leave-taking guided by Lydia’s wise and comforting Grandma. Together they run and play, laughing and recalling their memories of this place and of each other. When sadness comes, Lydia puts her head on Grandma’s lap and cries until she runs out of tears. When it comes time to part, Grandma gives Lydia a gift that will soothe homesickness, and sends her on her way with “kisses on the wind” that they can exchange across any distance.
Disguised as a story, this book illustrates describes some extremely helpful ways to say goodbye well and ease the pain of “missing” when children separate from beloved family or friends. (But good luck reading it to your children without getting choked up).
Reading level: 3 to 7 years
I HIGHLY recommend this small book for children who are moving to a new location, especially one far away. It gives wise advice presented through the story of Patches, a teddy bear who moves frequently (so far, he has lived in Russia, Ecuador, Ukraine, and Paraguay).
The story isn’t so much about the process of moving as it is about how to say goodbye to a place, and how to carry your memories and use them to comfort yourself when you are homesick for your previous home(s). It closes with a question that will help young readers think about their own plan for saying goodbye – perhaps by trying some of Patches’ strategies. The practical ideas illustrated in this small book are based on sound psychology. Young readers who follow Patches’ example will be better prepared to settle into their new homes because they’ve said goodbyes well to their last one.
Unlike most children’s stories about moving which assume a move within the same country, both the story and the illustrations in this this book make it clear that Patches is making an international move. That makes it especially relevant for young Third Culture Kids moving internationally with their expat parents.
While the book is written for children, its advice would be of value to TCKs moving at any age – even as adults!
Reading level: 3 to 7 years
