While it is fun to teach about holidays, such as Halloween or Christmas, it is important to teach about powerful days. This means the days that honor or respects something that people may not really know about. Additionally, teaching about the days many do not know about helps incorporate real-life aspects into the classroom content and highlights marginalized groups of people. One of these days includes World Refugee Day. The picture books below are all great ways to teach about courageous people who had to flee their home country for a safer place to live.
What is World Refugee Day?
World Refugee Day is on June 20th each year. This is a day designed by the United Nations to honor the strength and courage of refugees. This means all people who have been forced to leave their home country for another due to a variety of issues. For instance, it may be due to an immense amount of violence, persecution, or health concerns. On this day, the goal is to build empathy and understanding for the people who have to rebuild their lives in an unfamiliar area.
The Importance of Teaching Empathy
With how diverse the world is, it is more important than ever to teach about empathy. When students are empathetic, they can put themselves in someone else’s shoes as a way to understand their emotions or experiences. In other words, it is a way to give students their own telescope to see beyond the comfortable walls that they know. When children learn this skill at a young age, they can build deeper relationships with others. Additionally, they will learn to be more accepting, which will lead to less bullying. Truly, it is never too early to start teaching students about empathy.
Diverse Pictures Books to Teach for World Refugee Day
There are so many incredible picture books to teach about challenging concepts. By utilizing them, students can still learn about different hardships or complex topics in a more child-friendly way.
Author Nicola Davies and illustrator Rebecca Cobb take readers on a poetic, heartbreaking journey.
In this picture book, a little girl is forced to become a refugee. Her day started like any other day usually did. She went to school, practiced drawing birds, and studied tadpoles. However, the war quickly showed up and destroyed the town. Instantly, the little girl lost everything and had to take a dangerous journey all alone.
This powerful book will show students the power of reaching out, showing empathy, and being kind.
Author Wendy Meddour and illustrator Daniel Engeus show the tough decisions that all refugees have to make.
In this picture book, Lubna’s best friend is a pebble. She can talk to Pebble, who always listens. Additionally, she can even make Pebble smile whenever she is scared and needs to feel better. However, a lost little boy arrives. Lubna has a tough decision to make. Does she give away Pebble, her best friend, to someone who needs it more than she does?
This picture book shows how one act of kindness can make a massive change in the life of someone.
Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey
Authors Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes wrote a heartwarming true story with illustrator Sue Cornelison bringing the words to life.
In this book, a family from Iraq is forced to become refugees. However, they love their cat and want to take him on the journey to Greece. When the family has to travel in a packed boat to get into Greece, the cat carrier breaks and the scared cat runs away. The family searches for as long as they can, but they ultimately have to leave in order to find safety. Thankfully, an entire community comes together to reunite the family and cat.
This incredible picture book shows the importance of showing compassion for others and never giving up.
Picture books have the power to teach students the importance of empathy, kindness, and understanding. They take really tough concepts, such as the refugee crisis, and allow students to learn about them regardless of age. By utilizing the picture books above, children will see how the lives of people in the world are all so different. Thus, showing some empathy and kindness can go a long way!
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