{"id":12411,"date":"2016-01-22T00:01:55","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T05:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=12411"},"modified":"2017-02-20T10:17:52","modified_gmt":"2017-02-20T15:17:52","slug":"child-soldier-and-thinking-about-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/child-soldier-and-thinking-about-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"Child Soldier and the Refugee Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just finished the great graphic novel Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War<\/a> by\u00a0Michel Chikwanine and Jessica Dee Humphreys and would encourage everyone reading this to pick it up. The story recounts how 5 year old Michel was kidnapped\u00a0near his school\u00a0by rebel militiamen in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He eventually escapes, but not after being forced to commit violent acts which haunt him. The book does cover very difficult territory, but does a good job of explaining the history of the conflict and not exhibiting images too disturbing or violent for it’s intended audience. This is an important story to tell and equally important to get into the hands of tween and teen readers. The book begins with Michel arriving in North America, and ends with more details about his journey to safety. He was\u00a0first a refugee in Uganda, then years later in Canada, and touches upon what it was like to feel as if people here didn’t care about the issues in other countries.<\/p>\n

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Image from http:\/\/www.kidscanpress.com\/products\/child-soldier.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This graphic novel sparked me to contemplate\u00a0what\u00a0role we can serve and what\u00a0titles we can provide for children who come to the library looking for something that relates to the refugee\u00a0experience. These books may not only be sought out by children who identify with\u00a0such experiences, but may also be of interest to curious\u00a0readers who want to better understand what it may mean to be a refugee. With\u00a0the\u00a0current Syrian refugee crisis making news headlines worldwide, young people may\u00a0be itching for answers.\u00a0Libraries are safe, inviting places to ask about what it means to be a refugee.<\/p>\n

The UN Refugee Agency<\/a> has a\u00a0downloadable\u00a0children’s booklist full of great titles covering the topic. \u00a0Below are some of my favorite recent titles for children that discuss\u00a0the refugee experience.<\/p>\n