First off props for Canadian creators! Second of all this was a really great book that looks at everything from colonialism to refugees to immigration. I loved how simple it read. It is a great and simple introduction into the ideas.

"Finding Home" (by Jen Sookfong Lee, ills. Drew Shannon) is a book filled with short stories and backgrounds on the purpose of finding a new home. From war zones to poverty, tyrannical leaders, the book explores these reasons.

I had to give it 4 stars because I wished it has given more details and historical backgrounds to certain issues. For example, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Syrian Civil War. I also felt they should have said "undocumented immigrants" vs "illegal immigrants" as it contributes to an offensive politically incorrect stereotype. Of course, I don't feel it was maliciously intended. The book feels incomplete in some ways, but I enjoyed how it mentions the atrocities that marginalized communities have/are experiencing as an effect of colonialism, slavery, and racism.
I do feel like this is a great nonfiction children's book to get kids started to explore to gain insight into the world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Although this book does not cover every root cause of every conflict, it is extremely thorough for its intended age group. Everything is presented in both an uncensored and age-appropriate fashion. The author took care to humanize the immigrants discussed, something often lacking in discussions about immigration and migration. Although it is unlikely most children will pick it up to read cover to cover, this book does give needed context for children and would be a great resource in youth libraries.

“Refugee and immigrants, like all of us, are looking for a place to settle in which their families can grow and be happy. This journey, which can span the globe or cross a border, is one that touches us all.”

I didn’t know what to expect before I read this book but it was surprisingly more of a short textbook about immigration. It even had definitions related to immigration. As someone who is educated about immigration to a great extent, I didn’t really learn anything new that I haven’t read/heard about already. But the short mini-biographies of immigrants were a nice touch to make the book even more unique and special.

As someone who is also an immigrant of color, it was nice to read about the short biographies of immigrants and even the truthfully historical facts that most textbooks try to beat around the bush and avoid addressing was nice to see in a book designed as a children’s/middle grade nonfiction book! If more nonfictional books for children and middle grades were like these, it would be a great way for parents/educators to discuss immigration to their children/students at a young age.

There were some things I wished the book addressed though. It’s mostly lacking on the historical roots as to why the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, and the Syrian Civil War started. But it goes over historical facts that still gets the point on why refugees from these countries have immigrated to different countries for asylum. The book also briefly mentions the Philippines but I wished they added some more in-depth historical facts as to why Filipinos would wish to immigrate. One last concern was how the book didn’t have the politically term for “illegal immigrants.” While I agree addressing the topic as to why immigrants who have migrated in a non-conventional way is an important topic to highlight especially since the topic is about immigration, I wished it also corrected itself later on by also calling “illegal immigrants” as undocumented immigrants.

Although it is incomplete to some extent, I still like how the book mentions the real atrocities that marginalized communities have/are experiencing as an effect of colonialism, slavery and racism. The book goes in-depth in addressing both the positive and negative consequences of colonialism. I like that it even calls out leaders who were heroified by US textbooks and US history overall previously (still some US textbooks today) that they were also very racist and xenophobic leaders, (I’m looking at you thomas jefferson). The author addresses these difficult topics in an age-appropriate way for readers at a young age. That is why, this book is good for parents/educators to use as a guide to address immigration. Make sure to add and fill-in anything that the book is missing though, but overall, a great nonfictional book for children/students.

Finding Home: The Journey Of Immigrants and Refugees - By Jen Sookfond Lee is an interesting read that touches on many subjects from colonialism to racism and the reasons people immigrate. It is ideal for the novice social studies teacher, who is just learning about the history of Canadian immigration, and need some points of reference.