My Home is in my Backpack

Clara and her family have to leave everything behind as they begin a long walk. Sometimes they talk and joke with the other families along the journey, but other times they have to hide and keep silent to stay safe. Clara visits each of her new friends to learn about their homes and what helps them through the journey.

What I Liked: This book does a great job of showcasing what the migration journey can look like for different people and highlighting the feelings that people experience along the way. The illustrations throughout this book are realistic, and you can see the various settings that the family has to pass through. Through these illustrations, you can also see Clara remembering the things that are important to her, as well as others imagining and recalling their own stories.

Final Verdict: My Home is in My Backpack is a fantastic way to show children what the migration story is or to help children who had to migrate reflect on their journey. This story shows the difficulty of migration while also highlighting the beauty of community and family. This is a perfect book to introduce children to the story of some immigrants and to help students who have migrated feel less alone and be able to share their individual stories.