5. Children’s Experiences of Immigration

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  Mis Dos Pueblos Fronterizos / My Two Border Towns (2021) by David Bowles

  Amy Reed-Sandoval

  When children talk about migration and displacement, they generally speak and inquire about people. Why are some people forced to leave their homes—or why was I forced to leave my home? Why won’t other countries let them in—or why won’t other countries let my family and me in? What does it feel like to live in a shelter, or in a refugee camp, or on a bridge between two countries—or why must my family live this way, while others do not? This picture book shows how philosophical questions about migration can be inspired by, and embedded in, communities and characters that children can read, imagine, and care about. It emphasizes what young philosophers already know: that migrants are real people, living in real places, and embedded in real human relationships that are philosophically perplexing and deserving of collaborative analysis.

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  You Are an Explorer (2020) by Shahrzad Shahrjerdi

  Farzaneh Shahrtash

  This beautifully illustrated book, with exaggerated pictures of two unprotected children, deals with the issue of post-war displacement of children and their families. While the parents of these two explorers are absent for an unknown reason, the older brother is taking care of the younger sister by his creative thinking. He is trying to use the power of his imagination based on care, as a technique to face seemingly unendurable and oppressive situations. The children who discuss You Are an Explorer may not have experienced a real war, may not have been in any post-war situations, and may not have experienced displacement. Perhaps they haven’t even been in contact with those who have been through any of these circumstances, but they can still explore some relevant concepts in this book, opening dialogue with their peers.