Where is your home when you are an immigrant?
Being an immigrant can be a very heavy burden, no hugs with the family, no meetings with friends, few material belongings...
Authored by Eugenia Perrella
Illustrated by Angela Salerno Angela Salerno
English version published by FLoris Books 2025
Original title: Mi Casa Especial
Published by Editorial Amanuta, Chile 2023
ISBN: 9781782509257
Category: Children's books, values, the world, empathy, migration,
Pages: 32
Age: 4 - 9
Description
Clara, just like her aunts and uncles and cousins and so many others, is forced to leave her home behind. She leaves with her parents, brother and her beloved pet. The journey will be long, sometimes filled with joy and laughter, some others, just silence.
In the innocence of her heart, she discovers they are not the alone in this journey. Each one carries a special home and all the things that help them ease the moments when sadness comes. Clara wishes one day they found a safe place for their special home.
About what inspired the story:
Author and illustrator had something in common on immigration issues. The author, being a journalist, felt touched by the reality she reported daily, the illustrator, from immigrant origin, and an immigrant herself, felt quickly identified with the topic.
Read more about the story behind the story:
About the story and the BCBF:
The story is one of the150 stories presented at the BRAW Amazing Bookshelf, Bologna Children's Book Fair. It is a special edition in partnership with the United Nations and the “Sustainability: 17 Goals for a Better Future” – 150 outstanding titles exploring climate action, gender equality, education and the fight against poverty.
'My Home is my Backpack' falls into goal 10, target 10.7 'Migration Governance' from the UN sustainable development goals for 2030.
Target 10.7 is a call to 'facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people' and 'implement planned and well-managed migration policies'
I hope 'My home is in My Backàck' helps refugee children cope with the feeling of loniless they might go through. No child should go through childhood without love and a family.
The words in the story might help children understand what is essential in life: friendship, kindness, love and family. The illustrations irradiate a sense of happiness and joy. Through the colors and images, the story tries to connect children with an entertaining journey of discovery through nature to help them keep the magic and innocence of childhood.
My view:
I loved the book!! Being an immigrant myself, I know what 'a special home' means. All of a sudden, I found myself trying to put our whole lives in some suitcases. Deciding what to leave or take was so difficult! But we learned that what we took in our hearts were the most important things we needed.
I hope this book becomes a window for people in general to understand what migrants go through and how much kindness they need; and a mirror for migrants themselves to see they are not alone, and that they can find a place to call home wherever they go, because 'home' is where your heart is.
About:
The author: Eugenia Perrella is a journalist and children's author from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her journalistic speciality is international news and she brings her passion for keeping others informed into her writing for children. Eugenia is the author of more than a dozen children's books.
The Illustrator: Angela Salerno is a graphic designer and illustrator originally from Argentina. Her work often highlights social justice issues, such as migration, and she hopes that her books will help build empathy and develop emotional literacy. Angela has illustrated several children's books. She lives in Valencia, Spain.
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