What Is a Refugee? by Elise Gravel
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on September 24, 2019
ISBN: 0593120051
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

“A refugee is a person just like you and me.” This is an important and timely book, and it handles the subject matter gracefully and at an appropriate level. The text is simple and clearly lays out what makes someone a refugee as well as providing some reasons for people fleeing their home country. The color illustrations are simple, easy to follow, and they support the story well. There is a wide diversity of people in this book, and it does a great job at showing the commonalities between refugees and the reader. There are supplemental pages with quotes from refugee children the author met while writing the book that will help kids relate even more. These are followed by short bios of some famous refugees. This is a great book for K-2nd graders and would be an excellent launching point for further discussion.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME