It’s all about the story: Personal narratives in children’s literature about refugees

Stories are one way that experiences, ideas and culture shared with children in educational settings. Commercially published books the standard means schools for sharing stories. Qualitative content analysis was carried out on 30 personal narrative-based children's picture books. While range of stories told is vast, our research focuses refugee light contemporary political public focus refugees forced movement people around world. Scholars have identified about can be useful to explore topic refugees, but also caution they perpetuate simplistic stereotypical understandings In we examine narratives propose educators should use written illustrated by as a bring voices into formal spaces. We argue this respectful approach counters deficit model children; it highlights authentic their own terms. Additionally, offers counter-narrative dominant sphere presents migration its legacies from perspectives. suggest effectively experiences through literature, number texts begin conversations classrooms, who experienced featured.