Picturing New Neighbors

On September 30, in the midst of torrential rains and flash flooding in the city, I still managed to get in from the island to hang an exhibit of illustrations in the Children's Room of Portland Public Library.

The exhibit, "Picturing New Neighbors," features selected original artwork from these four books, all of which feature immigrant children:

My stellar intern, Caitlyn Hubbard, made the whole day work; I never would have made it without her. Thanks, Katie!

The exhibit will be up through November, and will culminate with a November 19th reception and workshop, "'That's My Story!' Images of Immigrant Children in Picture Books," for teachers, librarians, parents and community members.

I'm New Here RELEASED

My latest book, I'm New Here, launches into the world today! Though it's brand new, some exciting things are happening with it already:

• A starred review in Kirkus! - "heartfelt and poetically rendered" (see 5/24/15 post)

• In June,  children's book advocate extraordinaire, Kirsten Cappy of Curious City and I presented a workshop, "New Immigrants, New Approaches: Serving Your Community's Deep Diversity with Programming and Acquisition," at the American Library Association conference in San Francisco - and just received the report that we got stellar evaluations! We introduced I'm New Here as we talked about the stages of adjustment for immigrant children and our project about children's literature featuring new arrivals, I'm Your Neighbor Books.

Our entire presentation is available as a pdf here.

•  In late July, marvelous videographer Fred Ben (above, with me), Kirsten Cappy (below, R), and I met with 25 fabulous children - including Fatho (below, center) - and their wonderfully supportive teachers (thanks for making it happen, Tina Massa Mikkelson!) at Hall School in Portland, Maine.

I shared the book and we talked about being new, being different, and being welcoming. Each child drew pictures and made posters of their thoughts and feelings. The next day, we got to interview the child individually as they talked about their work. So delightful; I fell in love with every single face.

The footage from two days of filming will be shaped into a short book trailer and a longer teaching tool, to spark discussions about immigration and welcoming at schools across the country and around the world, available for the September launch.

• On Saturday, September 19, I'm New Here will be launched at an all-ages event at Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine, 2:00-4:00 p.m., during National Welcoming Week.

• On October 22, I'll be presenting this workshop at the "Language, Culture & Identity" conference of the Multilingual & Multicultural Center of Portland Public Schools, Maine:

Immigrant Children in Picture Books

A review of recent, recommended titles featuring refugee and immigrant children, focusing on the countries of origin of those currently settling in Maine. We'll explore how these books can be used to support students - and their mainstream classmates - as they move through stages of adjustment.

• On November 7, I'll be presenting I'm New Here and many other titles in a workshop for K-12 teachers entitled, "'That’s My Story!' Young Refugees and Immigrants in Children's Books," at the Northern New England TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) conference at UNH in Durham, NH.

Stars in My Eyes

Last week I received the great news that my upcoming picture book, I'm New Here, received a starred review in Kirkus!

"O’Brien’s watercolor-and-digital illustrations masterfully use perspective, white space, and the contrast between the children 'back home' and in their new settings to highlight the transition from outsider to friend. ...
Whether readers are new themselves or meeting those who are new, there are lessons to be learned here about perseverance, bravery, and inclusion, and O’Brien’s lessons are heartfelt and poetically rendered."

My editor, Julie Bliven, commented in an email that, "I feel as though the reviewer was sitting at our table two years ago at Simmons and listening in on you, me, and Whitney [art director]. They really understood what you were trying to achieve."

It's thrilling to have a beloved project recognized in this public way. And it's rare - and deeply affirming - to be gotten, to have the book described exactly as we envisioned it.

This mention increases the likelihood that the people who are looking for books about immigrant children will find it, and best of all, that it will get into the hands of children who will find themselves reflected in my book.

Thanks, Kirkus!

Welcoming Refugees

Over the last two years I've been excited to learn of the work of Welcoming America,

"a national, grassroots-driven collaborative that works to promote mutual respect and cooperation between foreign-born and U.S.-born Americans. The ultimate goal of Welcoming America is to create a welcoming atmosphere – community by community – in which immigrants are more likely to integrate into the social fabric of their adopted hometowns.

One of WA's projects is Welcoming Refugees:

"Through a cooperative agreement with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Welcoming America helps organizations and communities across the United States to prepare their communities for successful resettlement over the long term by fostering greater understanding and support for refugees." 

Sign up to be part of the Welcoming Refugees network. Their Community Blog is full of resources.

On the Community Blog, I've just begun a series of posts, "Connecting Through Stories," which will focus on creating welcoming communities and conversations by using children's books featuring stories of the experiences of new Americans.

This first post is about the Cambodian American experience, in celebration of Cambodian New Year and acknowledging the 40th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge invasion of Phnom Penh and the start of the 4-year genocide.

Upcoming posts will include books related to World Refugee Day, Ramadan, and finally in September, National Welcoming Week.

Strange New World: Through the Eyes of Just-Arrived Immigrants

I recently purchased Here I Am by Patti Kim, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez, a wordless picture book about a boy from South Korea (unnamed but recognizable in the images) who moves with his family to an American city. I can't express my enthusiasm more eloquently than in the words of author Da Chen:

"... a marvelous picture book, a motile encapsulation of the turbulent world of a child uprooted from a faraway land, the confusion and sadness of his strange new world. Strongly compelling with powerful and whimsical visuals... A must read. What a triumph."

From the last ten or so years, here are some other picture books that beautifully and sensitively capture aspects of the brand-new-immigrant experience:

The Arrival is Shaun Tan's masterpiece of a fantasy graphic novel about a man who is forced to leave his wife and child behind in an oppressive country in order to establish a new home for them in another, freer society. Tan mixes familiar objects, places and experiences with others drawn from his prodigious imagination that intensify the feeling of being lost in the strangeness of a new place. And he draws like an angel. It's one of my all-time favorite picture books. Great for older readers as well.

The Color of Home by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Karin Littlewood, shows how Hassan, a young refugee from Somalia, uses art to tell the story of his journey and to help him adjust to his new home.

My Diary From Here to There by Amada Irma Perez, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez, is a bilingual book in the voice of Amada, making journal entries as her family moves from Mexico to Los Angeles.

My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Catherine Stock, tells the story of a Sudanese boy's solution to how he can get people in his new country to pronounce his name correctly.

My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska, is a moving and winsome story of a young Korean girl's adjustment to a new place and a new writing system, enlivened by playful, surreal illustrations with a lot of punch.
 

 

For lots more titles about the immigrant experience, from picture books through YA novels, see the ever-growing collection at I'm Your Neighbor Books.