Styling Librarian: Children’s Books about Moving

Children’s Books about moving: Moving somewhere? Well, first thing I thought about when we decided to move from Oregon, USA to Hong Kong: what type of books can I use to smooth the transition? Unfortunately, I did my research and got so many books that my sweet son and I were pretty tired of reading books about moving by the time we were done. I’m now taking a slight break from reading moving books but finding the theme of them in numerous others: transition, risk-taking, change, acceptance that you don’t have control of everything.

I randomly put any book that helped me relate to moving there, not just books about moving. So, here’s what rose to the top for me:

Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst.   I simply adore books by Judith Viorst, especially her poetry books. Her book: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was the first picture book that I incorporated into a lesson I presented to classmates when I was working on my education degree (I still have a video of myself reading it aloud, one of the few videocassettes that I’ve kept through the years.) This book- Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move is perfect as a discussion starter for anyone beginning to deal with moving and change. Unfortunately, there is more unknown than known when it comes to moving to Hong Kong and I just loved reading this book which went through emotions, questions, and concerns about moving…

Time to Go by Beverly Fiday  This was a gorgeous, beautiful celebration of the memories of a past home and having to move away. It made me sad and hopeful combined.

Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss  This one is a little harder to read aloud although my son and I enjoyed it immensely. The way Amelia accepted the inevitable move, changes within her friendship and kept the journal throughout the transition made me realize (again) why this book has been treasured and reread by my students throughout the years.

I Hate English! By Ellen Levine  I already mentioned this book in my World Awareness book posts, but here is the “perfect fit” book which follows a girl moving from Hong Kong to America. (We have the reverse. The only difference is that my son and I will be transitioning to a school that does have English spoken so he won’t be as challenged as this sweet character was…)

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is a touching, thoughtful book about celebrating your culture and accepting change. I love how the main character had a friend who helped her accept her name instead of picking a name from the jar that her classmates put suggestions into… I also loved how the cultural traditions about having a name stamp was explained and celebrated.  I remember how excited I was as a child getting personalized items such as stationary and pencil holders…

A great book review on two other treasures on moving is: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/books/review/picture-books-about-moving.html

I do love Neville by Norton Juster and The Moving House by Mark Siegel, they’re terrific moving stories as well.

I also enjoyed this post on moving books: 
http://www.squidoo.com/picture_books_about_moving

I’m a bit crazy about Melanie Watt, so Augustine is quite appealing… about a little penguin whose father takes a new job and the family moves from the South Pole to the North Pole. Quite cute and also a celebration of famous artists!

What are your favorite moving books? I kept track of the ones I recently read on Goodreads, here’s the link:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1941055?shelf=moving-books

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