Books about moving home and country for kids

Below: 10+ books about moving home and/or country for kids.

As we embark on our very own moving journey, I have found books to be a great conversation starter with my own children. Whether they see themselves or other children go through the same feelings and situations of saying goodbyes, planning, decluttering, etc, or just want to process their own questions, books are always useful. Below, I have listed some of our favourite books and stories, but also some workbooks children can use to record memories and process their emotions. 

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Stories about moving home

• Arto's big move: Arto has lived his whole life in the snowy, cold North — and six years is a long time. When his mom gets a new job and the family prepares to spend a year in the South, Arto is not happy at all. He’s just going to act as if there isn’t any difference. In the new Southern landscape of prickly plants, strange birds, and a big, hot sun, Arto stubbornly dons his winter uniform of boots, mittens, coat, and knit cap day after day. It’s worth the stuffy, sweaty, overheated feeling if he can pretend he’s still in the North. A very relatable story with a memorable character. Best suited for ages 4-7. 

• I'm not moving! Dad says we have to move. He has a new job. Mom says I'll like my new room. Well, I'm not moving! Change isn't easy for young boys and girls. And when change means moving to a new school, a new house, and away from friends, well that can be downright complicated! Best suited for ages 5-8. 

• Evelyn Del Rey is moving away: Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special. A very sweet story featuring girls of color. I believe there is also a version in Spanish. Best suited for ages 6-8. 
  
  
  
• Marie's Big Adieu: Friends Forever: Marie and her family are moving house! But while her parents are excited, Marie feels sad. She doesn’t want things to change, and moving means she’s going to have to say goodbye to her best friend. But luckily, her family are here to help her every step of the way, showing her that moving can be a fun and brand-new opportunity after all! Best suited for ages 4-8. 
  
  
  
• Goodbye brings hello: from being pushed on a swing to learning how to pump your legs yourself, from riding a beloved trike to mastering your first bike ride, from leaving the comforts of home behind to venturing forth on that first day of school, milestones are exciting but hard. They mean having to say goodbye to one moment in order to welcome the next. While this is not technically about moving home, it is a very sweet story about being brave and feeling empowered with change. Best suited for children from 4. 

Stories about moving country

• A new home: Moving to a new city can be exciting. But what if your new home isn’t anything like your old home? Will you make friends? What will you eat? Where will you play? In a cleverly combined voice — accompanied by wonderfully detailed illustrations depicting parallel urban scenes — a young boy conveys his fears about moving from New York City to Mexico City while, at the same time, a young girl expresses trepidation about leaving Mexico City to move to New York City. The books is also available in Spanish. Suitable from ages 4 to 8. 

• B at home: Emma moves again: Emma is only ten years old, but has already moved twice. Now, her parents are telling her the family is moving again. She's furious, sad, nervous, and a little excited, all at the same time. Unsure of how to tackle these conflicting emotions, she turns to B, her faithful teddy bear. While trying to come to terms with the challenges of another move, what Emma really wants is just to 'be at home'. As the journeys of Emma and B unfold, home changes once again, but home also begins to take on a new meaning that Emma can take with her wherever she goes. This book also has an accompanying workbook (see below). Best suited from age 6/7. 

Our pick: we love this book. my girl read it on her own (at 10/11 years old). She loved it. She could relate to many aspects of the story. It also helped her approach the topics that matter to her: friends and memories. The workbook (see further down) is also wonderful for saying goodbye and keeping little memories.

• New is fun, too: Join Panda Ya as she learns that new and different can also be great fun! With the support and compassion of her Ma and Pa, discover how Panda Ya embraces the differences between her old and new ways of life. While exploring her new neighborhood, Panda Ya finds new playgrounds, friends, modes of transportation, snacks, and even a new way to see the rest of her family. To her delight, she ends her first long day noticing that the moon she admired from her old home was the very same moon at her new home. If it could be happy there, then so could she. Best for ages 3-5. 
  

• Sammy's next move: Sammy's Next Move is a wonderful story about a snail named Sammy who lives around the world with his parents. He is a ‘third culture kid’, TCK or global nomad. He often moves to new countries and has to change schools and make new friends. Sammy experiences the feelings and thoughts common to children in similar situations. Sammy is a snail and so he carries his home with him wherever he goes, just as a third culture kid does by knowing that home is where their heart is! Best suited for ages 8-10. 

• The mission of detective Mike: Mike is unsettled. He knows that something odd is happening at home because his parents are whispering all the time. But, being a detective, Mike is quickly on the case. He enlists his friend Ikem to help him get to the bottom of the mystery. Mike and his family are moving to another country, making him confused and fearful. What will happen to his toys, his room, his friends, his house? How will he learn to talk in a new language and how will he ever make new friends? As his mission gathers momentum, Mike and Ikem find the answers to his questions and solutions to his problems. 
  
  
  

Workbooks/journals about moving for children

• I am on the Move - Friends' Book: This digital download is a tool and a memento at the same time, perfect for expats, immigrants, digital nomads, and their children, as well as worldschooling and military families. With this Friends' Book, your child can creatively involve their friends, teachers, coaches, and anyone else they want to keep in touch with. Simply print out the pages and let your child hand them out to their friends. They can stick pictures, drawings, and leave little notes in the book, creating a wonderful keepsake of memories and friendships. Saying goodbye is as important as preparing for new hellos, and this Friends' Book helps your child do just that. It takes little space, so you can easily include it in your luggage, or make it part of a larger treasure box with other mementos from your former home, city, or country. There are also version for other ages. 

• Me and my big move workbook: Together with experts, they created 100 pages filled with fill in templates, games and tips from other little movers that will kickstart your family adventure!  Play lots of fun exploring and mindfulness games. Create a treasure box, lists your favorites, create your “good goodbyes”, draw, sticker, jot and log all the new things you discover! Learn about your feelings, get ideas to make new friends, and keep in touch with your old ones by trying all the ideas of other experienced movers. Guiding you through all the phases of relocating, the book has a focus on the settling in period, while this period kids can experience the change the most. So even if you already made your Big Move, the book will help you settle in more quickly! We love this workbook. It is beautiful, fun, creative and mindful. It also makes for a great keepsake for any child moving. I would say though that it is more suited to processing the new destination rather than saying goodbyes as the majority of the workbook is about the new place.

• I'm moving! a hands-on guide to help children prepare for a move and navigate the emotional highs and lows that come with it. From the moment the move is announced to the time when everyone is settled in the new home, I´m Moving! is an effective tool for personal growth, helping the child unpack the move and tie up any loose ends prior to moving. 

• My moving booklet: This is the accompanying booklet to go with the B at home story (see above). There is also a French version of this workbook. The book is designed to help children through the initial stages of an upcoming move. Moving usually means going through quite a roller coaster of feelings. It can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. It can be very sad to say goodbye, but it can also be incredibly fun to experience new things and meet new people. Everybody experiences a move differently. My Moving Booklet will allow children to to say goodbye properly and truly welcome the new challenges and adventures that lie ahead of them and, together with their parents and teachers. In many parts of this booklet, they will have the opportunity to either write about it, to draw a picture, or to glue on a photograph. This is their own unique story that one day will serve as a keepsake of a life-changing event. 

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