From the Bookshelves: We Came to America by Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold‘s We Came to America is the immigration picture book your child/grandchild/niece/nephew needs this year.

The book is one long and brightly-illustrated poem about the diversity of the immigrant experience in the United States. I particularly like how Faith addresses Native Americans (“Some of us were already here”), slaves (“some of us were brought in chains”), and refugees (“some of use came running / From injustice, fear, and pain”).

Interestingly, Faith also appropriates and refocuses Trump’s presidential slogan (“Our food, our fashion, and our art / Made American GREAT”), though as the book was published in May 2016 it’s hard to know if this was intentional or not.

This is just the book you need to share with that special child in your life – beautifully illustrated with an upbeat message about immigration.

In spite of where we came from,
Or how or why we came,
We are all Americans,
Just the same.

-KitJ