5 Kid's Books About Moving

TLDR; No solutions, just a whole lot of empathy

That time of year is coming when many families move houses. Some are big moves and some are small—but all of them are hard changes for kids to handle. This is a topic that's been requested by many folks, and I'm happy to share some incredible books that can help make the big transition from one house to another easier.

These books aren't a magic wand that will cure your kid's fears and anxieties. But they offer a whole lot of empathy and compassion for what can be a big, scary change. They're reassurances that yes, indeed, this is a difficult transition, but with time it's something they can overcome.

One thing that does help, of course, is making friends in your new community. Here’s a list of some spectacular books that help kids navigate making friends.

Home Is A Window

Written by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard and Illustrated by Chris Sasaki

Recommended Ages: 3+ years old

Poetry in picture book form, this is a little ode to what home looks and feels like, wherever it might be. A young girl recounts all the things that make her home special—from a corner chair to her mom's whispered "Hello, sweet pea." We see what days are like for this little city girl and how suddenly home looks different. And we see the girl's day change and morph as her home changes. Yet, still, the feelings of home stay with her; different but still the same. The digital illustrations are something to behold. Jewel-toned hues burst over the pages, depicting the warmth and vibrancy of the girl's home life even as she moves somewhere new.

Buy Now | Find it at your library

This Is Not My Home

Written by Eugenia Yoh and Illustrated by Vivienne Chang

Recommended Ages: 5+ years old

There are so many circumstances that precipitate a move, and this one is one we don't see or hear about as often: reverse immigration—when you return to your country of origin after having lived in another country. In what appears to be a single-parent home, Lily is shocked when her mom informs her that they'll be moving to Taiwan to care for Lily's aging grandmother.

Lily does not take this news well—her remaining days in the US are punctuated with reflections on all the things she'll no longer have. And these same things are what she misses as she adjusts to life in Taiwan, where everything seems different. Some of these struggles are honestly come by; for example, when Lily struggles with Mandarin at school.

It all comes to a head when Lily admits to her mom that she doesn't feel at home in her new country. In a heart-wrenching scene, Mama explains to Lily that what feels so unfamiliar to her is actually home to Mama. It's a poignant moment as we realize that Mama probably felt similar when assimilating into the US. While this conversation doesn't magically wave away all the struggles Lily experiences, we see her start to soften and open herself to this new world.

The illustrations are muted and stunning with a level of detail that is absolutely delicious. The portrayals of the US and Taiwan allow us to travel with Lily too and help us understand why Lily feels so bereft at the loss of her American home. Similarly, as Lily begins to accept her new home, we share that sensation too as her isolation comes to an end and she enmeshes herself within her new community.

Buy now* | Find it at your library

The Blue House

Written and Illustrated by Phoebe Wahl

Recommended Ages: 5+ years old

If you love Little Witch Hazel*, you'll love this book written and illustrated by the same author. Leo, a young boy, and his dad are living their best life in The Blue House. Even though it's crumbling around them, it's their house (as you'll see from the exquisite details peppered into Wahl's illustrations). So when their landlord sells the house for it to be torn down to build a new apartment building (a nod to the effects of gentrification), Leo and his dad are heartbroken.

After rage-dancing and grief-painting, they slowly pack up their belongings and move into the new home that Leo hates. But, bit by bit, they remember their old house warmly and slowly begin to fill their new home with memories. The watercolor and gouache illustrations are jaw-dropping in their deep, vivid coloring and details. What especially moved me was the anger and grief shared by both son and dad and how they began their new chapter together.

Buy now* | Find it at your library

Neville

Written by Norton Juster and Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Recommended Ages: 6+ years old

Oh boy, did I adore the pants off this book! The writing style is just chef's-kiss-perfect (duh, it's written by the author of The Phantom Tollbooth). The protagonist, a boy, is disgruntled about his new living situation. He doesn't like having to move. He doesn't love that he had no say in the matter and that, now that he's in his new house, he'll have to navigate a new school and make new friends.

When his mother encourages him to go on a walk, he finds himself at a literal crossroads. Putting hands to mouth, he shouts out, "Neville!" Just as he's about to shout out the name again, a little boy gives him some feedback and joins in to help this boy find this Neville person. Soon a bunch of kids from the neighborhood are gathered and calling out for Neville. They soon get to talking, and the protagonist finds himself returning to his new home just before dark with a gaggle of new friends. This endearing story is the perfect combination of peculiar, sweet, and silly. The mixed media illustrations are as lovable as the story itself.

Buy Now* | Find it at your library

When The Stars Came Home

Written by Brittany Luby and Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Recommended Ages: 8+ years old

This book captured the melancholy of adjusting to a new place and remembering your old life so well it brought tears to my eyes. Moving to a new place is so much more than just physically adjusting to a new home with new surroundings. There's also the story we leave behind of who we were and what we knew in the old place.

In this moving children's book, we meet Ojiig—a young Anishinaabe boy—who moves to the big city with his parents. Ojiig leaves behind his grandparents and his routine that was so intertwined with nature to become a part of the urban jungle. Even amongst so many people, Ojiig feels lonely. No one truly knows him. His parents do their best to console him and help him adjust to his new life, but he still struggles.

Then his mom begins making a quilt. She invites Ojiig to help her with all the triangles. Each triangle tells a story of their people, their history, and their heritage. As Mama tells him these stories, Ojiig comes to the realization that no matter where he is, he always travels with the stories of his past inside him and new adventures are opportunities to create stories for the future.

Ojiig does such an ordinary thing; after all, moving is commonplace. But when you layer in the stories of his people—the author does this beautifully, giving readers a heart-wrenching peek into what Indigenous people have overcome—you get a deeper understanding of why this move carries so much significance for Ojiig and his family. The digital illustrations are vibrant and colorful. Digital illustrations are always hit-or-miss with me, and the digital style of the artwork in this book isn't my favorite, but the story is so lovely that the illustrations are secondary to me.

Buy now* | Find it at your library

Let’s Talk…

• If you could move this very second, where would you move and why?

• What’s the best place you’ve lived?

• Tips for moving with kids?

*Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)