Citizenship, Immigration, and Place of Origin

From the diverse cultures of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Guyana, Somalia, and others, immigrant children write of the fear, the excitement and challenge of moving to another world and forging a new sense of self in a new land.

It is 1972, and fifteen-year-old Sabine enjoys a comfortable life as the daughter of Indian parents living in Uganda. But her world is turned upside down when President General Idi Amin declares Indians must be “weeded out” of Uganda in ninety days.

This humorous story is about a fictional incident in the childhood of the Mexican revolutionary hero, Emiliano Zapata. After Emiliano's pony is stolen, he manages to track down the bandits and recover his horse.

In a Chinese village, Bamboo, a simple farmer, falls in love with a peasant girl, Ming, and soon they are married. To celebrate the wedding, the newlyweds plant a grove of bamboo. When Bamboo goes to the New World to seek his fortune, his new wife is left behind to till the fields. Ming soon discovers that the bamboo she brought as a gift to her new husband is magic.

Maiko has left his village in Africa far behind, moving to live with his aunt and uncle in North America. When he thinks of home he thinks of the large Baobab at the center of his old village. To ease his loneliness, Maiko adopts the little spruce tree in the front yard of his new home. When he learns that the spruce is in danger of being cut down, Maiko knows he can’t let that happen. He knows all too well what it’s like to be small, and feel planted in the wrong place.