Aaliyah the Brave: Empowering Children Coping with Immigration Enforcement

by Rekha Sharma-Crawford

Designed as a resource for parents, teachers, social workers, advocates, and lawyers, Aaliyah The Brave helps readers understand the impact immigration enforcement can have on children and what emotions children may feel in the aftermath. When immigration officials come to Aaliyah's home and take her father, she and her family find themselves coping with a variety of emotions. As they prepare themselves for the legal proceedings in Immigration Court, Aaliyah realizes how brave she is, and the family realizes how important communication about what is happening helps to empower her.

34 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2022

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad that there needs to be a story on this but I found the author did a great job at explaining it in a way that would be easy for children to understand in a situation that isn’t easy.

[Kelly Teen Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Aaliyah La Valiente, what a courageous young lady. I can't even imagine what it's like to be a child in 2023. I can't imagine living in a world where I'm always afraid to be torn away from my family, the constant fear.

The author did a great job creating an interesting and creative story to show another challenge children face in our society today, as well as ways for kids to cope (thru civic action), how adults approach the topic before, and how we as neighbors and communities can help.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children who have left one homeland for another have many reasons to fear for their future if someone official comes to their new home to take one or both of their parents away. It's not like in the past when my families came through Ellis Island and all the traumas were close in time. And people on my area tend to forget that ICE has issues with people other than the Spanish speaking or Chinese. Many other political refugees and voluntary immigrants are at risk as well. This small book is designed to reassure and empower these children and also raise awareness in children who are not at risk for this particular trauma. The wording of the story makes it readable by people of all ages and original languages.
All libraries need this book so we can all remember this message of the fears of all children who have been through more trauma than we know.
The illustrators of QBN Studios fill the pages with simple artistry which adds to the impact of this important resource.
I requested and received a free temporary PDF from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the scary but common story of ICE investigations into immigrant families in the United States. Written as a support resource for parents and community workers supporting young children of detained immigrants, this book explains the process of ICE investigations and reminds children that they are loved and cared for even in scary moments like when a parent is taken away. I also think that slightly older children could benefit from reading this story to learn about the challenges immigrant families may face. I would recommend this book to be purchased with careful thought about introduction, especially with young children, but feel that it is an excellent resource. I would recommend this book for children ages 4-8. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Books Go Social for the DRC of ”Aaliyah the Brave" by Rekha Sharma-Crawford. What an amazing, inspiring, and comforting book this was. It skillfully handles the very serious (and oftentimes scary for children) topic of immigration enforcement. This book is definitely much-needed, and would help any child (or even teens and adults) affected by immigration enforcement to better understand and connect with a story that reflects many families’ experiences. It is a matter of fact story and does not sensationalize or dwell upon the negatives or scary parts of the experience. I especially like the end, where children can be encouraged by both the specific characters and helpers in the book, as well as to make connections to other jobs and ways that they can use to make a difference.

[E. Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource book for children and adults. Powerful. Highly recommend.

[Natalie Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I live in the modern State of Israel, a country founded and populated by a rainbow spectrum of immigrants.

Many Jews, religious or not, view 'making aliyah' or being honoured in synagogue with an 'aliyah' as experiences of personal spiritual and emotional elevation.

So it is intriguing to discover that a prize-winning American immigration lawyer has chosen 'Aaliyah' as the name of her protagonist in a child's picture book aiming also to help adults better understand the impact immigration enforcement may have on children.

The author is Kansas City, Missouri-based Rekha Sharma-Crawford who says: "I picked the name deliberately ... (because) when I began to write the book, I wanted a name that was global yet powerful. The name is found in a wide variety of cultures and one which has powerful and spiritual meaning across cultures. I did this because I wanted Aaliyah to be relatable no matter the family’s country of origin".

Herself the child of Hindu Indian immigrants, Sharma-Crawford believes that despite its early-years format, her ground-breaking book is suitable for children aged five-12 and that "there are parts of the book that can be used to educate parents on the need to communicate with their kids.

"Immigrant families that are facing removal often hide these matters from their children and when we need to be able to call the children as witnesses for court, they don’t even know where to start to explain the issue to their children. So, I wrote the book as a resource that has a variety of ways to use it. In writing the story, I first spoke to therapists on how we can incorporate gentle messages into the book that would then have a wider use and purpose".

She adds: "I never thought I would become an immigration attorney. I became passionate about the area after I saw the injustices and trauma we are causing children and communities. In this way, this book is the first of its kind to take this topic on, head-on".

I suggested that the book's engaging and clever format aside, the storyline and characters need to be much stronger. But Sharma-Crawford insists that after much internal debate, she kept her characters' back-stories vague "because I wanted Aaliyah not to get shoe-horned into a specific set of facts ... I wanted to focus on the child and that it really was about communication and isolation that the child feels because the parent at home fail to include them ... "

Sharma-Crawford's real-life caseload currently includes about 50% from Mexico and the 'Northern Triangle'.

But, she says, in the US now "there are so many immigrants who are displaced, including from Ukraine and Afghanistan. The US immigration laws are harsh and draconian. They do little to address the global issues that lead to migration in the first instance, and even less to the trauma caused once people arrive here.

"Child separation .. and other immigration policies are often used to further political agendas, no matter who is in power. So while there are a fair amount of Mexicans in the US, there is also no shortage of folks from Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cameroon and south east Asians".

[Paulina M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Representation: 7
Story: 5
Illustration: 10

I appreciate that this book was written and can be a valuable resource to help children understand what happens around them. However, I feel that the mark was missed because it's a more helpful resource for children who are not in that situation.

I do work with immigrants (not in the USA). I can honestly say that I am yet to meet a child of both immigrant parents who uses "mommy and daddy." I wish the author had used those words in the language of Aaliyah's parents would be a great start.

Not being American and going by what I see in the news, dealing with ICE doesn't always have a positive outcome. I would be careful about giving false hopes to already emotionally vulnerable children.

** Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. **

[Lauren Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Books Go Social for the DRC of ”Aaliyah the Brave" by Rekha Sharma-Crawford. What an amazing, inspiring, and comforting book this was. It skillfully handles the very serious (and oftentimes scary for children) topic of immigration enforcement. This book is definitely much-needed, and would help any child (or even teens and adults) affected by immigration enforcement to better understand and connect with a story that reflects many families’ experiences. It is a matter of fact story and does not sensationalize or dwell upon the negatives or scary parts of the experience. I especially like the end, where children can be encouraged by both the specific characters and helpers in the book, as well as to make connections to other jobs and ways that they can use to make a difference.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl named Aaliyah who experiences her dad being taken away by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She is confused about why her dad won't come home and why they have to go to court. But at the end of the day, her dad comes back and everyone is all happy again.

Although this book is very cute and definitely is relevant to our times, I thought the ending was going to go in a different direction. I understand why the ending was a happy one, but from my understanding, these situations in real life aren't always so happy. I feel like it would have been more realistic if the ending went in the other direction because it offers false hope, but I do recognize that this is a children's book.

[Stephanie Grassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaliyah is brave and so are you! Such a lovely and empowering book. The messaging and illustrations each shine on their own and are completely brilliant together! Whether a child can read yet or not, they will certainly find comfort in Rekha’s story. It is clear her heart and soul were poured into this, to help as many children as possible. If not adults as well, through their child’s eyes! I do not have children or am involved in immigration work…simply a huge fan of Rekha’s community engagement and supporting a phenomenal woman, so I’ll be donating my copies to local immigration services and our library. If you have the means I urge you to do the same. Surely by now each of us have had a book find us when we needed it most. Let this book be there for a child in the same way.

[Chantelle J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes its a childrens book not my usual reading but it was interesting none the less. As an adult coping tools proved to be helpful and as I think towards my childhood experience those coping tools started when I moved from one school to another. I sympathize with that young person change in life its not easy to hear your leaving friends and moving to a new school. Recommended by @booktesters thank you for the insightful reading.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great and important story telling the tale of how immigration can affect a cild and it's family. It was serious and captivating for both children and adults and is a great book that I think all children need to have in their bookshelf, either to learn how other kids can have it, or to understand their own story and risks.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book “ Aaliyah the Brave.” It was about how children can cope with ice. The little girl has to learn to be brave and stay strong watching her father being taken away. How scary and very real this lesson is for children. As a teacher, I would have this story in my resources for kids who are having to go through scary situations and need comforting. The illustrations are nice too.

[mar✰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

un buen libro para que los niños entiendan lo de la inmigración.

thanks netgalley

[Victoria Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple tale to help children understand the US immigration system but does not give false hope, but exults waiting and bravery.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful children's graphic novel about a timely political issue from the POV of a Brown child. When her father is taken away by the ICE, she must try to be brave to be there for her family. The illustrations were great. I know for sure it'll bring such a sensitive but timely issue to children and open their eyes and educate them.

Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.