'The Long Way Here (A Refugee Story)' is a children's story, created to help encourage empathy and understanding towards international new arrivals. The book features the fictional experiences of several children who have been forced to flee their homes and live somewhere new.
This story is told from the point of view of several toys owned by different children. Teddi, a cuddly bear, is new to the school and belongs to Mariya, and has a refugee story of his own. Teddi meets some other toys and shares his experience of leaving home and enduring a long journey to safety. Some of his new friends talk about their own difficult journeys. Others listen kindly.
Slowly, Mariya also makes friends with some of the children in her new school. Although Mariya and Teddi both still miss home, their new friends help them feel welcome.
This story can be used in school or at home to help explain that some people have to leave their homes. It can help children to think about the difficulties that refugees may experience. The story is told by toys to help make this difficult subject as child-friendly as possible.
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Hello and welcome to Dixie's Storytime World, a refugee story, The Long Way Here, a Twinkle Original.
Teddy could feel Maria's arm clutching him tightly.
Maria was standing by the gates of her new school.
She hadn't told Teddy that anything was wrong, but she didn't need to.
You see, toys can understand any language in the world, even the ones that aren't spoken.
Teddy could tell how Maria was feeling by the way she held him.
Something had been wrong for a while now, ever since they had started the big journey.
Having to leave home was upsetting, and the weeks that followed had been long and hard.
But the journey was over now, and still Maria clutched Teddy like she would never let go.
Maria had always loved school back home, but this new school was very different.
The uniform was a different color, the building was taller, and the food from the kitchen smelled unfamiliar.
But the biggest difference that Teddy noticed was the language.
All the strangers around them were speaking English.
Maria didn't speak English.
A kind-looking teacher walked over and took Maria's hand.
She talked to her, but Maria didn't understand.
Teddy felt relieved that he was allowed to go with Maria.
She needed a friend.
At first, Maria squeezed Teddy tightly, taking him everywhere she went.
Then, after a few days, she began to loosen her grip.
Eventually, she even put him down on the grass for a while, as she played with some other children.
Hello, said a voice.
Teddy turned around to see a friendly-looking robot sitting on a log nearby.
Hello, he said.
I'm Teddy. What's your name?
I'm Zynga, said the robot.
Are you new at this school?
Teddy told Zynga all about Maria and how he had traveled here with her from a long way away.
We had to leave our home, said Teddy sadly.
There was fighting in our country, and it wasn't safe to live there anymore.
As Teddy spoke, an octopus called Inky and a doll called Dolly shuffled closer to him and listened quietly.
Our bedroom was amazing, said Teddy.
It had pretty decorations and a cozy bed.
Maria had lots of dressing-up clothes, but there wasn't time to pack much.
We had to leave it all behind.
Teddy could feel a tear welling up in his eye, but he carried on.
Maria's daddy's a doctor, said Teddy.
He stayed behind to help people.
She misses him and our home.
So do I.
I understand how you feel, said Zynga softly.
My little boy, Habib, and I were new here once too.
We had to leave our home because it wasn't safe to stay there either.
How did you travel?
We had to walk a very long way, said Teddy.
Sometimes Maria was too tired and hungry to walk by herself.
Her mom had to carry us both.
We walked for days and days.
That's a long time to be walking, said Inky.
It was, said Teddy, especially in the freezing cold.
It was cold where we were too, said Zynga.
We stayed in a camp for months.
At first, Habib would shiver as he lay with his grandmother at night.
But it wasn't long before kind people brought us warm clothes and blankets.
I'm glad there were nice people there, said Dolly.
There were, said Zynga.
I was happy when we left the camp.
But some of our friends had to stay behind, and I was very sad to leave them.
That's how I felt about our friends on the boat, said a dinosaur called Maz.
The waves were high, but we huddled together to help everyone feel safer.
My little girl Diba squeezed me until we made it to land.
It's good that you had each other, Baz, said Inky.
Afterward, each family went to a different place, said Maz.
It's scary when you don't know where you're going.
It really is, said Teddy.
On the train, I could read the signs at each station, but I never heard of the places.
I didn't know where we would stop.
I'm glad you stopped here, said Dolly.
I know we can't make it all better, but we can be your friends.
I would love that, said Teddy.
Bunny misses her home too, said Inky, but she doesn't like to talk about it.
They all smiled kindly at a bunny who was lying across a tree branch above them.
She smiled back, but said nothing.
The toys at this school all stick together, no matter where we're from, said Dolly.
In fact, so do the children, said Inky.
She pointed towards Maria, who was running around with a little boy by her side.
Maria picked up Teddy and showed him to the boy.
The boy picked up Inky and showed her to Maria.
They waved their toys at each other and laughed.
Teddy knew that Maria was still missing the home they had left behind.
But if the children here were as nice as the toys were,
then at least they would both have some new friends.
Thank you for listening and learning.
Kids always remember to be good and kind, and I'll see you soon in another story.
Bye for now.
