Moving can be a challenging experience for children. Whether it’s adapting to a different environment or coping with being away from friends and family, these transitions can leave children filled with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. I’ve compiled a list of children’s books that explore the moving process, meeting new people, and even the unique challenges faced by military families. These stories are written to help children navigate the complexities of moving with resilience and hope.
You can click on any of the titles below to learn more about each story or find all of these books about moving on my Amazon page.
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CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT MOVING
The Moving Process
The Moving Book
by Lisa Brown
Moving can be sad and scary—but it doesn’t have to be. The kids in this book have done it many times before, as the older brother reminds his sister. They reflect on favorite memories from each of their past homes, and the boy talks her (and the reader) through all the steps to expect, from taping up boxes to riding in the car behind the moving truck.
A Moving Story
by Beth Ferry
With the utmost care, brothers and professional movers Tiny and Pete will move anything anywhere because they know that nothing is too small or too light to wrap up tight and treat just right. But during their biggest move yet, a young panda’s pet turtle goes missing and even the brothers’ efforts might not be enough to save the day.
Moving
by Meg Gaertner
This book explains the various reasons families might move, the mixed feelings that moving can cause, and ways children can process and express those feelings. The book includes easy-to-read text and vibrant photos, making it a great choice for beginning readers. It is part of the Dealing with Challenges series.
Yard Sale
by Eve Bunting
Almost everything Callie’s family owns is in their front yard – their furniture, their potted flowers, even Callie’s bike. They can’t stay in this house and are moving to a smaller apartment where most of their things won’t fit, so today they are having a yard sale. With sensitivity and grace, Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo portray an event at once familiar and difficult, making clear that a home isn’t about what you have, but whom you hold close.
Home is a Window
by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard
Home can be many things – a window, a doorway, a rug . . . or a hug. At home, everything always feels the same: comfortable and safe.
But sometimes things change, and a home must be left behind.
Follow a family as they move out of their beloved, familiar house and learn that they can bring everything they love about their old home to the new one, because they still have each other
Lola’s Moving Day
by Anna McQuinn
A baby on the way means that Lola’s family will need a little more space! The family works together to pack up their things for moving day. Mommy sets up a color-coding system to organize the boxes with stickers, and Lola and Leo are a big help! Once everything is almost ready, they begin to say their goodbyes and leave a note for the new family. Then it’s time to move!
Moving Day
by Teri Roche Drobnick
It’s moving day and this Victorian house can’t imagine what it will be like to live in a different San Francisco neighborhood. She feels a lug and a tug as she’s lifted onto a flatbed behind a truck. A police car leads the way, a crowd begins to form on the sidewalks, children follow behind ringing the bells on their bicycles—it’s just like a parade! She teeters and totters as she slowly, slowly begins her journey.
Readers can watch and cheer along with the clapping crowd as the house turns the first corner. Workers remove street signs that are in the way and tree trimmers clip branches that hang too low. When the house comes to a very steep hill, everyone holds their breath until she makes it safely to the bottom. Phew. But it isn’t until she sees her family standing in her new spot that the house realizes it’s right where it belongs – with them.
We’re Moving House
by Mick Jackson
A gentle and reassuring introduction to the idea of moving to a new home. This endearingly illustrated book gently introduces young children to the idea of moving house. Narrated by 4-year-old Ama, it explains each part of the process in a reassuring way. As well as the practical aspects, the book explores the emotional highs and lows of relocating, and shows that this big change can be an exciting thing, with a little help from old friends and new ones. A perfect way to help little children get used to the idea of moving house.
Moving the Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story
by Dave Eggers
It all started when John “Minnie” Moore built a mine in Idaho and sold it to Englishman Henry Miller. Then Henry married a local lass named Annie and built her a mansion, hence the “Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion.” After Henry died and Annie was hoodwinked – losing all but the mansion – she and her son took to raising pigs in the yard, as some are wont to do. But the town wanted those pigs out. Who could have guessed that Annie and her crew would remove the whole mansion instead – rolling it away slowly on logs – while she and her son were still living in it?
MOVING AWAY FROM FAMILY & FRIENDS
Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away
by Meg Medina
Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special.
Sourgrass
by Hope Lim
Every day, Sofia and May meet at the door of their shared fence. Sofia can always count on May to show up and May can always count on Sofia to wait for her. One spring day, Sofia and May discover a field of wild sourgrass flowers beyond their yards. The field becomes their favorite place, and the two friends grow closer than ever. But when May moves away, Sofia starts to worry: Will their friendship last?
As the girls navigate a long-distance friendship, Sofia realizes that some friends are forever, even when they’re apart.
Sandcastles Are Forever
by Ellie Peterson
For Cora and her best friend, Shelly, every day is a beach day.
When they get home from school, the girls shimmy into their swimsuits, grab their beach bags and buckets, and race to the water. Then their sandcastle-building ritual begins!
But one day Shelly announces she’ll soon be moving to the city, and suddenly Cora doesn’t feel like building sandcastles anymore. What’s the point when they’ll just wash away?
Friends are Friends Forever
by Dane Liu
On a snowy Lunar New Year’s Eve in Northeastern China, it’s Dandan’s last night with Yueyue. Tomorrow, she moves to America. The two best friends have a favorite wintertime tradition: crafting paper-cut snowflakes, freezing them outside, and hanging them as ornaments.
As they say goodbye, Yueyue presses red paper and a spool of thread into Dandan’s hands so that she can carry on their tradition. But in her new home, Dandan has no one to enjoy the gift with – until a friend comes along.
In a Jar
by Deborah Marcero
Llewellyn, a little rabbit, is a collector. He gathers things in jars – ordinary things like buttercups, feathers, and heart-shaped stones. Then he meets another rabbit, Evelyn, and together they begin to collect extraordinary things – like rainbows, the sound of the ocean, and the wind just before snow falls. And, best of all, when they hold the jars and peer inside, they remember all the wonderful things they’ve seen and done. But one day, Evelyn has sad news: Her family is moving away. How can the two friends continue their magical collection – and their special friendship – from afar?
Cherry Blossoms and Paper Planes
By Jef Aerts
Adin and Dina are best friends. They live in the beautiful countryside surrounded by cherry trees. Their favorite game is to plant cherry pits around their little village – in the cracks in the sidewalk and in the flowerbeds outside the post office. Then one day Adin and his family move away to the city. Will Adin and Dina’s friendship survive the new distance between them?
How I Learned to Fall Out of Trees
by Vincent Kirsch
Roger and Adelia are the very best of friends. They’ve spent many springtimes collecting birds’ nests, autumns jumping into piles of colorful leaves, and winters building snowmen. When the time comes for Adelia to move away, the two friends must say good-bye. But Adelia has one parting gift for Roger: She will teach him, once and for all, how to climb a tree. Lyrical and colorful, the narrative flips between Adelia’s instructions (“hold on tight,” “move up when you’re ready”) and her packing list (things they loved to play with, things they were supposed to throw away). By the time the moving van pulls up, Roger is ready to start his climb. But now, he’s afraid of “letting go.” In a sweet reveal, we learn that Adelia has left behind a soft landing, making sure that – for Roger – falling is the easiest part.
The Longest, Strongest Thread
by Inbal Leitner
A little girl is moving far away from Grandma. Neither wants to say goodbye. But when Grandma brings the girl into her sewing room, she shows her that they have the longest, strongest thread in the whole world to keep them connected. Full of hope and heart, this book reminds kids that family connections transcend physical separation, no matter how far apart we are.
Best Buds
by Becky Scharnhorst
When Spencer moves to a new town, his mom is worried he may have a hard time making friends. But it’s easy! First, Spencer meets Fred, who is an excellent listener. Then there’s Dottie, who’s a bit wild, and Eugene, who’s a jokester. The only thing is, Fred, Dottie, and Eugene are all…plants.
While the adults in Spencer’s life question whether he might want friends he doesn’t have to water, Spencer knows that friendship can blossom in the most unexpected places.
Dear Abuelo
by Grecia Huesca Dominguez
This heartwarming story follows Juana, a young Mexican girl who immigrates to the United States and settles with her family in New York. She is excited to start a new life in a new country with her family, but she immediately begins to miss her abuelo (grandfather) who remains in Mexico.
To cope with her separation from her abuelo, she begins to write letters to him, the first one while she is still on the airplane to her new home!
Juana does not miss a chance to write to her abuelo, telling him about her new home, the huge park just outside her bedroom window, the impending snowfall, and her first day in her new school. As she navigates through a new school and learns a new language, she begins new friendships, all the while telling her grandfather all about her new life experiences.
Horrible Harry Says Goodbye
by Suzy Kline
The last day of third grade is approaching fast, but a farewell to Room 3B isn’t the only goodbye Doug has to say this year. Song Lee and Mary are busy preparing an end-of-year present for their favorite teacher, Mrs. Flaubert, but their excitement can’t distract Doug from Harry’s suspicious silence. When Harry finally admits that his family is moving to a whole other town, Doug can’t believe his ears. How will he survive fourth grade without his best friend?! But Harry has a more pressing question: who’s that moving in to the empty house across the street from him? And what could these new neighbors mean for their friendship?
You can find activities to pair with this book here.
Babysitter’s Club Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye
by Ann M. Martin
Oh, no! Stacey McGill is moving back to New York! That means no more Stoneybrook Middle School, no more Charlotte Johanssen, and worst of all…no more Baby-sitters Club!Stacey’s friends are crushed when they hear that Stacey’s moving, Claudia most of all. Stacey was her first best friend. How will the Baby-sitters cope without Stacey? What kind of going-away present is good enough for someone as special as she is? But most important……Who is going to be the next member of The Baby-sitters Club?
ADAPTING AND ADJUSTING TO A NEW ENVIRONMENT
Ten Beautiful Things
by Molly Beth Griffin
Lily and her grandmother search for ten beautiful things as they take a long car ride to Iowa and Lily’s new home with Gran. At first, Lily sees nothing beautiful in the April slush and cloudy sky. Soon though, Lily can see beauty in unexpected places, from the smell of spring mud to a cloud shaped like a swan to a dilapidated barn. A furious rainstorm mirrors Lily’s anxiety, but as it clears Lily discovers the tenth beautiful thing: Lily and Gran and their love for each other.
A New Kind of Wild
by Zara Gonzalez Hoang
For Ren, home is his grandmother’s little house, and the lush forest that surrounds it. Home is a place of magic and wonder, filled with all the fantastical friends that Ren dreams up. Home is where his imagination can run wild.
For Ava, home is a brick and cement city, where there’s always something to do or see or hear. Home is a place bursting with life, where people bustle in and out like a big parade. Home is where Ava is never lonely because there’s always someone to share in her adventures.
When Ren moves to Ava’s city, he feels lost without his wild. How will he ever feel at home in a place with no green and no magic, where everything is exactly what it seems? Of course, not everything in the city is what meets the eye, and as Ren discovers, nothing makes you feel at home quite like a friend.
A Book of Maps for You
by Lourdes Heuer
In this book, a young cartographer leaves a one-of-a-kind gift behind for the kid moving into his old house. He’s drawn and annotated maps of all the neighborhood places of interest – no playground, reading nook, or chicken coop left uncharted.
Stella and Roger Are on the Move
by Clothilde Ewing
Stella and Roger face their scariest challenge yet when Stella’s parents announce they’re moving – and not just out of Chicago, but to a whole new state! Stella doesn’t want to move away from her favorite park or any of the other things she loves about the only home she’s ever known. The kids begin a campaign to convince Stella’s parents that leaving Chicago is a big mistake. But is this change really as scary as they think?
Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms
by Robert Paul Weston
Sakura’s dad gets a new job in America, so she and her parents make the move from their home in Japan. When she arrives in the States, most of all she misses her grandmother and the cherry blossom trees, under which she and her grandmother used to play and picnic. She wonders how she’ll ever feel at home in this new place, with its unfamiliar language and landscape. One day, she meets her neighbor, a boy named Luke, and begins to feel a little more settled. When her grandmother becomes ill, though, her family takes a trip back to Japan. Sakura is sad when she returns to the States and once again reflects on all she misses. Luke does his best to cheer her up – and tells her about a surprise he knows she’ll love, but she’ll have to wait till spring. In the meantime, Sakura and Luke’s friendship blooms and finally, when spring comes, Luke takes her to see the cherry blossom trees flowering right there in her new neighborhood.
Southwest Sunrise
by Nikki Grimes
When Jayden touches down in New Mexico, he’s uncertain how this place could ever be home. But if he takes a walk outside, he just might find something glorious.
Flowers in bright shades . . .
Birds and lizards and turtles, all with a story to tell . . .
Red rock pillars towering in the distance . . .
Turquoise sky as far as the eye can see . . .
Perhaps this place could be home after all.
Bitter and Sweet
by Sandra Feder
When Hannah’s family has to move, her grandmother tells her how she felt leaving the old country – it was both bitter and sweet. As Hannah leaves her friends behind and tries to get used to a new house, she only feels bitterness. Was her grandmother wrong about the sweetness?
Hannah starts to feel better about the move when she sees her new house in the soft light of the Shabbat candles. When a new friend reaches out with a special gift, Hannah realizes that sweetness can come from unexpected places and that she can even create some herself.
The Moving-Box Sukkah
by Leah Rachel Berkowitz
Everything is different and nothing feels like home for a boy who has moved to a new city with his mom. As they unpack together, he can’t find his special blue blanket, he misses his old yard, and he worries that they won’t be able to celebrate holidays as they once did. Calm and sensitive guidance from his mom, who describes how the Israelites had to move and adapt to new surroundings throughout the ages, also includes some hilarious ideas from the rabbis of long ago as they tried to imagine where it might be possible to build a sukkah – the temporary hut where ancient Israelites sheltered during their pilgrimages. The boy begins to see that different isn’t necessarily worse, and a new place can begin to feel more like home, especially when family is together.
Home in a Lunchbox
by Cherry Mo
When Jun moves from Hong Kong to America, the only words she knows are hello, thank you, I don’t know, and toilet. Her new school feels foreign and terrifying.
But when she opens her lunchbox to find her favorite meals—like bao, dumplings, and bok choy—she realizes home isn’t so far away after all.
Anything
by Rebecca Stead
Anything paints a tender picture of a father and daughter moving into a new home. Dad brings a birthday cake for the new apartment to celebrate their new beginning and tells his daughter she can wish for anything (or, more precisely, “three Anythings”). Over the course of the day, she wishes for some of her favorite things, including a rainbow and “the biggest slice of pizza in the whole world.”
But she keeps some of her wishes inside. Because what she really wants is to go back home to their old apartment, with its big blue bathtub and space in the closet for hide-and-seek. When she finally admits this last wish, her dad takes her on a journey, and by the book’s final pages, she is home . . . in every way that matters.
Percy’s Museum
by Sara O’Leary
A young boy moves from the city to a new home in the country. He misses his friends, but at least it’s summertime – flowers are blooming, baby birds are hatching, and caterpillars are transforming into butterflies. Enraptured by the natural world, Percy climbs trees, tastes wild strawberries and tries to catch fish in the river with his bare hands.
Percy also likes to draw pictures of what he has seen that day. He collects interesting leaves and rocks, and insects in jars. Percy discovers that being alone doesn’t have to be lonely, but explorers often share their findings. So, he creates a way to share his collection with others …
Birdsong
by Julie Flett
When Katherena and her mother move to a small town, Katherena feels lonely and out of place. But when she meets an elderly woman who lives next door, named Agnes – her world starts to change.
Katherena and Agnes share the same passion for art making, birds, and connection to nature. But as the seasons change, can Katherena navigate her new friend growing old?
Milo and Georgie
by Bree Galbraith
When Milo’s family moves to a new city, he vows to officially retire from having fun. So he stays inside for days while his little sister, Georgie, yearns to explore the new neighborhood. Finally, Milo ties Georgie to the end of a ball of yarn so she can go out, on one condition: she has to come home when he tugs the string twice.
But one day, Georgie isn’t at the end of the string. Which means Milo might just have to step outside and discover everything he’s been missing.
A New Home
by Tania De Regil
Moving to a new city can be exciting. But what if your new home isn’t anything like your old home? Will you make friends? What will you eat? Where will you play? In a cleverly combined voice – accompanied by wonderfully detailed illustrations depicting parallel urban scenes – a young boy conveys his fears about moving from New York City to Mexico City while, at the same time, a young girl expresses trepidation about leaving Mexico City to move to New York City.
Hello, New House
by Jane Smith
When a family moves cross-country, a young girl learns to adjust to her new home. There are new neighbors, new weather – and scary nighttime sounds! But she realizes that not everything is different: her family is still by an ocean, and, more importantly, still together. This heartwarming family story illustrates how some things change, but others remain the same.
Big Move to a Tiny House
by Jennifer Jacobson
Eight- and six-year-old sisters Twig and Turtle are excited and curious about their new small town in Colorado. And for their cool, tiny house! Their family is united in living more simply, and not stressing out the Earth’s resources. But the move comes with a major problem: How do you fit a Great Dane in a tiny house?
Only For a Little While
by Gabriela Orozco Belt
When Maribel’s family has to move in with Tía Carmen because Papi lost his job, Maribel and her sister feel unsettled.
It’s not always easy sharing a room or being in a house full of loud cousins, but Papi reminds the girls that it’s only por un ratito – just for a little while. In the meantime, there is always someone to play with, the mealtimes are filled with music and laughter, and bedtime is for snuggling in tight. Maribel realizes that maybe being there por un ratito isn’t so bad after all.
Monday, Wednesday, and Every Other Weekend
by Karen Stanton
Henry Cooper and his dog Pomegranate have two houses. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other weekend, they live with Mama in her new apartment, but on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other weekend, they live with Papa in his new house.
Henry and Pomegranate are happy as they dance with Mama and sing with Papa, but Henry knows that sometimes Pomegranate gets confused and just wants to go . . . home.
BOOKS ABOUT MILITARY DEPLOYMENT
Deployment: One of Our Pieces is Missing
by Julia Cook
“I think I’m pretty lucky because I’m part of a military family. It makes me really proud to know my parents are working to keep our country safe.”
“I get to do stuff other kids don’t.
My life is kinda unique.
I’ve tried on night vision goggles,
and I’ve looked inside a Humvee.”
Life is full of unique opportunities and challenges for military families. They live in different places, shop on military bases, and have to navigate changes in how they operate as a family when a parent is deployed. In Deployment: One of Our Pieces is Missing, our family must learn to stretch and adapt as they find their new normal while Dad is gone. And once home again, they work through a mix of emotions as he settles back into the family frame.
Sometimes Love
by Katrina Moore
When her mother is deployed overseas, a young girl is temporarily parted from her beloved dog. Told in spare yet lyrical verse, this picture book shares a powerful message about the different ways we show love, from giving, to growing together, to sometimes letting go. But don’t worry, this story has a happy ending.
Welcome Home, Esmerelda
by Daniela Ramirez
Papa’s job in the military has taken Esmerelda and her family all over the world – and yet she’s never lived in the United States. Now she and her family are moving to San Antonio, Texas.
Although many of her extended family members live there, Esmerelda is unsure it’ll feel like home. Even more, she’s unsure she will fit in. Gradually, music and her sweet abuela spark bravery and the realization that home is not always a place – it’s familia.
Sometimes I Want a Hug
by Erin Winters
Goodbyes are real hard, but I’m figuring out
That the going is not all this trip is about.
The harder it feels when you have to let go,
The more it will make for a sweeter hello.
Being in a military family comes with unique challenges that can be hard for kids to understand. When a child’s parent goes away on deployment, there can be big emotions, confusion, uncertainty, and stress throughout the family unit.
Written by a military spouse and Licensed Professional Counselor, A Sweeter Hello offers therapeutic tools for coping with deployment, normalizes and validates the child’s experience, and nurtures positivity in hard times and looking forward to their parent’s homecoming.
Night Catch
by Brenda Ehrmantraut
When a soldier’s work takes him half-way around the world, he enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son.
Night Catch is a timeless story that connects families while they are apart and offers comforting hope for their reunion.
When You Are Away
by Dominique James, Ed.D.
Nothing is the same when a parent has to leave home for a while. See how things are different for these military kids when their dad goes on deployment.
Do you have a favorite children’s book about moving that didn’t make the list? Let me know so I can check it out!
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