Estrella misses her father very much and she wishes that everyone knew how much it affected her. This book explores the challenges, thoughts, and deep emotions from a child's perspective as she grieves the loss of her father through his deportation. It emphasizes the importance of relationships and support connections during difficult times, especially for teachers and students.

Critical Analysis: ranking criteria for choosing picture books found in the Libnoch and Ridley article “Using Picture Books About Refugees: Fostering Diversity and Social Justice in the Elementary School Classroom” the book, “I Wish You Knew” (Kramer 2021) is an excellent choice to engage young students on the topics of immigration. This book accurately reflects the current refugee situation, uses authentic language embedded in the text, and is from an authentic author and illustrator according to the supplemental information.

Favorite Quote: "I'll be back one day to see the sunflowers bloom." ( )

This book shows a young child whose father has to leave the country as he is not a legal immigrant. She shares her sorrows with her class, and later on, other children share stories, feelings or moments that they wish others knew to better understand them.
“I Wish You Knew” meets the criteria for authentically reflecting the culture of the child and father. There is not a space in this book where they focus on political issues or any reasons behind immigration or deportation; instead, they shine a light on character’s feelings and emotions, and the community the school builds together around supporting each other. “I Wish You Knew” can be read in a classroom and we can engage children on similar topics such as missing a parent who doesn’t live with them, on their own immigration journey, on grandparents who live in a different country. We can also speak with children about why they might think the father has to leave, and how the children in the classroom are feeling to feel what organically comes up in regards to race, discrimination or injustice. One quote that stuck out to me was: “I wish they knew that when they forget their homework or sit alone at lunch or cry over little things, they are not alone” – as a teacher, this connected with my feelings on supporting my students through their challenges and journeys. ( )