Something Happened to My Dad: A Story about Immigration and Family Separation

In this realistic and empowering tale, Carmen learns that through community and love, she can find strength in herself and maintain her connection with her Papi, who has been detained because of his immigration status. Also available in a Spanish edition, Algo Le Pasó A Mi Papá Una Historia Sobre Inmigración y la Separación Familiar ISBN 9781433839504.

Carmen loves doing magic with her Papi. He can make sarapes fly. He can make rabbits vanish! But one day, her Papi vanishes. She is sad and scared when she learns he has been detained because he is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. At first, Carmen’s family keeps Papi’s detention a secret, fearing that they might be judged negatively. As Carmen’s community becomes aware of their situation, they rally around her family with love. Carmen learns she can find strength in herself and maintain her connection with Papi, no matter what happens.

​The Something Happened books present and explain sensitive and important events happening in communities across the United States and around the world. Told in clear, compelling stories, the books come with the authority of psychological expertise from the American Psychological Association. They include Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story of Racial Injustice, which is a New York Times and #1 IndieBound bestseller, and one of ALA’s most banned books; Something Happened in Our Park: Standing Together After Gun Violence, which was nominated for The Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice; and Something Happened to My Dad: A Story About Immigration and Family Separation.

• 2023 CBC and NCSS Notable Social Studies List

Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP, is a co-author of Something Happened in Our Town and Something Happened in Our Park. As a psychologist, she has utilized therapeutic stories in treatment with children and teens. As a community advocate, she has focused on children’s behavioral health and social justice.

Vivianne Aponte Rivera, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is originally from Puerto Rico. She is on the faculty at Tulane University School of Medicine and has worked with immigrant families throughout her career.

Dr. Rivera and Dr. Hazzard were faculty members at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta at the same time, each working at clinics serving mostly minority and immigrant families.

Gloria Félix was born and raised in Uruapan, a small city in Michoacán, Mexico, one of her biggest inspirations when it comes to art. She holds a BA in animation and digital art, and an MFA in visual development. In addition to children’s books she makes art for the animation industry. She lives and paints in Guadalajara, Mexico. Visit @GloriaFelixArt on Instagram and Twitter.