Research has shown that infants are aware of differences in skin color, and by the age of 5 kids understand that skin color is associated with status in our country. There is research-based evidence that kids of color are negatively impacted by these stereotypes, and they aren’t good for white children either. Books can add to the harm or provide ways for children to see themselves reflected positively in the world by serving as mirrors and windows for all kids.
As part of our series on diversity in children’s books, read further to learn more about why reading books about and by people with diverse identities is important for all kids.
Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors
Books open up new worlds and perspectives for readers. This is true for people of all ages, but especially for children, because books help them learn about and understand things they have never seen or experienced. When we read with kids we are sharing a glimpse of how much the world has to offer. They get to peek through a window into another world, and even the chance to walk through a sliding door via their imagination into that world.
Books and media also help shape how we view ourselves and the world around us. This is one reason diverse representation in children’s books is so important. Children should be able to see themselves and their lives reflected positively in the books they read.
This concept of children’s books providing ways to see other perspectives and reflect individual identities was developed by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Professor Emerita of Education at The Ohio State University and Chair of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury. In 1990 Dr. Bishop published an essay entitled Mirrors, Windows, & Sliding Glass Doors about the importance of providing young readers with diverse books that reflect the “multicultural nature of the world” in which we live. She wrote, “When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” Reading becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.
Children from dominant social groups have always found their mirrors in books but they, too, have suffered from the lack of books about others. “If (white children) see only reflections of themselves, they will grow up with an exaggerated sense of their own importance and value in the world.” They need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in.
#ownvoices
The #ownvoices movement goes beyond children being able to see themselves reflected in books. Started by Young Adult author Corinne Duyvis on Twitter in 2015, the hashtag highlights books about diverse characters written by authors whose lived experiences match those of their characters.
Reading a book written by a Black author about Black characters is vastly different from reading a book with Black characters written by a white author, a truth often overlooked in children’s publishing. Lived experiences shape how we write and tell stories.
Books authored by BIPOC (Black, Indiginous, and People Of Color), LGBTQ+, and/or disabled authors about characters who are like them present more accurate and true representation.
The stories do not have to focus on just a character’s identity, but rather on life and how it looks through their eyes.
Letting less-seen kids see themselves on the pages of a book; featuring them, not as a spectacle, but as kids experiencing life, having fun, upsets, victories, and overcoming challenges, is vital. Sometimes things may look a little different, but what connects them is, like all kids, they are learning, growing, and seeking adventure.
–LaRonda Gardner Middlemiss from Picture Book Author Laronda Gardner Middlemiss Writes so Her Son Can See Himself in Books
What can parents and educators do?
Read
Reading authentic stories from people of all backgrounds and experiences enriches children’s understanding of the world and combats negative stereotypes by providing positive, authentic representations of diverse identities in books.
Choosing books from #ownvoices authors with a variety of identities is an easy way to help your child begin to see the world for the diverse place that it is. Get started by visiting our How to diversify your reading webpage and looking through our carefully curated booklists.
Talk
Children as young as six months can notice differences in appearance in those around them. Between ages two and four children can begin to internalize biases directed at their own identities. Because children perceive and internalize these messages at a young age, it’s important to talk about race and expose kids to positive stories about people of all identities. Get tips when you click the links below.