Books as Mirrors and Windows
It's important to ensure we provide our children with various books with diverse characters that they can relate to and learn from. One really strategy is to talk to our children about the books they read and how they see themselves or their community reflected in those books. Books can also be magical windows into different cultures, identities, and experiences than our own. Thinking and analyzing books as mirrors and windows allow readers to forge deeper connections with characters by comparing similar lived experiences. As well as build empathy and understanding about the world outside of their own through varying perspectives.
Books mentioned to start discussions about different perspectives and lived experiences:
* PreK-1st: All are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
* Lower Elementary: Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh
* Upper Elementary/Jr. High: Wonder by R.J Palacio
* High School: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
