NECBA Windows & Mirrors Project 2018

Why do we need Windows & Mirrors?

The concept of children's books as "windows and mirrors" (Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) is simple: that children's literature should contain diverse characters and experiences such that all children can find recpresentations of their own experiences and identities (mirrors), and be exposed to many experiences and identities of people unlike themselves (windows).

What is the Windows & Mirrors Project?

The NECBA WIndows & Mirrors committee, taking a broad view of diversity, seeks to draw on the expertise of the New England bookselling community in curating a yearly list of diverse titles that demonstrate strong representation of marginalized identities as well as great literary merit.

The NECBA Windows & Mirrors list aims to highlight diverse titles that might otherwise be overlooked, and provide bookstores throughout the region with a resource that will help them easily reach for titles that showcase a breadth of human experience beyond our societal "defaults." In this way, we hope to serve all the young readers who visit our stores, providing windows and mirrors through books that will expand and enrich their worlds.