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note that in recent months, 
other works of children’s 
literature, particularly those 
written by Black authors, 
are increasingly being ques-
tioned, challenged and 
banned amid the Critical 
Race Theory debate. Further, 
of the 2020 most challenged 
books, six out of 10 are 
about race and racism and 
by authors of color, most of 
whom are Black. That is in 
sharp contrast to 2019, where 
the top-challenged books 
were primarily LGBTQ+ 
themed books. 

CHILDREN’S BOOKS 
PROVIDE “MIRRORS” 
AND “WINDOWS” 
We know the importance 
of children’s books as both 
mirrors and windows for 
young people. “Mirror 
books” help children see 
themselves reflected there so 
their lived experiences are 

acknowledged, appreciated, 
and valued. “Window books” 
help young people learn from 
and about the experiences of 
others who don’t share aspects 
of their identity. 
 Starting at a very young 
age and up to the teen years, 
children’s books open doors to 
conversations about identity, 
diversity, bias and social 
justice — conversations that 
are an integral part of a young 
person’s education. Over the 
last 10 years, progress has 
been made in the publishing 
of more diverse books and by 
authors representative of that 
diversity. 
What do the books 
described here have in com-
mon? 
All of these books were 
written by and share 
narratives about people of 
color and other historically 
marginalized people. All 
of these books address bias, 

discrimination and injustice 
in some way. All of these 
books foster empathy and 
understanding of the stories’ 
characters. And all of these 
books are examples of 
excellent, popular children’s 
literature with engaging plots 
and compelling themes. All 
of these books tell important 
stories for young people to 
learn about the world around 
them — both past and pres-
ent. 
Children’s books teach 
about history and current 
events. We cannot let these 
anti-CRT state laws and mea-
sures prevent educators from 
teaching about important 
topics through the lens of 
children’s literature. In addi-
tion to exploring different 
identities and perspectives, 
these books help teach the 
truth of our history, reflect on 
current events, show how bias 
and injustice show up, and 

illustrate how people can take 
actions to overcome it. 
Providing windows, mirrors 
and the truth of our history 
across the curriculum can 
help students learn, think 
critically and flourish — in 
school and in life outside the 
classroom. It is also important 
that young people have the 
freedom to read what they 
want, to follow their interests 
and have a wide range of 
options to choose from and 
explore. 
From picture books to 
graphic novels, chapter books 
to young adult literature, we 
need more of these books on 
the shelves of our school and 
community libraries, not less. 
That will help us all build a 
better and more equitable 
future. 

This piece was published on the ADL 

blog in October 2021. No author byline 

was given.

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