In 1990, Rudine Sims Bishop, an educator, constructed a metaphor that has greatly influenced the field of children’s literature and school libraries. She classified books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. This analogy aids in understanding why authors’ and illustrators’ inclusion of diverse and multi-faceted characters and stories are not just a “nice to have,” but a critical and necessary need. 

Books as Mirrors seeing stories that reflect their culture, language, family dynamics, unique abilities, or lived experiences, children see books as books that are mirrors. These stories affirm identity and cultivate a sense of belonging to the community. Schools are making greater efforts to include multicultural books, yet for many students—especially those from historically marginalized communities—validation and acceptance have not yet been a reality. Mirrors reinforce self-worth and confidence, and pride. 

Books as Windows:  Books can also be windows to lives that differ, and are outside, one’s own. stories offer children the opportunity to experience and understand a rich and diverse world. Windows foster and cultivate understanding, empathy and serve to heighten respect and appreciation for others. In a diverse and interconnected world, being able to understand other lives and perspectives is an incredibly important and essential skill.

Books as Sliding Glass Doors: Some books go even further—they become sliding glass doors. These stories invite readers, not to watch another world, but to step into one. Through the imagination of the storyteller, children gain the ability to perceive different viewpoints and emotionally connect to situations outside of their own world. Teachers can help students walk through these “doors.” Literature can be transformative. It can stretch the limits of a student’s imagination, teach the students to think and feel different, and inspire the student to converse about what has been mentally and emotionally triggered.

School libraries aren’t just a room to store books, they are a place to learn that help shape students’ understanding of themselves and their world around them. Applying Bishop’s framework to collection development encourages librarians and educators to think about the questions: Do our shelves mirror the multitude of identities represented in our students? Do our shelves offer genuine windows into a variety of different cultures and experiences? Do our shelves offer stories that are welcoming, and support readers in their efforts to think and work deeply? Students must have the opportunity to access the shelves to have both a mirror and a window. When balance is achieved, the library becomes inclusive, curious, and a place to grow.

Source: By Rudine Sims Bishop. The Ohio State University. “Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors” originally appeared in Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom. Vol. 6 # 3 Summer 1990.

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