Windows and Mirrors
Our booklist
Windows and Mirrors is a list of suggested books for children aged four to seven that represents the diversity of our world.
Our list gives:
- windows into the lives of all children
- mirrors for children’s own lives.
We include books that help children establish their place in the world, books where all children – especially those from underrepresented groups – get to be the main protagonist in a story.
Windows and Mirrors is updated monthly.
Find a printable list of the Windows and Mirrors booklist here.
Windows and Mirrors is now interactive!
If you have the School Portal, you’ll enjoy discovering the best books using our interactive booklist – now with the power to search, filter and share.
The engagement factor
All books on our booklist engage children, both emotionally and intellectually. They:
- elicit a response – excitement, interest, curiosity, empathy
- have a strong narrative structure and intriguing illustrations
- extend vocabulary
- connect with something that children already know.
Maryanne Wolf says:
“Emotional engagement is the tipping point between leaping into the reading life or remaining in a childhood bog where reading is endured only as a means to other ends.”
Booklist themes
Themes include:
- family and friendship
- exploring feelings
- kindness and community
- our planet
- change and bereavement
- moving home or country
- the power of speaking up.
Our inspiration
Windows and Mirrors is inspired by the work of Professor Rudine Sims Bishop. Her 1990 article “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” shares the importance of all children seeing themselves reflected in what they read.
Farrah Serroukh says:
“To find a fragment of yourself in the pages of a book is a profound and powerful experience; it holds a mirror up to your existence and suggests that you’re not alone. For children in their formative years, this is life-affirming.”
Meesha Makes a Friend by Tom Percival
Meesha loves making things but finds it difficult to make friends. Hiding in a quiet corner at a noisy party Meesha discovers she is not the only person who finds it tricky. A book to help children recognise their own feelings and how others might be feeling too.
My Beautiful Voice by Joseph Coelho and Alison Colpoys
Miss Flotsam’s clothes are ‘a flutter of fabric filled with the spice of colour’. She loves poetry. A little girl in her class rarely speaks. Inspired and nurtured by Miss Flotsam, she slowly finds her voice. And when she does… it is beautiful.
My Bindhi by Gita Varadarajan and Archana Sreenivasan
It is an important moment in Divya’s life; time to wear a bindhi. She is nervous about what her school friends might say and is ‘all mixed up’. Is she scared or is she proud? She bravely stands up in class and explains, ‘it can see inside me and protect me. It makes me feel like ME’.
My Bright Shining Star by Fatima Whitbread and Rhian Wright
A little girl whose mummy finds it hard to look after her, moves to a big house with other children. She waits for a new family to take care of her but none ‘feel like home’. So, she stays at the children’s home where Aunty Rae is her bright, shining star.
My Dad by Susan Quinn and Marina Ruiz
A little boy tells us what’s so special about his dad: from baking the best cookies to bathtime fun.
‘I love the time I spend with Dad – he’s the best a dad can be. And every day is special when it’s just my Dad and me.’
My Dad is a Grizzly Bear by Swapna Haddow and Dapo Adeola
This dad is a grizzly bear with fur that scratches and scritches and a very loud roar. Sometimes he laughs and teases. Sometimes he’s grumpy and sleepy. But he always gives the very best hugs. A fun, lively story for Nursery and Reception.
My Monster and Me by Nadiya Hussain and Ella Bailey
This little boy has a worry monster. ‘It was always BIG. When it stood in front of me, I could see nothing but it’s tummy’. Talking to gran one day, helps the monster get smaller. A book to help children make friends with their monsters.
See unit in Talk Through Stories
My Must-Have Mum by Maudie Smith and Jen Khatun
Jake’s mum can ‘make something new out of any old thing’. Their flat is full of things she has tinkered with, mixed or mended. Jake worries she might want to change him too. A heart-warming bond between a mum and her son with an ‘upcycling’ theme.
See unit in Talk Through Stories
My Name is a Gift by Zeshan Akhter and Asa Gilland
When Sitara is born, her name is the first present she gets from her mum and dad. It’s from Pakistan and means ’shine like a star’. People tumble up her name and say it wrongly. She wishes they would ask her how to say it. When people say her name carefully it lights up her heart.