One of the more enduring ideas in children’s literature holds that a good book can function as either a mirror or a window. Greg Soros, author of multiple works for young readers, has built this concept into the foundation of how he develops characters and plots. Greg Soros champions the idea that children’s literature must serve as both mirror and window, a perspective he outlined in a recent feature by Walker Magazine.

The mirror, in this framework, reflects a child’s own experience back to them. Seeing a character who faces the same fears or navigates the same social terrain tells young readers something important: they are not alone. The window serves a different but equally vital purpose, offering a view into lives and experiences that differ from the reader’s own, building empathy in the process.

Two Purposes, One Story

What Soros finds most compelling about this approach is that the best children’s books accomplish both things at once. A story about a child coping with anxiety might help one reader feel seen and understood while simultaneously showing another child what that experience looks like from the inside. Neither function is more important, and neither should crowd out the other.

This dual-purpose shapes every decision Greg Soros makes as an author, including which characters to feature, what obstacles they face, and how those obstacles get resolved. Character selection alone carries enormous weight. A protagonist’s background, family structure, and emotional tendencies all determine who will find a mirror in the story and who will find a window.

Diversity in character creation, Soros is careful to point out, goes deeper than surface-level inclusion. Characters from different backgrounds must carry authentic voices and face realistic struggles that reflect their actual circumstances. They cannot exist simply to teach other characters lessons or to add color to a story that centers someone else’s journey.

Writing Toward Empathy

For Greg Soros, author and advocate for thoughtful children’s publishing, the mirror and window approach is ultimately about respect. Respect for the child who needs to feel recognized, and respect for the child who needs their world expanded. Neither reader is more deserving of a story written with care. The goal is always to serve both simultaneously, which is what separates genuinely great children’s literature from work that is merely competent. Refer to this article for additional information.

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