Reading to Reflect Identity

“It’s not until we know the stories of each other that we embrace our humanity. When I know the stories of my people and my culture, that’s when I become human myself.”

— Ezra Hyland

In 1990 Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop published the groundbreaking essay, Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors, illuminating the ways that reading helps us to see ourselves, and others, more clearly. She wrote, “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author.

When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books,” (Bishop, R. S., 1990).

For children, reading books that reflect their cultural identities, personal experiences, family dynamics and more helps them to make sense of their world, and reflect on who they are as a growing person. Reading about those who differ from them increases their capacity for empathy and compassion (Kucirkova N., 2019).

Groundwood Books, an independent children's publisher based in Toronto, contracted therapist Tania DaSilva to curate a collection of picture books just for this purpose. Groundwood Books’ curated “Feeling and Healing” collection of picture books for children explores everything from emotions to grief and loss, inclusion to identity formation, and more. DaSilva, Child, Youth, and Family Therapist and Clinical Director of Behaviour Matters in Canada, thoughtfully put together the collection of books with therapists, parents and educators in mind.

“My hope is that the collection will help address specific topics that can bring up big, important, confusing, and/or complicated feelings,” DaSilva shared with Psychology Today. “These beautiful books are kid-friendly resources that are easy to use to support healing or learning through storytelling.”

When we think of bibliotherapy, we often think of addressing mental health issues, however it can also be a great tool for self-exploration. In your opinion, how can children's books aid in a child's exploration of culture and identity?

Tania DaSilva: Children's books tell stories; they activate imagination and connection through visuals and words, which makes it easy for most kids to connect to or relate to. Reading books about identity and culture always sparks children to highlight what they connect to and relate to, usually positively. It's a great way to normalize children's experiences and introduce and normalize differences in cultures, how we identify and what we identify with as individuals. Reading stories about different cultures and identities can also create great discussion and exploration opportunities in age-appropriate and simplified ways.

Books are also a great tool to help children explore their identity and who they are or are growing into; they can help us connect to our likes, dislikes, beliefs and many other unique things! I always suggest picking books your kids can relate to regarding their culture and identity, allowing them to see themselves in stories. Additionally, reading books about different cultures and people also helps develop a valuable sense of curiosity and openness to others which is such a positive thing!

Share a bit about the books you selected for the "Feeling and Healing" collection that address culture and identity. What factors did you consider when looking for the right titles to include?

TD: When I was looking at the books for the culture and identity section, the factors I considered were books that told a great story and highlighted specific cultures - but that could also be used more broadly to prompt children to consider their own similar experiences. For example, books like Greetings Leroy can prompt personal experiences about moving from any country, and not just the country referenced in the book. Auntie Lucie's Talking Paintings was another book that stood out to me as many families describe having one foot in each country and the struggle to fully feel like they belong in either place.

Books that tell these stories can easily be adapted to similar situations with different details! When I Found Grandma is also a book I loved because it is not uncommon for children born in Canada but raised by families who weren't to have feelings of rejection of their culture or even to be embarrassed by it! These stories can really normalize these feelings and help us work towards embracing ourselves and others, while being proud of our uniqueness. It helps when we realize our identity and that of others is not only unique, but interesting and special.

Child Development Essential Reads

The Mother of Communication

Kids Trust Google Over Grandma

Groundwood Books' "Feeling and Healing" collection explores emotions, identity formation, inclusion and more.

Source: Groundwood Books/Used with permission

How does having a wide range of books representing diverse characters and experiences aid in a child's identity development?

TD: The wider the range, the better; it shows children there is no one-size-fits-all category and that everyone has unique experiences. A wide range shows children that we can surprisingly connect with someone or something we might not expect to connect with. It can also aid in our own development, bringing awareness to something we may not have fully noticed or acknowledged before exposure to a character or story about it.

As our children develop their identities, a wide range of experiences and characters can also provide them with a story or character they connect to but haven't been and may have never been exposed to outside of the books they read. Wide ranges of characters and experiences open up our children's world beyond what they are exposed to in their everyday lives, which aids in developing their own identity and an openness and acceptance to others in the process.

Looking back on your own life, are there any books that have been impactful in your own culture and identity framework?

TD: When I think of books that connected back to my culture, those were mostly Portuguese books we'd get while visiting Portuguese bookstores; it's so great to see stories being written more specifically about cultures and different identities put in bookstores that are not just from the country or community the person comes from, but also in a language that everyone can read. When it comes to identity, I can't highlight a specific book, but I can highlight the feeling of reading stories and having moments where I felt very connected to the characters or situations, which is a powerful thing for children to experience who are in the beginning stages of learning to connect to themselves.

What do you hope young readers take away from exploring the "Feeling and Healing" collection?

I hope that no matter what category they are reading books from, they find the stories simple and easy to read and connect to, that they end the book feeling like they took something from it and feel a different appreciation for the experience and storyline. That if needed, it left them feeling seen, and that the books positively aid in their healing journey!