Picture two children in the same classroom reading the same book about a character with anxiety. For one, the story feels familiar. For the other, it explains something about a friend that never made sense before. Children’s author Greg Soros says this is exactly what good writing for young people should do.
Greg Soros spent over 16 years writing for children, calls this the mirror and window effect. A mirror reflects a reader’s own life. A window reveals someone else’s. The real artistry, he believes, comes from building stories that manage both at the same time.
The Mirror Side
Recognition makes reading feel personal. “When a child picks up a book and thinks, ‘That’s just like me,’ it creates an immediate connection that makes reading personal and meaningful,” Soros says. He wants those reflections to include hard feelings such as fear and loneliness, along with joy and confidence, because children experience all of them.
The Window Side
The outward view matters just as much to Greg Soros. “Children’s books should open their minds to different perspectives and experiences,” he notes. Reading about a child from another culture or with different abilities can help young readers build empathy before adulthood. He argues that this kind of exposure helps produce compassionate and culturally aware people.
Doing both well takes work. The author researches each project by visiting schools, consulting child development experts, and working with sensitivity readers. His background in child development and educational psychology gives him another tool: an understanding that children make sense of their emotions through narrative. A carefully crafted story can therefore help with self-recognition and with expanding a child’s worldview.
Soros frames the whole effort as an obligation. “Every children’s book carries the responsibility to contribute positively to a young person’s emotional and social development,” he explains. Through community work and continuing writing projects, Greg Soros keeps advocating for books that celebrate young readers and teach them to understand one another. Read this article for more information.
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