Author Greg Soros on Writing Books That See Children Clearly
Author Greg Soros on Writing Books That See Children Clearly
Author Greg Soros has spent more than a decade and a half thinking carefully about what children’s books are actually for. His answer involves two images: a mirror and a window. A book that functions as a mirror shows young readers something of themselves. A book that functions as a window shows them something of the wider world. The best children’s books, he argues, do both at once.
“Every children’s book carries the responsibility to contribute positively to a young person’s emotional and social development,” Soros says. That responsibility, in his view, means authors cannot treat either the mirror or the window as optional.
What It Means to Be Seen
Greg Soros is careful about what he means when he talks about books as mirrors. He is not describing a narrow kind of demographic matching. He is talking about emotional recognition, the feeling a child gets when a book takes seriously the things they actually feel. “Young readers need to know that their feelings, their families, and their struggles matter,” he says. “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.”
That depth of recognition requires research. Soros visits schools and consults child development specialists. He also works with sensitivity readers, whose feedback helps him verify that the emotional experiences his books portray will ring true for the children who read them.
Building Perspective Through Story
The window function of a children’s book addresses a different need. Where a mirror offers validation, a window asks children to imaginatively inhabit a perspective they do not share. “When a child reads about someone from a different culture, someone with different abilities, or someone facing challenges they’ve never encountered, it expands their understanding of what it means to be human,” Soros notes.
He points out that a single book can serve different functions for different readers. One child might find a mirror in a story about navigating family conflict; another might find a window into that same experience. Author Greg Soros continues to pursue this vision through his ongoing writing and community involvement, believing children deserve books that honor both who they are and who they could come to understand. See related link for more information.
Follow for more more about Greg Soros on https://www.facebook.com/TheStartupMag/posts/award-winning-childrens-author-greg-soros-finds-magic-in-everyday-emotions-child/1370570991744219/