Books don’t have to have overt messages of empathy in them to cultivate this ever-important value in students. In fact, reading books to students with themes of acceptance, diversity, and belonging are a powerful way to promote empathy. These books provide “windows and mirrors” for students: “windows” into other cultures, parts of the world, and experiences that are different from their own and “mirrors” that reflect themselves in books.
“Mirrors” in books allow children to see themselves and people that look like them; these make them feel valued, connected, and inspired. Equally important as books that reflect students’ identities are books with characters who look different from them and have experiences that are unfamiliar to them. These “window” books introduce the rich diversity our world has to offer. They build intercultural understanding, provide new and multiple perspectives and foster a sense of empathy.
There are so many amazing books with themes of acceptance and diversity and, by extension, empathy. Here are a few favorites to get you started:
Alma and How She Got Her Name (Juana Martinez-Neal)
All the Way to the Top (Annette Bay Pimentel)
And Tango Makes Three (Justin Richardson)
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name (Sandhya Parappukkaran)
The Colors of Us (Karen Katz)
Cannonball (Sacha Cotter)
Different is Awesome (Ryan Haack)
The Floating Field (Scott Riley)
Hair Love (Matthew A. Cherry)
I Am a Rainbow (Mark Kanemura)
Like You, Like Me (Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw)
Lunch From Home (Joshua David Stein)
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match (Monica Brown)
My Bindi (Gita Varadarajan)
The Name Jar (Yangsook Choi)
The Proudest Blue (Ibtihaj Muhammad)
Sparkle Boy (Lesléa Newman)
We’re All Wonders (R.J. Palacio)
Your Name is a Song (Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow)
Rethink the Bell 
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