19 The Reading Teacher Vol. 70 No. 1 pp. 19–28 doi:10.1002/trtr.1464 © 2016 International Literacy Association FEATURE ARTICLE Meeting Characters in Caldecotts: What Does This Mean for Today’s Readers? Miriam Martinez, Melanie D. Koss, Nancy J. Johnson M artin’s Big Words; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale; Flotsam; No, David!; and The Invention of Hugo Cabret : What do these titles have in common? First, all are Caldecott Medal winners or honor books from the past 25 years. Second, all have real kid appeal. Third, each has a human main character. And finally, each holds the potential to re- flect the world of the reader or move them beyond the world they know. Sims Bishop (1990) offers a metaphor that helps us think about ways in which literature can enrich our lives. She writes about lit- erature serving as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. When books serve as mirrors for readers, they see reflections of themselves and their world. This can be especially important to children. When they see their world in a book, they not only con- nect to the story world but also feel valued as human beings. Literature then “becomes a means of self- affirmation” (Sims Bishop, 1990, p. ix). Books can also serve as windows through which children see people and places that may be differ- ent from the world in which they live. These are the books that may become sliding glass doors when read- ers “walk through [them] in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recre- ated by the author” (Sims Bishop, 1990, p. x). For us, the image of moving through sliding glass doors suggests that the reader does not just see a world that is different but engages with that world and is changed by it. There is ample evidence that literature can function in these ways for children. Investigations of children’s responses to literature repeated- ly confirm the prevalence of readers’ personal connections (Brooks, 2006; Hicks, 2004; Martinez- Roldán, 2003; Sims, 1983; Sipe, 2008; Smith, 1995). There is also evidence that while reading, children attend to characters’ thoughts, feelings, and inten- tions (Hancock, 1993; Sipe, 2008; Wolf, 2004). Lysaker and Miller (2012) have found that this can build chil- dren’s social imagination—their ability to attend to the feelings and thoughts of those they interact with in their daily lives. In effect, researchers have con- firmed that literature may function as Sims Bishop (1990) suggests. We concur. The characters readers meet can lead them to these mirrors and windows and through the sliding glass doors. Why Character Matters Many scholars have written about the importance of characters in fiction (as well as other genres such as biography). Galda and Cullinan (2002) describe char- acterization as the “soul of great literature” (p. 183), while Emery (1996) observes that character is the “glue that holds the story together” (p. 534). Character is also integrally linked to other literary elements. In Poetics, Aristotle observed that plot is character revealed by action (Halliwell, 1998). Further, when readers ponder a character’s motivations and the Who are the characters children meet in contemporary Caldecott books? How likely is it that these characters will reflect children’s lives and experiences or move them beyond the world they know? Miriam Martinez is a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, USA; e-mail miriam.martinez@utsa.edu. Melanie D. Koss is an associate professor at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, USA; e-mail mkoss@niu.edu. Nancy J. Johnson is a professor at Western Washington University, Bellingham, USA; e-mail nancy.johnson@wwu.edu.