PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
Meera: I love to read, write, review, and recommend, or sometimes simply hug picture books! I get to do some of it as a parent and writer, and the rest as an early literacy instructor and a multicultural books advocate. I live in Berkeley, California, with my husband, raising two little (right, not so little anymore) global citizens. PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, "The Yellow Suitcase?" Meera: "The Yellow Suitcase" is the story of a little girl who travels to India to grieve the loss of her grandmother she deeply loves. When my children lost their first grandparent in India (where I was born and raised), our family came face to face with the hardships of calling more than one place home, primarily in terms of distance and cultural disparities. That said, grief is a universal human experience, but we hesitate to talk about it with kids. "The Yellow Suitcase" is an attempt to nudge that conversation. I also believe we should be talking more about war and poverty and discrimination in children's literature, on realities we ALL read, see, hear, or experience every day. PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written? Meera: I'm previously published in India. I've co-authored four picture books. Most of them are creative non-fiction exploring endangered wildlife and vocational communities often under-represented in children's books in the subcontinent. You can find out more here: https://www.meerasriram.com/books/ PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book? Meera: The illustrations - they are gorgeous and detailed! I also believe "The Yellow Suitcase" will encourage adults to have meaningful conversations with children around death. Many children do not seem themselves in stories and I hope this book will address that. PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share? Meera: Focus on craft to write well. And don't let rejections bring you down. Believe in the importance of your work, always. PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? Website: www.meerasriram.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMeeraSriram Twitter: https://twitter.com/Meeratsriram Thank you for talking to me, Picture Book Buzz! I enjoyed sharing my story. You can pre-order THE YELLOW SUITCASE using the links below :
12 Comments
11/5/2018 03:14:03 pm
I love that you are writing books that will help nudge parents to discuss difficult topics with kids. It's so important for parents to encourage communication about sensitive subjects...because for sure, the kids are thinking about these things and worrying about these things, but some parents think they are 'protecting' their kids if they don't talk about these things...and that's just not true. I'm excited to read The Yellow Suitcase, Meera.
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11/6/2018 07:01:48 am
How wonderful that you can share your background with us through this story! I always love stories about immigrant experiences and this is also helpful with dealing with bereavement. I look forward to reading your book!
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11/7/2018 11:32:10 am
Thank you, Teresa. Even something like how we say goodbye to our loved ones differs among communities and cultures, and I believe sharing diverse experiences helps with empathy and better understanding of each other.
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11/6/2018 07:06:03 am
Thanks, Vivian!! You are right - whether we talk about it or not, kids do think about everything, including the difficult things around us. And it becomes important to listen and talk about it with them.
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11/13/2018 04:43:04 am
Hi Meera, The Yellow Suitcase sounds like a book that will help families and schools to introduce, discuss and promote understanding of children suffering from grief and bereavement.
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11/28/2018 09:35:06 am
Yes, Julie, I really hope it helps with that! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thought.
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