Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 3

Starry Review from Kirkus for HOPE IN THE VALLEY -- and it's a JLG Gold Standard Selection!

You try to breathe and believe in your work as you wait for trade reviews about a forthcoming book. This week, I got two pieces of good news from my editor at Macmillan, Grace Kendall. First, HOPE IN THE VALLEY , my middle-grade novel coming July 11th, got a starred review from Kirkus!

⭐ "Grief, memories, and the difficulty of letting go permeate this powerful story about family, friendship, and finding your voice . . . deeply compelling . . . A riveting, courage-filled story." — Kirkus Reviews 

And second, the novel is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection! I am so delighted and encouraged. May Pandita find her way into the hearts and minds of many young readers.

Let's watch RICKSHAW GIRL on AppleTV, Amazon, Hoopla, Vudu, or Kanopy!

 

Good news! Starting 12/8/22, RICKSHAW GIRL will be available to stream via Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Hoopla, or Kanopy! Here I am opening a special mail delivery from producer Eric J. Adams, producer with a request for my friends who might be watching it — send a photo or tag me (@authormitaliperkins on Facebook, @mitaliperkins on Instagram and Twitter) in a photo, reel, or story of you and your companions watching it, please? I'd love to make a collage of your beautiful, supportive faces. (Note: the book is for ages 6+, but the movie is recommended for ages 10+.)

 

Rickshaw Girl the Movie Wins Big in Brussels!

Congratulations to Rickshaw Girl director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, producer Sleeperwave Films, lead actor Novera Rahman, and the rest of the cast and crew!

 

THE STORY OF US Fall IRL Mini-Tour!

My newest picture book, THE STORY OF US, explores the beautiful but broken relationship between humanity and the four elements. It's a book of hope (I hope) as children consider natural disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, typhoons, and tsumanis, which typify the chaos in the created order, and take stock of our responsibility to care for the elements. The book, which is illustrated gorgeously by Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell, releases 9/20 from Beaming Books. If you order a copy, I'm happy to send a personalized signed bookplate to you if you send me your snail mail (which I will keep completely confidential, of course.)

Also, I'd love to see you face-to-face if you're anywhere near Danville, California, Des Moines, Iowa, or Boulder, Colorado, or if you're attending the Rabbit Room's Hutchmoot Conference in Franklin, Tennessee. Here are the details of my fall appearances! 

You're Invited: THE STORY OF US Book Launch Party!

 

Bay Area friends, you're invited to a launch party on September 25th at 3 o'clock in the afternoon at Rakestraw Books in Danville for THE STORY OF US (releasing 9/20), my new picture book from Beaming Books, magnificently illustrated by The Brave Union. Will I see you there? Sure hope so! Feel free to bring friends, too.

Check out the wonderful surprise I received when I saw the finished copies of the book for the first time.

THE STORY OF US: The Mystery of Creative Collaboration

Just received the Advance Review Copy of THE STORY OF US, a picture book collaboration with Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell coming from Beaming Books on September 20, 2022, and am in awe of what happens when we let go of control in the creative process.

BARE TREE AND LITTLE WIND Goodreads Giveaway!

Two days left to win a copy! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

On the Road with BARE TREE AND LITTLE WIND

Friends in the San Francisco, Boulder, and Boston areas, it's been a long time since I've seen you face to face. You're invited to join us for a reading and signing of BARE TREE AND LITTLE WIND: at Rakestraw Books in Danville, CA at 3 p.m. on Sunday 4/3, at Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, CA at 4 p.m. on Sunday 4/10, and at Newtonville Books in Newton, MA at 6 p.m. on Tuesday 4/12.  Follow the links above to save your spot! 

BARE TREE AND LITTLE WIND Launches into the World!

My new book, BARE TREE AND LITTLE WIND: A STORY FOR HOLY WEEK (Penguin Random House | WaterBrook & Multnomah, 2/22/22) is gorgeously illustrated by Khoa Le, who explains her process in this delightful video.

Cover Reveal: THE STORY OF US by Mitali Perkins, Illustrated by Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell

Doesn't it seem like the elements—fire, water, air, and earth—are at war with humanity? Disasters abound, bringing suffering and chaos, but so does human exploitation of the elements. 

After one of my friends lost their home in a fire in Southern California three years ago, I wrote a poem trying to make sense of the adversarial relationship between the elements and us. This year, that poem takes shape as a picture book for children, THE STORY OF US, gorgeously illustrated by Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell, releasing September 20, 2022 from Beaming Books.

Today, as I'm sharing the cover to celebrate their art, I have to confess that in my career as an author over two decades, I've never longed more to hold a finished book of mine and take it in from cover to cover. I need this book. Just a few weeks ago, my beloved sister and family lost their home of twenty years in a catastrophic fire. I want to know that chaos won't have the last word and that one day these four elements and humanity will be at peace. My prayer is that this book will bring hope and solace to children and grownups alike, including myself.