Mitali Perkins--On Writing beyond the 'single story'

Mitali Perkins always knew she wanted to write for children--not to write about bunnies but about complex social justice issues like gender equity, hyphenated identities and border politics. With each book, Perkins pushes readers to conceptualize a world that is bigger, more complex and filled with more possibilities that even walls and borders can't stop. Perkins' book Rickshaw Girl, the story of a Bangladeshi girl's determination to help her family earn money in the most unconventional of ways, is being adapted into a screenplay and her book Between Abuela and Us offers a glimmer of hope to children who are separated by borders for their loved ones. On a community level, Perkins strives to help adults learn from children in how to engage in difficult convrsations about race. Listen and be inspired.