Official Short Bio:
Meera Sriram draws from her life straddling the East and West to tell stories. She is an award-winning author of several picture books including A GIFT FOR AMMA, DUMPLING DAY, A GARDEN IN MY HANDS, and THE SPICE BOX. Her books have been selected Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and Bank Street College, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She’s a two-time recipient of the South Asia Book Award. Her work has been included in several state reading lists, featured in The New York Times, and has been translated into many different languages. Meera loves woodsy hikes and urban murals, and lives with her family in Berkeley, California. For more information, please visit: http://www.meerasriram.com
Headshot and all book cover images available HERE.
Official Long Bio:
Meera Sriram draws from her life straddling the East and West to tell stories. She grew up in India and moved to the United States at the turn of the millenium. An electrical engineer in the past, she now writes for children and advocates for diversifying bookshelves. Meera felt compelled to tell her stories when she noticed children of color like her own, as well as immigrant and cross-cultural experiences, were missing in the books her family was reading.
Meera is the author of several picture books including the multi-award winner, A GIFT FOR AMMA, DUMPLING DAY, featured in The New York Times, A GARDEN IN MY HANDS, that garnered starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and THE SPICE BOX, a CALIBA Golden Poppy Award finalist. She’s a two-time recepient of the South Asia Book Award. Her work has been selected as Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and Bank Street College, and as American Library Association’s Rise: A Feminist Book Project. Her books have been included in several state reading lists and translated into many different languages.
Meera was trained in leading storytimes for early learning by the Alameda County Library in California. She went on to be involved in several early literacy initiatives for over a decade around cities in the Bay Area. These days, she volunteers her time in helping amplify new voices in her role as the Equity & Inclusion Awards Coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) San Francisco North & East Bay region. She was also a 2024 We Need Diverse Books Picture Book Mentor.
Passionate about early and multicultural literacy, Meera believes stories have the power to take us into newer spaces and into unseen lives; she hopes they leave us more empathetic and inspired to celebrate our diverse world. Meera loves chai and yoga, woodsy hikes and urban murals, and lives with her family in Berkeley, California.
Accolades
A GIFT FOR AMMA
* 2021 South Asia Book Award
* 2020 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
* 2021 Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
* 2020 Foreword Reviews Indies Silver Award
* 2020 Nerdy Book Award
* 2021 Cybil Awards Nominee
* Starred review, School Library Journal
UN REGALO PARA AMMA
* 2022 Premio Campoy-Ada Honorable Mention
* 2021-22 Tejas Star Reading List
A GARDEN IN MY HANDS
* A 2024 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year
* 2024 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award Finalist, California/Hawaii Division
* 2024-45 Keystone to Reading, Pennsylvania State, Elementary Book Award Nominee
* Featured in American Library Association’s ALSC 2024 Día reading list
* Shortlisted for the 2024 CLEL BELL (Colorado State Libraries) Award
* Starred review, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly
THE SPICE BOX
* 2025 South Asia Book Award
* CALIBA Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children’s Literature Golden Poppy Award Finalist
* 2024 Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Best of the Best Book Selection
* Texas Library Association (TLA) 2025 2X2 Reading List Selection
* Shorlisted for One Book One San Diego
DUMPLING DAY
* Featured in The New York Times Book Review, 8 Picture Books About Food and Fellowship
* 2022 Skipping Stones Honor Award
* Translated into seven different languages
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
* 2022 American Library Association’s RISE: A Feminist Book Project Selection
* Featured in Kirkus Reviews: 7 Stellar Middle Grade Reads For Young Feminists
MY CAMPAIGN FOR BUILDING DIVERSE BOOKSHELVES FOR CHILDREN
We Need Diverse Books Post: How Picutre Books Help Young Readers Travel The World
On The Importance of Difficult Themes in Children’s Literature
CBC Diversity: Multicultural Children’s Book Day Feature
Ten Reasons Parents Should Read Multicultural Books to Kids
Meera Sriram 