Meera grew up in India paying to borrow books from a tiny neighborhood lending library, dreaming of white picket fences and wondering what sausage tasted like. She moved to the United States at the turn of the millennium, became a chip designer in Silicon Valley, and then walked away from all of it because she realized that children like her own were missing from the books on her shelves.

We talk about grief and The Yellow Suitcase. We talk about dumplings as a metaphor for humanity. We talk about Amrita Sher-Gil — the trailblazing artist who straddled two worlds and found her sweet spot in the blending of both. And we talk about the one thing Meera tells every child at every school visit — share a mirror and seek a window.

This episode is for every child who has ever felt like their story was missing — and every grown-up who decided to do something about it.

A note on credits:

Meera believes deeply in giving people their due. In this episode she credits Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop — professor emerita at Ohio State University — for the mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors framework. It belongs to her and we are grateful she created it.

In the rapid fire, Meera recommended the following books. Please seek them out:

Watercress — written by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin (Caldecott Medal winner)

Spanish Is the Language of My Family — written by Michael Genhart, illustrated by John Parra (Pura Belpré Award-winning illustrator)

A Year of Kites: Traditions Around the World — written by Monisha Bajaj, illustrated by Amber Ren (New York Times bestselling illustrator)

Bread Is Love — written by Pooja Makhijani, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu — find it at thediasporabookshelf.com

Find all of Meera's books at thediasporabookshelf.com

Rajani takes us back to Louisville, Kentucky in the 1970s — a one-year-old who immigrated from Bangalore, an only child who found siblings in books, and a girl who discovered Amar Chitra Katha in a tiny library in India and felt something click into place in her DNA. She takes us through the nonfiction book about cuts and scrapes that made her want to become a doctor, and the high school teacher who said four words that changed everything — who says you have to choose?

We talk about Raksha Bandhan and patterns and little girls who are good at math. We talk about the Newberry phone call and the shiny sticker. We talk about a Tamil phrase that means I'll go and come back — Poyto Varen — and why we never say goodbye to the people we love.

This episode is for every child who has ever been told they have to pick one thing — and every grown-up who is still unlearning that.

This episode contains a conversation about the refugee experience. If you are listening with young children, head to our Substack for a companion post with tools and resources on how to talk to your child about refugees and immigration with care and respect.

Toba takes us back to a kitchen in California where a mom's hands fold bolani, where three children line up in a train — one wetting, one filling, one sealing — and where every recipe is a love letter to a country she has never been back to. She takes us through her family's refugee journey from Afghanistan, the first grade classroom party where her mom's raisins, almonds, and chickpeas came home untouched, and the moment she realized there were almost no Afghan children's books in the world.

So she wrote one. And then another. And a third is on the way.

We talk about food as a bridge, language as a gift, and why we are far more similar than we are different if we take the time to pause and look at one another.

This episode is for every child who has ever brought something from home that nobody touched — and every grown-up who remembers what that felt like.

Anoosha takes us through what it means to be always the new kid, to grow up across seven schools in five countries, and to find your way back to your own culture and heritage through the stories you tell. We talk about names, folk tales, and the big secret she shares with every child who wants to be an artist — anyone can do this.

And on September 1st her newest book Love in Every Language arrives — a sequel to That's Not My Name about the love that lives in actions, not words. Pre-order it now.

This episode is for every child who has ever been told that creativity is only for certain people — and every grown-up who is still unlearning that.

Anu takes us back to a childhood of Disney princesses, Chandamama comics, and ghost stories from her dad's village in Punjab — and forward to the moment she poured all of that memory and love into Hair Oil Magic.

We talk about the ritual of hair oiling, why it belongs to every child regardless of gender, and what it means to slow down long enough to let a parent's hands remind you that you are loved. We also talk about what it takes to pursue a creative life when your family is quietly hoping you will go to law school.

This episode is for every child who has ever sat still long enough to let someone love them — and every grown-up who remembers what that felt like.

Moniza takes us back to a childhood in Singapore steeped in Bengali stories and English fiction, and forward to the moment a 14-year-old girl told her that her skin had been ruined by a holiday tan — and how that one word changed everything.

We talk about mirrors and main characters, theater of the lap, and why the world needs more children who grow up loving the color they are in.

And Moniza has a brand new middle grade novel coming this September — Bad Things Happened Here. It is spooky, it is tender, and you can pre-order it now.

This episode is for every child who has ever been told they are too much or not enough — and every grown-up who is still unlearning that.

Jyoti grew up across five countries — Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, China, and India — belonging everywhere and nowhere all at once. She takes us through the languages she carries, the books that shaped her, and the saris passed down from her mother and grandmother that inspired My Paati's Saris.

We talk about raising multilingual kids, why taste tests work better than forced reading lists, and why it's okay for children to fail.

This episode is for every parent of a little one, every teacher who believes in bringing their whole self to the classroom, and every child learning that they don't have to choose just one part of who they are.

Rukhsana takes us back to a small town in Southern Ontario where she was told as a little girl that she was brown because she was dirty. She survived that through books. She went on to write stories that changed what Muslim children's literature looks like — quietly, powerfully, one book at a time.

We talk about everyday heroes, the library card that changed everything, and what it means to write from the inside of a culture the world gets wrong.

This episode is for every child who has ever felt like an outsider — and every grown-up who fought their way through anyway.

Suma takes us back to moonlit terraces in India, a grandmother who told stories from memory, and a bicycle ride to the library that changed everything. We talk about writing from longing, using your voice for change, and why 12 minutes a day is all it takes to become a storyteller.

This episode is for every child who has ever found a safe haven in a book — and every grown-up who remembers what that felt like.

Namaste.