Mitali Perkins is the author of many novels and picture books for young readers, including National Book Award nominee You Bring the Distant Near and Rickshaw Girl, which was adapted as a movie. She was a former judge for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize and received a “Most Engaging Author” award from independent booksellers across the country. She was born in India, immigrated to the United States as a child with her family, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.