Let's Talk About Books With Sri Juneja
a mother, reader, and writer who loves to read children's books and write about her favorite ones
Hello readers!
Welcome to another edition of my series that features my favorite kind of online writers ~ those who write about BOOKS! Just like my series What Writers Read, this series introduces you to new writers and their favorite books. I do hope you enjoy it!
I think some people think it’s strange that I deal in children’s literature for a living but just touch on that in my writing here. That’s by design, my friends ~ we all need hobbies that have nothing to do with work. But don’t worry, I’m bringing you a wealth of kid lit today with this interview ~
writes ALL ABOUT kid lit at and has such insightful roundups and articles. As a school librarian, I greatly value her thoughts on diversity in children’s literature and love that I’m can reliably discover new-to-me titles in her roundups!I hope you enjoy meeting Sri ~ let’s jump right in!
A Bit About Sri
Hi, I'm
and I love to read children's books and write about my favorite ones! Raising and caring for kids is hard on the best of days. Throw in a few tricky questions and situations and you’re in a state of panic wondering how you’ll navigate this new teaching moment and are you really equipped for this?When this happens to me, I turn to books. More specifically, children’s books. They’re fun to read and, best of all, they help untangle the murky questions and situations we sometimes find ourselves in.
What inspired you to start writing about books online?
I've been a huge reader since the day I first touched a book and it was my saving grace moving to a new country as a child where I didn't understand the culture or language. I attribute my best qualities to reading and I hope to pass on my love of books and the rich learning that comes from reading them to the next generation.
Tell us about your bookish newsletter or blog!
is a weekly newsletter to help parents, caregivers, and educators find the perfect children's book to help them bond with kids over life's important, teachable moments.Which of your newsletters / blog posts / book lists are you most proud of?
My newsletter post about why it's important to have diversity in children's books. It's something I think about often as a person of color raising a kid of color. While diversity and inclusivity in children's books has improved greatly since I was a kid, there's still a long road ahead. This was my favorite article because it was so wonderful to see other people chiming in with their own experiences. As a follow up to my post on diversity, I created an article of my favorite posts reflecting multicultural diversity from around the world. It was one of my absolute favorite lists to create and I had so much fun with it. Climate change is something that's always on the back of my mind. The weather and the seasons are already so different from when I was growing up. This post was an attempt to ease my anxiety around it and a way to educate and encourage the next generation about climate change.
Sri recommends ……
Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan. This book tickles me from head to toe. The beautiful, vibrant illustrations and the joyous, riotous rhyme make this book such a thrill to read. It's a rhyming story about a packed, bustling bus ride in Zanzibar that also helps kids learn to count. It's a long one but it's so much fun; it keeps kids completely hypnotized right until the end.
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers. Perfect for babies and toddlers who will be mesmerized to see the activities they partake in daily reflected back to them in this beautifully illustrated picture book.
When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest. This has been a favorite of mine since childhood. It's the story of a young Jewish girl immigrating to the United States. The illustrations are absolutely magnificent and the story is deeply touching.
I hope you loved meeting
! If her work seems like it fits your reading style, definitely subscribe to so you can get more of her recommendations.
Thanks for reading,
I love to hear from readers, so please do reach out to me with questions or feedback at mindfullibrarian@substack.com . If we aren’t already connected on Goodreads, I would love to see you there as well!
Thank you so much for having me! 🙏
Sri is the absolute BEST. Period, the end.