Ep. 43: Reflecting the richness and diversity of our world in children's books with Namrata Tripathi, VP & Publisher of Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House
Have a kid? Know a kid? Were a kid? This final episode of 2020 is a must listen! Honored to have publishing powerhouse Namrata Tripathi (founder and publisher of Kokila Books) join me in this wonderful chat where she talks about the power of representation in children’s literature, how her international upbringing has shaped her, and what it’s like to create a picture book with His Holiness The Dalai Lama!
Full conversation below, on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or iTunes and please take a second to rate us wherever you’re listening so the voices of these inspiring women can be heard all over the world!
Photo: Helen Melville
SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 43:
Guardian article (that I misquoted!) about the UK survey from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, which found that the proportion of British children’s books featuring a black, Asian or minority ethnic main character had increased to 5% in 2019, from just 1% in 2017.
Namrata’s Turban Talk for Ignite @ Kickstarter
KOKILA BOOKS (Namrata shared how some of these gems were created):
Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simran Jeet Singh
The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, illustrated by Bao Luu
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky
The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho, illustrated by Jess X. Snow
My Rainbow by DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal, illustrated by Art Twink
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
PRE-ORDER:
Fatima's Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq , illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali
OTHER BOOKS WE DISCUSSED:
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Follow us on Instagram for more on Namrata, Kokila, and everything we mentioned in this episode!
Special thanks to Varun Dhabe, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!
