Mitali Perkins has written many novels and picture books for young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near, Forward Me Back to You, Rickshaw Girl, and Bamboo People. Her books have been nominated for the National Book Award, won the South Asia Book Award, and listed as Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. Born in Kolkata, India, Perkins has lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, Great Britain, Mexico, Bangladesh, Thailand, and the United States (Massachusetts, New York, and California). Perkins's work is known for its strong characters, who cross all kinds of borders, seek community, and promote justice. She and her husband have two sons and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.