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Stories feel different when you hear them from the person who wrote them.
A rare chance for students to step closer to storytelling, creativity, and imagination and explore what goes on behind a book. ✨

Ask, learn, and discover the magic behind every page. 💭
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#authormeetup #oxbridgebypalak #bookevent #authorinteraction #readingcommunity
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[ author meet up, oxbridge by palak, book event, author interaction, reading community, book lovers, storytelling, creative writing, student learning, literature, book talk, reading time, education matters ]

✨ A heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible authors and illustrator who made our 2026 Building on Books Celebration so special! 📚💛

We are so grateful to Charlotte Cheng, Shruthi Rao, and Kaylani Juanita for sharing their diverse, powerful stories with our community. Their work beautifully embodied this year's theme — Small Books, Big Lessons — reminding us that the stories we share with young children have the power to shape how they see themselves and the world around them.

Charlotte, Shruthi, and Kaylani — your generosity, warmth, and wisdom made this evening truly unforgettable. 🙏

#BuildingOnBooks #TandemEarlyLearning #SmallBooksBigLessons #EarlyLiteracy #ChildrensBooks #CommunityLove

✨ A heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible authors and illustrator who made our 2026 Building on Books Celebration so special! 📚💛

We are so grateful to Charlotte Cheng, Shruthi Rao, and Kaylani Juanita for sharing their diverse, powerful stories with our community. Their work beautifully embodied this year's theme — Small Books, Big Lessons — reminding us that the stories we share with young children have the power to shape how they see themselves and the world around them.

Charlotte, Shruthi, and Kaylani — your generosity, warmth, and wisdom made this evening truly unforgettable. 🙏

#BuildingOnBooks #TandemEarlyLearning #SmallBooksBigLessons #EarlyLiteracy #ChildrensBooks #CommunityLove

✨ A heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible authors and illustrator who made our 2026 Building on Books Celebration so special! 📚💛

We are so grateful to Charlotte Cheng, Shruthi Rao, and Kaylani Juanita for sharing their diverse, powerful stories with our community. Their work beautifully embodied this year's theme — Small Books, Big Lessons — reminding us that the stories we share with young children have the power to shape how they see themselves and the world around them.

Charlotte, Shruthi, and Kaylani — your generosity, warmth, and wisdom made this evening truly unforgettable. 🙏

#BuildingOnBooks #TandemEarlyLearning #SmallBooksBigLessons #EarlyLiteracy #ChildrensBooks #CommunityLove

✨ A heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible authors and illustrator who made our 2026 Building on Books Celebration so special! 📚💛

We are so grateful to Charlotte Cheng, Shruthi Rao, and Kaylani Juanita for sharing their diverse, powerful stories with our community. Their work beautifully embodied this year's theme — Small Books, Big Lessons — reminding us that the stories we share with young children have the power to shape how they see themselves and the world around them.

Charlotte, Shruthi, and Kaylani — your generosity, warmth, and wisdom made this evening truly unforgettable. 🙏

#BuildingOnBooks #TandemEarlyLearning #SmallBooksBigLessons #EarlyLiteracy #ChildrensBooks #CommunityLove

This beautiful embroidered plaque has reached my parents’ home, recognizing A MELODY IN MYSORE published by Duckbill/PRH India as a part of the prestigious Parag Honour List. Thanks to @paragreads for this! Grateful to @sayonibasoo without whom this book wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Photo courtesy @brindamaithri 😊

What a delight to find INDIA IN TRIANGLES by @meera_blr and me, published by PRH India @penguinsters on this longlist with creators I admire!
Also just look at those lovely covers. The cover for our book is by @mohithmohano

What a delight to find INDIA IN TRIANGLES by @meera_blr and me, published by PRH India @penguinsters on this longlist with creators I admire!
Also just look at those lovely covers. The cover for our book is by @mohithmohano

A few months ago I opened one of the A Word A Day email compendiums and saw the name Uma Krishnaswami in there. I’ve been an admirer of the author for years and have read and loved many of her books. I wrote to the email id next to her name and asked if she was the same person.

She responded warmly, told me she knows of me and my books and that she’d recently picked up India in Triangles. She also invited me to write a guest blog on her website and during our emails back and forth, she even managed to casually drop incredible pieces of advice and support.

How is it that some people are so incredibly wonderful?

Anyway, the post is online now, where I’ve written about the process of writing WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, and if you read her introduction, you will realize the extent of her generosity.

The rest of it is up on her website - https://www.umakrishnaswami.com/blog/guest-post-shruthi-rao-on-when-science-stood-still

A few months ago I opened one of the A Word A Day email compendiums and saw the name Uma Krishnaswami in there. I’ve been an admirer of the author for years and have read and loved many of her books. I wrote to the email id next to her name and asked if she was the same person.

She responded warmly, told me she knows of me and my books and that she’d recently picked up India in Triangles. She also invited me to write a guest blog on her website and during our emails back and forth, she even managed to casually drop incredible pieces of advice and support.

How is it that some people are so incredibly wonderful?

Anyway, the post is online now, where I’ve written about the process of writing WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, and if you read her introduction, you will realize the extent of her generosity.

The rest of it is up on her website - https://www.umakrishnaswami.com/blog/guest-post-shruthi-rao-on-when-science-stood-still

A few months ago I opened one of the A Word A Day email compendiums and saw the name Uma Krishnaswami in there. I’ve been an admirer of the author for years and have read and loved many of her books. I wrote to the email id next to her name and asked if she was the same person.

She responded warmly, told me she knows of me and my books and that she’d recently picked up India in Triangles. She also invited me to write a guest blog on her website and during our emails back and forth, she even managed to casually drop incredible pieces of advice and support.

How is it that some people are so incredibly wonderful?

Anyway, the post is online now, where I’ve written about the process of writing WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, and if you read her introduction, you will realize the extent of her generosity.

The rest of it is up on her website - https://www.umakrishnaswami.com/blog/guest-post-shruthi-rao-on-when-science-stood-still

A few months ago I opened one of the A Word A Day email compendiums and saw the name Uma Krishnaswami in there. I’ve been an admirer of the author for years and have read and loved many of her books. I wrote to the email id next to her name and asked if she was the same person.

She responded warmly, told me she knows of me and my books and that she’d recently picked up India in Triangles. She also invited me to write a guest blog on her website and during our emails back and forth, she even managed to casually drop incredible pieces of advice and support.

How is it that some people are so incredibly wonderful?

Anyway, the post is online now, where I’ve written about the process of writing WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, and if you read her introduction, you will realize the extent of her generosity.

The rest of it is up on her website - https://www.umakrishnaswami.com/blog/guest-post-shruthi-rao-on-when-science-stood-still

A beautiful evening at the fundraiser with @tandembayarea at the gorgeous San Francisco Veterans War Memorial. It was lovely meeting special guests @charlottemakesbooks and @kaylanijuanita and hanging out with our books! Thanks to @the_artful_author for the great company! Nothing better than getting to talk about my books with people and signing a bunch of copies of THE FIRST GIRL ON STAGE (@devika_joglekar and @yalibooks)

Special Guest Author Spotlight! 🌟📣📚

We are so excited to welcome Shruthi Rao (@shrutree) as one of our special guest author's at Tandem's Building on Books Celebration! Shruthi Rao writes books for children. She is the award-winning author of 20 fiction and nonfiction books published in India and the US. She made her American publishing debut in 2024 with "Kadooboo!: A Silly South Indian Folktale", an NYPL Best Book 2024. "When Science Stood Still" (Oct 2025) is a JLG Gold Standard Selection. Shruthi has a masters degree in energy engineering and worked for a few years in tech before becoming a writer. Originally from India, Shruthi now lives in California. She loves desserts, benches and long walks.

Please join us at our Building on Books Celebration on May 7 at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center where you can meet Shruthi, participate in a guided activity based on her book "The First Girl on Stage", and even take home a signed copy of it! (Tickets linked in bio!)

#nonprofit #education #educationnonprofit #celebrate #fundraiser #books #earlyeducation #earlylearning #learning #family #kids #children #literacy #booktok #bayarea #sanfrancisco #oakland #contracosta #reading #charity #party #dogood #tickets #event #childrensbooks #author #kidlit #author

I’ll be at the Tandem Books fundraiser in San Francisco on May 7 with THE FIRST GIRL ON STAGE, and at the Bay Area Book Festival on May 30 with WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL. Will share more details soon. Hope to see you there!

The INDIA edition of WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL is now in bookstores (and online you know where) across India!!

Thr pictures below are from Crossword Mumbai (thank you @padfootblack25) and Crossword Bangalore (thank you @bhattacharyya.madhumita )

The third picture and the review below is from @gangannaradhika who immediately got herself a copy (as she’s always been doing with my books) as soon as she heard it’s available in India

“A beautiful story of science and perseverance by Shruthi Rao and @srinidhidraws , written in lucid, simple language! It’s the perfect gift for kids this summer. Truly appreciate authors who are striving to keep children engaged and happy through their work amidst all the chaos around us.”

Illustrated by Srinidhi Srinivasan
Published by McElderry (Simon & Schuster)

📣🌟We're thrilled to reveal our special guest Bay Area children's books authors and illustrator for our 2026 Building on Books Celebration! It is an honor to haveCharlotte Cheng (@charlottemakesbooks) , Kaylani Juanita (@kaylanijuanita), and Shruthi Rao (@shrutree) join us this year and share their stories. Get ready to engage with our inspiring guests and take home a signed copy of one of their books for your own library. Mark your calendars for an unforgettable evening on May 7 2026, at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center and purchase tickets at https://www.tandembayarea.org/building-on-books-celebration/ .

P.S. Can't make it? You can still be part of the magic! Donate at our ticketing page to help us put small books with big lessons into the hands of children across the Bay Area. 🩷

#nonprofit #education #educationnonprofit #celebrate #fundraiser #books #earlyeducation #earlylearning #learning #family #kids #children #literacy #booktok #bayarea #sanfrancisco #oakland #contracosta #reading #charity #party #dogood #tickets #event #childrensbooks #author #kidlit #author

The Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards has released its 2026 Commended Books lists!

THE 2025 PICTURE BOOK & GRAPHIC NOVEL COMMENDED BOOKS INCLUDE:

When Science Stood Still
Shruthi Rao
Srinidhi Srinivasan
McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster)

SYNOPSIS:
The true story of the man who discovered the science of black holes and persisted in his theories against the disbelief and ridicule of the Western scientific community

INTERSECTIONALITY:
A brown man from a colonized country and an immigrant

COMMENDATIONS:
JLG Gold Standard
2025 Science Friday's Best Science Books

All of the PADIBA books can be viewed and purchased at a discount!

→ https://Bookshop.org/shop/PADIBA

#PedroAndDaniel #PADIBA #PADIBA2026 #ReadYourWorld
@shrutree @srinidhidraws @simonandschuster @simonkids

It was such a pleasure to welcome back author, Shruthi Rao, at story time today. Shruthi shared her wonderful new nonfiction picture book When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes.

When Science Stood Still is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a Science Friday Best Book of 2025. We are proud to have signed copies on hand at the bookshop. In addition, we also have signed stock of her clever and fun picture book Kadooboo! Come on by and check them out!

#childrenspicturebooks #storytime #fremontcalifornia

It was such a pleasure to welcome back author, Shruthi Rao, at story time today. Shruthi shared her wonderful new nonfiction picture book When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes.

When Science Stood Still is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a Science Friday Best Book of 2025. We are proud to have signed copies on hand at the bookshop. In addition, we also have signed stock of her clever and fun picture book Kadooboo! Come on by and check them out!

#childrenspicturebooks #storytime #fremontcalifornia

It was such a pleasure to welcome back author, Shruthi Rao, at story time today. Shruthi shared her wonderful new nonfiction picture book When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes.

When Science Stood Still is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a Science Friday Best Book of 2025. We are proud to have signed copies on hand at the bookshop. In addition, we also have signed stock of her clever and fun picture book Kadooboo! Come on by and check them out!

#childrenspicturebooks #storytime #fremontcalifornia

It was such a pleasure to welcome back author, Shruthi Rao, at story time today. Shruthi shared her wonderful new nonfiction picture book When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes.

When Science Stood Still is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a Science Friday Best Book of 2025. We are proud to have signed copies on hand at the bookshop. In addition, we also have signed stock of her clever and fun picture book Kadooboo! Come on by and check them out!

#childrenspicturebooks #storytime #fremontcalifornia

It was such a pleasure to welcome back author, Shruthi Rao, at story time today. Shruthi shared her wonderful new nonfiction picture book When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes.

When Science Stood Still is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a Science Friday Best Book of 2025. We are proud to have signed copies on hand at the bookshop. In addition, we also have signed stock of her clever and fun picture book Kadooboo! Come on by and check them out!

#childrenspicturebooks #storytime #fremontcalifornia

It was such a pleasure to welcome back author, Shruthi Rao, at story time today. Shruthi shared her wonderful new nonfiction picture book When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes.

When Science Stood Still is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a Science Friday Best Book of 2025. We are proud to have signed copies on hand at the bookshop. In addition, we also have signed stock of her clever and fun picture book Kadooboo! Come on by and check them out!

#childrenspicturebooks #storytime #fremontcalifornia