Tiny Tara and the Tree of Life by Nishika Bajaj

Tiny Tara and the Tree of Life by Nishika Bajaj is one book which made me realized "Don't Judge". When I first saw this book on the internet, from the cover & title I thought it is a bedtime story. That impression changed when I got the copy in hand, at that time I thought the book is "Middle Grade Only" Finally when I read the book, I realized that though written with child-centric characters and story it is written with a greater goal and broader mindset.

Book Blurb

Can trees talk? Rustling leaves and crackling barks apart, doesn’t it sometimes seem as though the trees around us really do have something more to say? What if it’s not the trees talking, but the tiny creatures that live inside them?

Let’s see the world around us through the eyes of Tiny Tara, the princess who lives in the trees with all her friends and her family. The Tiny princess knows more about trees and animals than our mind could possibly absorb, or our imagination encompass. Riding cats and climbing trees are other favorite activities, as Tara would tell you, once you get to know her better. Oh! And she also loves yoga.

Come along with Tara on this amazing adventure, in which mythology and fantasy come together to make your ride on the Tree of Life even more exciting.

Let me start with the book design. The broad width and attractive glossy cover will attract any kid or parent to pick this book. But the book doesn't contain artwork apart from cover and last page, which may dishearten kids. But I am sure parents won't feel the same, once they read it out. I am not sure whether to put this in a point of improvement or positive category.

The story is about a fantasy fairy clan called tinies, who are around 3-5 inches in height, they exist on earth unknown to human (why unknown is discussed in the book) They live with natures harmony, or you may say many times they help nature to keep the harmony. Among these tinies lives our protagonist Tara from a light fairy house. Tinies are divided into 4 houses. Two of Tara's close friends Sameer belongs to Air Fairy & Neera belongs to water fairy. Another important character of the story is Parthiv, an earth fairy. The daring trio had found out that man-made machines are just a block away from their tribe. Their concern for the existence of fairies became their quest for readers. Though it is considered taboo or I would say prohibited for tinies to go close to human, Tara had made a friend with a human child. Read the book to know more. Hope we haven't revealed much.

Coming to our observations

• Wonderful storytelling to glue kids to the book.
• Nice conceptualization of tinies. I think those who have seen Disney's "Tinker Bell" movie series can relate it more.
• The nice naming convention of characters based on the house they belonged
• Good amount of learning & a good message to kids about nature
• Wonderful character description.
• Situational funny lines to lighten read
• A light read, easy language & straight narration style
• The only point I observed could be negative is too much description at some places which has reduced the pace of the story. I am not an expert on Middle-grade genre so I am not sure whether it should be considered a weakness or not.

Ratings

1. Cover - 5/5
2. Concept - 4/5
3. Content - 4/5
4. Character - 4.5/5
5. Overall - 4.25/5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads