Meena is excited about the class play, a new and improved version of Red Riding Hood. But when she learns that she must play one of the trees in the forest, Meena's excitement vanishes. She is just too clumsy to be a quiet, steady tree.
One day at the Indian grocery store, Meena sees a yoga class in progress, and the store owner convinces her to try the children's class. Little does Meena know she is about to find a way to grow from the inside out, just like a tree, and move beyond her feelings of clumsiness and frustration.
The Happiest Tree is a gentle and empowering story of a young girl's road to self-confidence. It is sure to spark interest in yoga, and provide comfort to all children as they struggle to overcome the everyday obstacles to growing up.
Awards
"Choices"
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Children's Books of the Year
Bank Street College Children's Book Committee
Book of the Week
Cooperative Children's Book Center
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
Special Recognition
The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College
Ten Best Books
Edmonton Public Library
Youth Services
Ruth Jeyaveeran is the author and illustrator of The Road to Mumbai, praised by School Library Journal as a "lively romp across India." Much of Jeyaveeran's fine art and illustration work is inspired by her South Asian heritage, so she felt an immediate connection to this story. Jeyaveeran lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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