#576 -The Forestborns
by Vardhini Amin and illustrated by Pia Alizé Hazarika
“The Forestborns” by Vardhini Amin and illustrated by Pia Alizé Hazarika. Published by Hachette. A captivating story about the hidden magical world of the Vriksha (trees) and a quest that has to be embarked on when there is a perilous situation in the forest.
This story is set in a lush and verdant rainforest deep in the Sahyadris. The prologue starts off with a riveting scene of a man called Yaj desperately driving through the forest during a storm hoping for a miracle. His little daughter is fighting for her life and the doctors have given up. He is looking for an old woman who lived deep inside the forest. He had met her only once when he was a child and he believes that she can save his daughter somehow. Time is ticking and he is going to try everything in his power to find the old woman.
The magical world of the Vriksha is unknown to humans. Every night, their souls called vruhas roam free in the moonlight. They return back to their rooted dehas (bodies) before dawn. They must not travel too far as their energy starts reducing and they run the risk of perishing. Siah, a feisty young vruha of a sandalwood vriksha has to embark on a daunting journey when sandalwood smugglers pose a threat to the trees of the grove. She will have to seek help from manushyas (humans) who are good and kind. Avni, a young twelve year old girl visits the sandalwood grove often seeking solace. She has painful memories of her past and grieves for her parents who she lost in a forest fire. Both Siah and Avni’s paths cross in a twist of fate and a remarkable connection blooms. Wondering what the connection is between the prologue and the world of Vriksha? Though they may not seem to have anything in common except the rainforest as the setting, there is a deep connection. Read the enchanting book to find out this connection as well as how Avni and Siah find ways to restore the harmony of their worlds and remind us of the bonds between humans and nature.
With its fast paced action, vivid description and mysterious air, the prologue ensured that I and my ten year old son were hooked to the book. The beautiful narrative and well developed characters made it a heartwarming read. Magic, courage, hope, resilience, selflessness, determination and bonds of friendship set amidst the beautiful setting of a rainforest are some of the things that we enjoyed. We were curious to know what was coming up next and trying to piece together the connections between the characters and the incidents as the story progressed. The beautiful illustrations complemented the story well bringing it to life. The timely and relevant message of preserving the fragile bonds between humans and nature by conserving our forests makes this a “MUST READ”. Trees will never be the same for me at least after reading this book :)
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 11/12 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Hachette India, for review. Thank you to Riti, from Hachette, for sending across the book!