Book Review- The monster who could not climb a tree

Book Review- The Monster who could not climb a tree

By Tanya Majumdar

Illustrated by Rajiv Eipe

All of us deal with our big emotions differently. For Avi, this means escaping to the big Borasali tree in his neighbourhood. The quiet magnificence of the majestic tree helps calm and Center him.

Avi, a normal young boy harbours a big secret. One which makes him do things he’d otherwise not do. To add to his woes, he now has a new member in the family which is dividing his parents attention, especially when he wants it the most. Neha, his new little sister has had a personal tragedy and has now been adopted by Avi's parents. Hardly verbal, the little child looks up to Avi and follows him around. And though Avi understands that none of it is her fault, his anger gets the best of him when his room is getting redesigned to accomodate Neha.

What's more, one day he finds out that the house next door is getting ready for the new neighbours and one of the plans is to remove the Borasali tree to make more room for the construction. This makes Avi so mad that he ends up bursting.

We used the book to start conversations around anger, controlling tactics, identifying triggers and learning to cope effectively. But one of the key takeaways from this book which we really like is that Nature heals and we’ve all experienced it in some form or the other. For Avi his happy place is the tree where his anger disappears and can’t even enter. The kind empathy shown by his parents, the silent love of his sister and a community which comes together when its members need it the most, make this a splendid read.

A sensitive portrayal of big emotions which make Avi’s life miserable and how we learns to deal with it. One of his coping mechanisms is nature and he learns a few more along the way.

This is ideal for kids aged 6+ years.

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