Lady Tarzan: Jamuna Takes a Stand
MY THOUGHTS
A few years ago, we were playing 20 questions as a family. The game was going along well until Gurgles (7) stumped 2 adults and 2 older kids because none of us could guess the person he had in mind. He had thought of Jadav Payeng because he had recently read Vinayak Verma’s Jadav and the Tree-Place. It was a glimpse into just how much of an impact one small book can leave on a young child’s mind.
Lady Tarzan begins with an anecdote from Jamuna’s life. As a child, her father told her that trees are like her siblings, and they will always be around to protect and care for her. When she moves to Muturkham, she is surrounded by Sal forests but also witnesses timber smugglers. She decides to protect the trees as if they were her brothers. Slowly, she gathers support and villagers come together to save over 50 hectares of forests in Jharkhand.
The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it starts from a simple thought – protect trees as though they are our brothers and sisters. As seen repeatedly with the Dreamer series, Lavanya Karthik manages to find that hook to draw the reader in. Once hooked, they cannot help but continue to read about Jamuna’s achievement. Choosing Lady Tarzan to read was a no-brainer. Picture book biographies have a special ability to be able to imprint on a child’s mind without seeming like they are being studied. Karthik’s Dreamer series of biographies is a constant favourite, so I just knew Lady Tarzan had to be brought home because it would be something special, especially since she herself is so passionate about the environment. Illustrated by Rajiv Eipe, whose recent books Chitty, Web of Woe, and The Monster Who Couldn’t Climb a Tree are thumbed through so often at home, when we want to look at beautiful illustrations of nature. Lady Tarzan is filled with gorgeous pictures of sal tree forests with thin trunks and green, red, and yellow leaves. You are enveloped by the scene and begin to wonder what Sal tree forests smell like.
Don’t wonder about this book. Just add it to your child’s shelf, and watch as it slowly burrows itself into their mind and inspires them to do good for their environment. After all, aren’t we all trying to raise eco-warriors?
If you think your child would enjoy this book, you can buy it here →
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