Tara Goes Aahhhhh

MY THOUGHTS

Tara Goes Aahhhhh is a wordless, pop-up picture book that truly bowled me over! This is the first book from UnStuck, a mental health picture book series from HarperCollins Children’s Books.

In this book, we see a young girl, Tara, getting up in the middle of the night because her toy dinosaur is thirsty. But it is dark and scary, and the nighttime is filled with monsters. She can hear voices, and shadows are playing with her mind. Every step she takes, she sees a strange movement. Will she be able to face her fears and get a drink of water for herself and her dinosaur?

This is an elaborately crafted pop-up book that uses dark blacks and greens designed to mimic the time of night. Every spread shows Tara battling with her demons, and the spreads create action through their movement induced by a change in perspective. Even though it is about battling the fear of darkness, parents can help their child see the humour that the author includes in the story. A bowl of falling peas, the grin on the face of the shadow, and other small details. I love how Garima Gupta has forced the reader to be close in on the action, almost as though we are looking over little Tara’s shoulder the whole time.

When I interviewed author and illustrator, Garima Gupta, for an article in Scroll.in, she said, “The UnStuck series is designed to help young readers identify their emotions, locate them within their bodies, and understand that it is possible to move through feelings of fear, anxiety, rage, and loneliness. These books don’t lecture or label – they invite reflection through interaction, visual storytelling, and emotional nuance.” The series itself was born to help children articulate their feelings and fears and not resort to simply ‘brushing them off’.

I can’t wait to see the other books in the UnStuck series. Grab this one for sure if you have a young one afraid of the dark or if you want to marvel at an exquisitely crafted book.