The Happiest Tree: A Yoga Story

Summary of Book

Meena is excited about writing and making sets for the class play, an improved version of Red Riding Hood. But when her teacher insists Meena be one of the trees in the forest, she is miserable.

The next day at the Indian store with her mother, Meena sees a yoga class underway in the back. Over time Meena learns to breathe slowly and deeply in, and out and to make herself quiet inside. But at school during play rehearsals, Meena still has trouble being a quiet, steady tree. The night of the play, Meena trips on her branches as she walks onstage. Drawing on what she learned in yoga class, Meena quiets herself and begins to move slowly and carefully. Turning near disaster into triumph, she becomes the happiest tree in the forest.

Author Biography

Uma Krishnaswami is the author of several books for children including The Grand Plan to Fix Everything and The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic. She was born in New Delhi, India, and now lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Illustrator Biography

Ruth Jeyaveeran is an artist, educator and designer living in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

Currently, she's an Assistant Professor of Textile Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She has also taught at Parsons School of Design, and has written and illustrated a few picture books. She has exhibited her artwork at galleries throughout New York.