Meena loves working on her school play. But when it comes time to choosing roles, she doesn’t want any part of it. Self-conscious about her clumsiness, Meena can’t imagine getting up in front of everyone only to trip and embarrass herself. Her teacher encourages her to be a tree, but standing still proves harder than it looks. A children’s yoga class at the Indian grocery her family frequents gives Meena the chance to learn skills that help her quiet her mind and still her body. Author Uma Krishnaswami has written a child-centered story that integrates the yoga elements of the plot naturally into the narrative. The things Meena is learning don’t come easily—she often struggles in yoga class, and still gets her limbs in a tangle, right up to the moments before the class play begins. But as the curtain rises, she remembers to breathe deeply and slowly, and vows to “grow her own yoga tree roots, right into the floor of the forest.” Ruth Jeyaveeran’s colorful acrylic illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to this story, which features a girl of Indian descent. Meena’s anxieties will be recognizable to many children. Likewise, her experience taking yoga is one that will resonate with many children and families today. (Ages 5–8)

Meena is excited about the class play, a new and improved version of Red Riding Hood. But when she learns that she must play one of the trees in the forest, Meena's excitement vanishes. She is just too clumsy to be a quiet, steady tree.

One day at the Indian grocery store, Meena sees a yoga class in progress, and the store owner convinces her to try the children's class. Little does Meena know she is about to find a way to grow from the inside out, just like a tree, and move beyond her feelings of clumsiness and frustration.

The Happiest Tree is a gentle and empowering story of a young girl's road to self-confidence. It is sure to spark interest in yoga, and provide comfort to all children as they struggle to overcome the everyday obstacles to growing up.