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This beautiful and powerful story tackles the big issue of protecting our environment and saving our natural resources.

Synopsis

Yara lives with her Mama in the lush Amazon jungle doing all she can to rescue her beloved but increasingly troubled rainforest home. When Yara falls seriously ill, the forest finds a way to return the love and saves Yara’s life. Written in rhyme and featuring vibrant watercolor illustrations, this is the introductory volume to a new picture-book series showing children how all living things on our beautiful planet depend on one another.

Yara lives in the Amazon jungle with her mother and enjoys a vibrant relationship with the plants and animals in the natural world. When construction and industry threatens the plants and animals of the jungle, Yara springs to action and saves a Tawari sapling that is choking in the polluted air. She cares for the sapling and it eventually grows into a strong and healthy tree. Yara and the Tawari tree have formed a strong bond and a deep friendship caring for one another. In a turn of events, Yara becomes gravely ill and there seems to be no cure. Until a medicine man uses the bark of the Tawari tree to make a special drink that cures Yara. This poignant story is about caring for our earth and the power that children have to influence change. The illustrations are lovely and the message of the story is a very important one.

Reviewed by

I am a mom to a toddler, a learning specialist at a small progressive school, a born and raised Brooklynite and a lover of travel and discovering new things. I consider myself an open minded, life long learner.

Synopsis

Yara lives with her Mama in the lush Amazon jungle doing all she can to rescue her beloved but increasingly troubled rainforest home. When Yara falls seriously ill, the forest finds a way to return the love and saves Yara’s life. Written in rhyme and featuring vibrant watercolor illustrations, this is the introductory volume to a new picture-book series showing children how all living things on our beautiful planet depend on one another.

In a faraway jungle, by a big waterfall,

Smoke rose in the air, things were not good at all.


“They are clearing the forest, they are now very near.

This is surely my end!” sighed a seedling with fear.


On the bank of the river, in a house made of wood,

Close to the place where our scared seedling stood,

A hard-working mother and her kindhearted child,

Lived freely together, eating food from the wild.

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10 Comments

Mary Jane OverallSuch a wonderful topic. Something I must read to my grandchildren. Thank you,Yossi.
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almost 5 years ago
Yossi Lapid@maryjaneoverall Thanks, Mary! Yara’s Tawari Tree was inspired by a challenging recent experience in my immediate family. My daughter is a film maker and she made a short film called Yochi dealing with the poaching of the Yellowhead parrots in the Belize rainforest. She was about to leave for additional research in Belize for a new full-feature film, when she was diagnosed with an acute form of Leukemia. She is cancer free now, but her story was the inspiration for my Yara series.
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almost 5 years ago
Yossi LapidThanks, Melanie for this wonderful review! I greatly appreciate it!!
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almost 5 years ago
Mary Jane OverallWow, Yossi, that makes it an even more fascinating story. I have been to Belize and I have worked on videos in the bush thus I can truly understand the challenges your daughter faced when doing her work. Congratulate her for being an adventurer. She is also very lucky to have a supportive dad like you! I can't wait to read the book to my granddaughter and tell her about you and your daughter. Cheers for now and many virtual hugs.
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almost 5 years ago
Yossi Lapid@maryjaneoverall This is quite amazing! Here are two links that you may want to see: https://yochifilm.com/about https://vimeo.com/294625385 I hope your granddaughter will like my book, but if she does, I would like to send you an ARC of the second volume in the Yara series which will be published early this summer. Let's stay in touch, Yossi
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almost 5 years ago
Mary Jane OverallHello again, Yossi. I just got to my granddaughters and haven’t had the chance to read to her YARA’S TAWARI TREE but I will tomorrow and I will let you know what she thinks. She loves nature and especially insects. I also write and illustrate children’s books. below is amazon link. I'm going to check out your links! Yes, let’s stay in touch. Maybe we can collaborate on a book project.. I have time now. I was offered an artist in residency in Cuba but it looks like I’ll have to wait on that one. Boo hoo https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Jane-Overall/e/B00IYBI9LO%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Cheers for now, Mary Jane
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almost 5 years ago
Mary Jane OverallOMG Just watched your GORGEOUS DAUGHTER’S Moth presentation. WOW absolutely magnificent. Please tell her she has a fan! Cheers, Mary Jane
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almost 5 years ago
Yossi Lapid@maryjaneoverall Hi again, Your books look wonderful! Thanks for sharing!! Let's communicate by email. My email address is: ylapid@nmsu.edu Plese send me a short note and I'll answer you. Yossi
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almost 5 years ago
Michael DolanJudging from its preview, Yossi, your book looks as if it must have been fun to write. Fun aside, though, the values it preaches can't be extolled enough, especially directed as they are to children, the inheritors of this planet of ours. I wrote a Holocaust novel valuable for the lessons the past can teach us---you must be even more proud of directing young eyes toward the future.
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almost 5 years ago
Yossi Lapid@michaeldolan Thanks, Michael for your inspirational words! I am a son of Holocaust survivors and my last name used to be Farkas. The Berlin Holocaust museum has chosen to display a family named Farkas beacause so many Hungarian Jews with this name perished in the Holocaust. I look forward to reading your novel and I agree: our children are the inheritors of our beautiful planet and it is never too early to start educating them about this precious yet fragile inheritance.
almost 5 years ago
About the author

Yossi Lapid was born in a small town in Romania where toy stores were absent, but talking snowmen, magical trees, and friendly puppies were abundant. Since 2016, he has published three award-winning series. He has three children and lives with his wife Susan and a pup named Sasha in New Mexico. view profile

Published on July 01, 2019

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0-1000 words

Worked with a Reedsy professional 🏆

Genre:Picture Books

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