Title: Banian Buddies
Author: Vibha Batra
Illustrator: Isha Nagar
Publisher: Scholastic India
Type: Paperback
Pages: 160 pages
Recommended Age: 7 – 10 years
“Like the banyan tree, true strength lies in spreading roots wide—offering shelter, wisdom, and belonging to all who rest beneath it.”
The story opens by introducing the residents of Banian Tree Avenue, a quaint and quiet neighbourhood in Chennai, lined with leafy trees on both sides. The street is named after its oldest resident—the mighty, majestic banyan tree that stands at its central intersection.
Meet Kannalmozhi, a strong, opinionated non-resident who helps her mother run a roadside fruit stall in the evenings. Then there’s Venky, a 10-year-old resident, gap-toothed boy with braces who loves making lists about everything under the sun. He also chats with his potted plants, convinced that sweet talk helps them grow faster! Ilhan is Venky’s BFF (Best Building Friend).
When Kannalmozhi and her mother move in, they become the first to set up a fruit stall on the street. Soon, other vendors follow – like Chitti an elderly lady selling jasmine flowers, Savithri Mami selling necklaces and Dulquer Anna selling coconut water – transforming Banian Tree Avenue from a sleepy lane into a noisy, bustling market.
Dulquer’s pet rooster doesn’t help – it wakes Venky at exactly 5:47 a.m. every day, including weekends! A frustrated Venky gets his grandfather to write a complaint to The Grouchy Times. Soon, a corporation official arrives and gives the non-resident vendors a week to leave, citing road widening. This threatens not only the vendors’ livelihoods but also the trees – including the beloved banyan – facing the risk of being cut down.
Will these unlikely friends come together to save the trees? Can they protect their oldest resident? And will Kannalmozhi be able to continue selling her fruits on the same street?
Here is my 8 yr old Ananya’s review:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Vibha Batra’s Banian Buddies. My favourite character is Kannalmozhi—she is smart, resilient, and never gives up. Even when things don’t go her way, she looks for solutions.
The chapter titles are humorous, the Tamil words add local flavour (with a helpful glossary at the end), and the illustrations are engaging and perfectly complement the story.
ADDED BY ASHA – kbc members are huge fans of author Vibha Batra! You can find all of Vibha Batra’s books here on Amazon. Reviews of all of these books can be found on this website as well (simply search Vibha Batra).
If this review piqued your interest and you’d like to find out whether the banyan tree gets “stumped” or not, go ahead and grab your own copy from Scholastic India (kbc affiliate link), type BANIAN BUDDIES in search after clicking this red button.
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Disclaimer: Pooja and Ananya are a part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received this book as a review copy from the publisher via kbc.
