Tashi and the stolen forest by Anna and Barbara Fienberg

Australia Reads. Illus. by Kim Gamble. Allen and Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760878566.
(Age: 5-8) Highly recommended. Tashi has become a classic character whose stories have been around since 1995 and have won a place in the hearts of many children around the world. This book was part of the Australia Reads campaign in November 2020 and can be read as a stand-alone but regular Tashi readers will recognise all the characters who bring this story to life; Much-to-Learn, Wise-as-an-Owl, Lotus Blossom, Uncle Tiki Pu and of course the evil Baron.
In this story Tashi discovers that the ancient forest is disappearing quickly, and the villagers are running out of wood to heat their homes. So, he goes out to find out who is responsible for their theft and prevent the whole forest from vanishing forever. This also means that Wise-as-an-Owl is extra busy with medicines and potions for the sick villagers, so when he also falls ill, his son Much-to-Learn must try to carry on alone. Much-to-Learn is working on a new spell to make a fire potion that will keep everyone warm. But disaster strikes when Much-to-Learn goes missing and Tashi needs to work fast to find him and free him. There are Pirates involved and that means extra danger and the need for a very clever plan for Tashi to succeed against the Baron and his cronies.
The story is as captivating as all the other Tashi books and the lovely line drawings by Kim Gamble are at just the right spots in the book to enhance and keep the youngest of readers enthralled with the story.
Themes: Forests, Magic, Storytelling.
Gabrielle Anderson