What inspired the book

Over many year Tara Joy has been working as the Co. Director of Active Remedy Ltd. which she co-founded along with her mother Stella Joy in 2005. They have been working to facilitate and promote the conservation and restoration of the endangered yet essential ecosystems which maintain the global water cycle and climate systems. Through this work she has has come to believe that an important message needs communicating in many ways and that sometimes the simplest methods of communication can have the deepest impacts. That is why she created the book ‘The Inner Sense of Trees’.

Using acrylic paint on canvas as her medium, Tara Joy created an imaginary fantasy planet upon which the story takes place. It is a planet where the life inside everything is vividly illustrated with countless faces and characters that make up every aspect of the landscapes. Trees, clouds, rock, mountains and rivers are all portrayed with faces and distinct personalities. Each illustration is filled with so much activity that the readers can discover new things upon each reading. In a way, this reflects the fathomless nature of biodiversity that becomes more alive and interconnected the closer one looks.

In 2018 Tara collaborated with her brother Dion Joy to make a video version of the Inner Sense of Trees. Accompanying the illustrations with the audio of Tara Joy narrating the story and music composed and played by Ian James, they created this simple yet enchanting little video. Doubtless there will be future animation and theatrical versions made in the future. Yet for now this is a lovely, paperless way of viewing and sharing the story around the world.

Of all the people in the World that Tara would have liked to personally present a copy of her book to, His Holiness the Dalai Lama came top of the list. That is why she was so absolutely thrilled to present it to him in the Summer of 2019 and to converse with him about forests, water, climate and the urgent need for imminent action to restore essential ecosystems to safeguard the global water cycle and climate systems. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has long been concerned about the environment and has often spoken and written about it and the need for the global community to unite in taking care of it for the sake of present and future generations.

“Today we understand that the future of humanity very much depends on our planet, and that the future of the planet very much depends on humanity.”

(Excerpt from My Tibet by H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai lama: Thames and Hudson Ltd., London, 1990 (p 79-80)

In today’s world, good environmental education for the youth is so essential because it is the lack of such education and awareness about the interrelated nature of Earths’ ecological systems, that is responsible for so many of the social and environmental crisis that we are all currently facing. Thus it is important that there are more books available that encourage young readers to respect and preserve nature. Also sometimes adults are more receptive to becoming more environmentally aware for the sake of their children. Therefore this book is a great book for adults and children to share.  There is a little storyteller concealed on every page waiting to be found and colouring-in and drawing pages at the back of the book to make the book an all-round richer, more engaging experience.

Many children and families have contacted Tara since it was was published in 2016 and expressed how much they enjoy reading and sharing The Inner Sense of Trees.