During this challenging confinement time, Ociste.me wants to bring to your attention a book that its team has greatly enjoyed reading, the first Montenegrin Award-winning ecological book „Tara and the Magic Tree“, teaching  environmental values for kids from 7-12 years … and their parents J [available in Montenegrin and in English]. Order today your copy, Znuggle delivers free of charge all over Montenegro (discount codes below).

Dear all,

We have deviated from nature.

We are tangled in a vicious circle, racing forward without even touching the ground.

The referee booked us for misconduct. The card is yellow – Nature knows there are many already reddening with shame. It sent an invisible messenger. The message arrived, alright – but can it be understood, and for how long?

All of us sitting inside our four walls do our part in helping to stop the spread of a dangerous virus. The stress of everyday life being temporarily paused, we have a chance to once again turn to ourselves and our loved ones. There is time to think about where true values lie. Let’s work on ourselves! Let’s use life in isolation in the best way we can: recognizing our mistakes and urging ourselves and other never to repeat them.

Let’s reunite with the book – a unique, transferrable magic. Reading allows us to live multiple lives, imagine, dream, to find hidden places, to travel and love with no limits.

Let’s return to Peter Pan, The Giving Tree, The Paul Street Boys, Alice, Robinson, The Little Prince… Maybe we cease convincing ourselves we are all-powerful and irreplaceable. There are dreams, deep in the corners of the imagination, which can be dreamt and made true for the benefit of all living beings. The ecological novel ‘Tara and The Magic Tree’ will help you achieve it. It will remind you of the wondrous force of love and friendship, as well as the importance of respecting and preserving blue and green expanses of our only home – planet Earth.

Mischievous little girl Tara and her unusual fellowship will introduce you to the basics of ’zero waste’. It is a signpost directing us back towards nature, proving we are worth being part of its kingdom.

Meanwhile, human activity is slowed down and nature is recovering. Water is getting cleaner while there are less smog clouds and toxins in the soil. Fish returned to the finally clearer Venetian canals. I wish playful dolphins would come swimming to our waters, and mighty deer antlers return to our mountains. There’s a chance for new dreams, for a new beginning…

P.S. Calling your attention to the new book ’Tara and The Magic Tree’, we know we didn’t mention that it is an interesting novel, with original characters, vivid descriptions of nature and a dynamic style. Someone said long ago the worst way to present a piece is to summarize it – it suppresses the reader’s curiosity and obstructs the most wonderful and important part – enjoying the read!

        Zarko Vucinic for Ociste.me

‘Tara and the Magic Tree’ is a joint idea of ​​the author, Zarko Vucinic and the socially responsible company Znuggle. It is an eco-friendly adventure story for children, addressing the importance of protecting and preserving nature by actively promoting healthy lifestyles and the concept of Zero waste. The book describes negative phenomena of the society, which is reflected in the overuse of plastics, promotion of wool as a natural material, as well as the importance of wiser treatment of nature, which is the basis for the sustainable development of rural areas.

The peculiarity of ‘Tara and the Magic Tree” is that the main characters: Tara, Timothy, hedgehog, crow, frog and donkey actually ‘exist’. They are beautiful woolen dolls woven by hardworking Berane weavers, assembled in the social enterprise Znuggle and sold on the world market.

The book was printed in eco-friendly colors on recycled paper, and was illustrated by students of the Petar Lubarda High School of Fine Arts in Cetinje.

 ‘Tara and The Magic Tree’ is more than a book – it promotes Montenegro’s young artists, rural development, forgotten trades and the circular economy. The book has been translated into English so it’s accessible to more readers.

 ‘Tara and The Magic Tree” by Zarko Vucinic was named best children’s book published in 2019 by the Montenegrin Writers’ Association for Children and Young People, and received the international Lukian Musicki Award from the Literary Society  ‘Suncani breg’ from Serbia.

Translation by Nina Ivanovic and Andjela Djokic