Maya’s Sri Lankan Spice Trail of Tails by Sharika Chauhan – The Strawberry Post

A book review of a children’s chapter book about a girl who gets to visit her pen pal in Sri Lanka and has a fun adventure along the way.  Part of the Maya’s Worldly Wonders series which also includes Maya’s Whimsical Japanese Journey.

About Maya’s Sri Lankan Spice Trail of Tails

Title: Maya’s Sri Lankan Spice Trail of Tails (Maya’s Worldly Wonders)
Author: Sharika Chauhan
Illustrator:  Toulla Corti
Publisher: South Node Publishing
Genre: Younger children’s fiction, Travel
Book format reviewed: Paperback
Sweet Strawberries:

Description: Maya’s Worldly Wonders is a captivating collection of Maya’s amazing adventures.
A jouryney of Spice, Surf & a Second Chance!
Maya is off on her next whirlwind adventure – this time to the dazzling island of Sri Lanka, where spice trails, swinging palm trees, and a very special golden retriever await!
She’s finally meeting her pen pal, Ramy, for the first time – and the girls have BIG plans.  From surfing wipeouts and coral reef giggles to devouring hackfruit curry and swinging over the sea, it’s the trip of a lifetime.  But when Maya learns that Mimosa – the kindest dog in Sri Lanka – might never find a forever home, her holiday mission becomes personal.
Cue operation Mimosa – glitter charts, walkie-talkies, and dog cuddles galore!  But when the world shifts overnight and a pandemic threatens everything, the girls must think bigger than ever before.  Can two best friends and a fluffy tail make a difference from opposide sides of the world?
This heartfelt story will whisk young readers away on a tropical escape with a powerful message: you’re never too small to make a big paw print!

*Free copy provided by Literally PR for review…

My review and thoughts on Maya’s Sri Lankan Spice Trail of Tails

This is a fun adventure following a girl called Maya who visits Sri Lanka. Maya loves to travel around the world to different countries but she’s especially excited about visiting Sri Lanka where her pen pal Ramy lives. While Maya enjoys lots of different activities and taking in the culture of Sri Lanka with Ramy, she’s especially interested in helping her friend and her dilemma with a very cute dog called Mimosa. The paperback is filled with thick glossy pages of some colourful illustrations and large text.

I’ve already read Maya’s adventures in Japan and was keen to find out what would happen in Sri Lanka. The book begins with an introduction to Maya which lasts a few pages (and is in every book of Maya’s adventures) before the story in Sri Lanka begins with Maya heading to the airport with her family, before saying goodbye to them and boarding a plane to visit her pen pal. When she arrives in Sri Lanka the two girls get along straight away and I like how Maya is immersed into the Sri Lankan culture right away. Every chapter then shows Maya experiencing different activities like surfing, snorkeling and swinging from a special tree.

Ramy soon introduces Maya to Mimosa, a dog she loves and wants to adopt from the shelter she volunteers at, but Ramy’s parents are reluctant thinking she’s not ready. I like what happens with Mimosa though, and the project the girls later do to try and convince Ramy’s parents to let her adopt Mimosa. The story is illustrated throughout with pictures on many pages and I love how fun and colourful these are. There is a map of Sri Lanka at the start of the story although I did notice one place mentioned i nthe tale was missing on the map though the other places are there, and there are a couple of Sri Lankan words mentioned in the story too, along with a translation in brackets which is a nice extra for kids to learn a few new foreign words.

The story has a good ending, especially with what happens with Maya and the subsequent results for the dogs. Coronavirus is mentioned as part of the tale and this story happens partly at the time of the global pandemic. The book does feel like it could have been longer, perhaps with more descriptions as to what some of the food is (I had to look up what a hopper is) or what some other things are as younger readers might not know what some things like tuk tuks are. I also think a map of the world showing where Sri Lanka is could have been included too but that’s just my own opinion. However, overall this is a fun adventure with some great illustrations and a lovely and good ending and I can’t wait to find out where Maya travels to next.

Buy Maya’s Sri Lankan Spice Trail of Tails

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About the author Sharika Chauhan

Sharika Chauhan is the author of Maya’s Worldly Wonders, a children’s book series inspired by her Indian heritage and love of global travel. After 16 years in London’s Financial Services and Fintech world, she left corporate life to focus on social impact, storytelling. and mentoring young people.
Sharika has travelled to over 40 countries and draws on those experiences to help children explore the world with curiosity and confidence. She now lives by the Thames and is always dreaming of her next adventure.

Visit author’s website    Visit author on Instagram    Visit author on Facebook

-Thanks to Literally PR for a chance to be a part of this blog tour! 

Other books by Sharika Chauhan

Read review – Maya’s Whimsical Japanese Journey by Sharika Chauhan

What do you think of this book?  Have you ever travelled or want to travel to Sri Lanka?  Let me know what you think in the comments below