The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/ Sandhya Acharya and Preview of Living Bridges

Maria Marshall
1 day ago
7 min read

Sandhya Acharya is a children’s book author and writer. She grew up in Mumbai, India, and now lives in Santa Clara, California. She enjoys writing for children and sometimes grown-ups too. Her articles and short stories have been featured in Washington Post, NPR(KQED), India Currents, Lost Balloon, Peacock Journal, and Aaduna among others.

Sandhya has run marathons, hosted a podcast for a non-profit, performed (and still learns!) Bharat Natyam, an Indian classical dance, is trained in Indian Classical music (carnatic), and does everything she can to enjoy the childhood of her young kids.

Book Cover - a mother holding out a bowl of gulab jamuns for her two sons.

She is the author of 10 Gulab Jamuns: Counting With an Indian Sweet Treat, illustrated by Vanessa Alexandre (2022).

Her newest book, Living Bridges: The Hidden World of Indias Woven Trees, releases on June 3rd.

Welcome Sandhya,

Tell us a little about yourselves. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been

writing? What is your favorite book to write?)

After a career in Corporate Finance, about eight years back, I traded spreadsheets for my love of words and plunged into writing. I experimented writing across genres like short stories, essays, opinion pieces on radio and then discovered children’s literature. I self-published my first children’s book, 10 Gulab Jamuns, and loved the process. I wanted to do more, and after a long journey and tons of learning, here I am with my first traditionally published nonfiction book!

It is wonderful to meet you Sandhya. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

I write story ideas when I run or walk in nature. I like doing revisions in planes where there are no distractions. I have written a manuscript in a hotel in India waiting for my quarantined parents to recover from COVID.

Yikes! I guess that's not one you will forget soon. Sorry. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India’s Woven Trees?

Book cover - father and duaghter tending the tree roots that form a living bridge.

I am always looking for experiences that spark wonder and awe in us and when I came across an article about the Living Bridges that was just what I felt. I wanted to learn more about it and share everything with young readers.

It is an awe-inspiring story! What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Living Bridges? And what was the most fun?

It was an adventure traveling to the interiors of Meghalaya and finding experts who could share their knowledge about this amazing phenomenon with me. But it was also the most rewarding part of it. I loved doing the immersive research and hope to do more of this with my future writing!

That's really cool that you got to go there. How many revisions did Living Bridges take from first draft to publication?

It took me a while to find the right point of view and voice for the story. Probably 4-5 versions lasting many months, where I would set the draft aside. But once I found the right entry point to the story, the rest poured out. I also worked with experts like the founder of Living Bridge Foundation, Morningstar Kongthaw, as I went through later drafts to make sure the information I covered was accurate while keeping the lyricism of the story intact. It went through another major revision with my editor, along with numerous smaller fine-tuning exercises.

Not too bad then. When you first saw Avani Dwivedi’s illustrations did anything surprise, amaze, or delight you? Which is your favorite spread?

Internal spread - on the left a boy learning how to weave the tree roots. On the right, hands of the community and previous generations weave the roots, too.

Text © Sandhya Acharya, 2025. Image © Kelly Mangan, 2025.

Avani’s art was amazing. I felt invited into a journey into the misty mountains of Meghalaya from the first spread. My favorite spread is one in which the boy is learning to weave the roots of the ficus tree to make a bridge, and in the background we see hands belonging to generations before him, and the whole community weaving with him. It is so symbolic and beautiful.

It's such a stunning illustration. What is something you want your readers to know or learn about Living Bridges?

The Living Bridges are a reminder that we can come up with creative solutions to the problems our modern world faces - bridging innovation with tradition, technology with sustainability.

I love it! Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

My next picture book Everywhere I Call Home published by Little Brown/Hachette will release in 2027. It is a poem exploring multicultural identity and the sense of belonging.

Good luck with these projects. We will have to keep our eyes open for them. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

Photo of a geyser, hot springs in Yellowston National Park.

My absolute favorite is Yellowstone. The diversity of landscape and wildlife is amazing. A scene of a bear and her two cubs frolicking in the woods on an early morning sighting is still etched in my mind.

Thank you, Sandhya, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new book.

To find out more about Sandhya Acharya, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.sandhyaacharya.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSandhya/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsandhya/

Twitter (X): https://x.com/authorsandhya

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/authorsandhya.bsky.social

Review of Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India's Woven Trees

This stunningly illustrated, lyrically touching picture book offers readers an inside look at an amazing tradition and partnership with nature which connected remote communities through awe-inspiring engineering.

Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India's Woven Trees

Author: Sandhya Acharya

Illustrator: Avani Dwivedi

Publisher: Beach Lane Books (June 3, 2025)

Ages: 4-8

Nonfiction

Themes:

Sustainability, community, Asian forests, environmental preservation, and nature.

Synopsis:

A boy learns how to care for and weave the roots of the living tree bridges in his village in India in this narrative nonfiction picture book perfect for fans of We Are Water Protectors and The Tree Lady.

In the mountains of Meghalaya, India, a living bridge stands tall, connecting the land and its people with the interwoven roots of tall, wide ficus trees. The bridge is called Jingkieng Jri, and it’s alive. A little boy can’t wait to learn to weave the roots together just like the generations before him.

But when he notices litter on the bridge and scars on the roots from people stealing sap, he knows Jinkieng Jri doesn’t just need shaping, it needs love. By rallying his community and even visiting tourists, the boy protects the living bridge and shares his message of care.

Opening Lines:

Up in the mountains of Meghalaya, India,

under a cover of clouds,

sits my village.

What I LOVE about this book:

The lilting text and gorgeously vibrant digital opening image immediately immerse the reader into the mountain village of Meghalaya, India and the wonderfully lyrical voice of the child narrator. Today, the boy's uncle is going to teach the boy how to build their ancient living bridge, called Jingkieng Jri.

Internal spread - outside a house perched on a hill, a boy stands by the porch, waiting for his uncle to finish putting on his shoes.

As they wander down the path, the boy pauses to notice "the blue earthworms squirm, slugs slide, and spiders scuttle by." I don't imagine many kids will have experienced a huge, blue earthworm! I adore Avani Dwivedi's colorful and lush illustrations and the way she subtly highlighted the size of this earthworm! Then as we "break" out from the trees, we see Jingkieng Jri for the first time. A living bridge suspended 100 feet over a raging river, fed by monsoon rains. And discover, with the boy, that not only is it a live bridge that helps humans, but it is the home for "little insects, birds, and worms.” As a birder, I loved Avani Dwivedi's inclusion of a little Indian Golden Oriole, perched on a nearby branch looking at the bridge with us.

Internal image - on the left, the boy and man walk hand-in-hand down a lush tropical trail. On the right, the boy crouches down to watch a big earthworm, slugs and a spider.

Overcoming his initial fears of stepping along the mud, bark and stone path set inside the bamboo and living root bridge, the boy and his uncle take the thin new, pliable rubber fig tree roots and tightly weave them around and through the older roots and bamboo. Sandhya Acharya does a wonderful job of lyrically bringing to life the sounds of the bridge and the sensation of community and time. Of the generations that have carefully tended the bridge for over four hundred years. (See image above in the interview) And the boy's pain in seeing the roots purposefully injured, with sap leaking "like tears."

When he notices a group of tourists tossing trash on the bridge and loudly drowning out the sounds of nature, Sandhya Acharya beautifully creates a connection between the boy and the bridge - " Look, the bridge seems to say to me. I need care. . . Listen, the bridge seems to say. I need balance." Determined to help this special bridge, the boy . . . spoilers.

Internal image - on the lower left a boy sadly looks over his shoulder at a group of tourists. On the right, six adult tourists chatter loudly and toss trash onto the bridge surface.

I'll leave you to discover the wonderful ending that encourages us all to pause and absorb the wonder around us and to actively be sure to care for this precious world where we live. A note from Morningstar Khongthaw, the person who has been working to restore and reteach the skills to build and maintain these precious and ingenious treasures, and an author's note provide more information these amazing bridges and offer a call to action to help preserve them. Six amazing photographs of these bridges frame a glossary and sources,

including one of Sandhya Acharya carefully working her way across Jingkieng Jri. This is a stunning and inspiring lyrical picture about a special tradition and partnership with nature that will be a joy to read again and again.

Resources:

try making a couple of these 21 bridges or try making your own bridge version with sticks and twine (or yarn & a box, ribbon, or other found items outside).