Rina Singh

Wow, I really loved learning about the real events that this story was based on through reading this book! I also appreciated all the facts and true event info given at the end after a more typical picture book style telling of the story. This is the story of how a man who became a village leader in India, was able to begin making a big change in the way girl births were viewed through making a step by step change with each birth: with every girl born, 111 trees would be planted. Not only did this begin to celebrate girl births that had never been particularly joyous occasions before, but it also helped the environment. The planting of trees and changing of the habitat because of it further allowed for more job opportunities for women in the village and allowed for more methods of getting enough water and food to the villagers. This is a great look into Ecofeminism and a very inspiring story! The artwork was also very bright and unique.

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111 Trees by Rina Singh is a unique read about culture.

As an adult, I love this book. Looking from a children's perspective, it might be tough to understand. If you have younger readers who are interested in topics of culture then this might be a good fit. I could even see this being a good book for cultural studies classes to look into. Planting trees for every daughter born is a very unique idea and is a great theme in this book. The pain and loss might be too much for young readers though. This book has some big topics in it.

Despite the potential difficulty, I think it's a marvellous and beautiful story that needs to be told. It's important! I just think buyer beware - know your and your children's reading level before picking the book up.

Overall, it's a great read to open your eyes to an interesting cultural practice.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (más)

This was a lovely and interesting story about a boy who worried about monsoon rains washing away the ground, and the animals that live there. He’s India’s Johnny Appleseed, because he started planting trees. But he didn’t plant one type of tree he planted different types of trees to help maintain the sandbars and the land as well as unintentionally growing a habitat for many diverse animals. This book told a story of a man who could be considered a type of hero that kids might not have learned about otherwise. My only qualms with this book, if I wish they had included a real picture of the man in the end, but other than that this is a perfect read.… (más)