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. ( )

This is a good book for learning about activism. This is about equality for girls and also environmental protection. It is a true story about a man from India, Sundar, who refuses to work for a mining company that is destroying his village. Then after his daughter dies, he comes up with a plan that will help his community and the people that live there. There are more facts at the end of the book and a list of organizations that are working to advance the ideas that Sundar believed in. ( )

111 Trees is an inspiring true story about Sundar Paliwal whose forward-thinking changed his village forever. Paliwal valued nature and gender equality, but his village only celebrated the birth of boys. He resigned from his job in the environment destroying mine and became the village leader. Sundar persuaded the villagers to celebrate the birth of girls by planting 111 trees. Over time, these trees provided food, water and the opportunity for women to earn their own living. Find more information at the end about Paliwal and the village of Piplantri.

You can use 111 Tress to promote environmental awareness, sustainability, gender equality, social development, community responsibility and cooperation.