As a kindergarten teacher and father of young kids, I search far and wide for books that will maintain the interest of children through vivid illustrations, good story, and solid lessons. Jadav and the Tree-Place has all three, which is pretty amazing, since it’s a free book online.

This book follows the life of Jadav ‘Mulai’ Payeng, an Indian man who at the age of 16 noticed a riverbank devoid of all plant-growth, where snakes had been washed up to whither and die. This event made him sad, and instilled in him a desire to turn this “no-tree-place” into a “few-tree-place” and eventually a “many-tree-place.” The book describes just how he accomplished that task.

Vinayak Varma’s illustrations are vivid and colorful, and each new picture offers emotion and life for a parent or teacher to use as a spark for further conversation. The text is clear, not overly wordy and difficult for those outside India to understand—though the selection of trees Jadav plants are ones of which I as an American had never heard.

Further, this book recommends the simple, though years-long assignment of planting a mango seed and to watch it grow. This assignment can be adjusted to fit the location and situation of a class or home, but the goals remain the same: plant something that doesn’t just satisfy you the planter, but that will attract insects and animals and provide life which others plants might use to grow.

I recommend this book to kindergarten teachers and parents who don’t mind using digital media in their classes and reading times. I believe this book can spark necessary conversations about conservation and I look forward to finding more works by Vinayak Payeng.

©2018 E.T.