Rina Singh — Illustrator

Biography

Rina grew up in a small town in India that didn't even have a public library. Imagine that! However, the library at the Catholic school she attended was well stocked and the books came from England. It didn't matter that she didn't relate to the mysteries and adventures set in castles or islands as long as she got to read.

When she grew up, she moved to Canada and spent a decade in Montreal, where she got an MFA in creative writing at Concordia University and then a teaching degree from McGill University. One of the assignments was to write a picture book. That started it all. She got a job in an arts-based school in Toronto, and for the next twenty-five years she taught hundreds of children poetry, visual arts and drama. In 2016, she left teaching, hoping to write full time. But truth be told, writing takes up 70% of the time and baking the rest.

She is the author of many books. She has presented at literary conferences and festivals across Canada and even in Singapore. She is a spoken word coach for the tdsbCREATES Arts Festival.

Her daughter is a professional photographer in Toronto and her son works in finance in San Francisco. Rina lives with her husband in a blue house in Toronto. It's surrounded by tall trees, and it feels like she is living in a forest. There are birds, squirrels, and even a rabbit and a pond with Japanese koi fish in it. Though she hasn't written books about any of these creatures (yet), she likes writing among the trees. 111 Trees was written there after a trip to India, where she met the protagonist of the book.

Awards

111 Trees

2022 - Yellow Cedar Award, Ontario Library Association, Nominee
2021 - Green Earth Book Award, The Nature Generation, Long-listed
2021 - Top 10 Sustainability Themed Children`s Books, Sustainability Roundtable of the American Library Association, Winner
2021 - Skipping Stones Honor List, Skipping Stones Magazine, Winner
2021 - Social Justice Literature Awards --- Nonfiction, International Literacy Association, Joint winner
2021 - Best Children's Books List, Bank Street College, Winner
2021 - Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, The Canadian Children`s Book Centre, Finalist
2020 - Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, Booklist, Winner
2020 - Picture Book Non-Fiction Category, Northern Lights Book Awards, Winner