100 Rooms

4.0

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Author(s)

Haya Shenhav

Publisher Name

Kalaniot Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

May 01, 2024

ISBN13

978-1962011990

ISBN10 or ASIN

Is there such a thing as too much? Absurdity abounds when a man tries to live in his house of, not 10, not 50, but 100 rooms! How can he sleep when his curtains are in his curtain room, but his bed is in his bed room? How can he eat when his forks are in his fork room but his table is in his table room? Ultimately both our hero, and the reader, realize just how much is enough. As we continue to navigate our society's consumer culture, the themes in this book are an important reminder, to both kids and adults, that “more” is not always “better.”

Editor review

1 review

Less is More

May 08, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

When a man is having a house built, he is unhappy with the small size and has the builders keep adding rooms until there are 100 of them! Since he lives alone, and doesn't live in a kingly fashion, this is a lot of space. Of course, nature abhors a vacuum, so he soon fills it up with his possessions. It makes sense to put all of the books in one room, but he takes this sense of organization a bit too far, putting all of the curtains in one room, forks in another, beds in another. He puts nothing in the last room, but soon realizes the error of his ways when he wants to have dinner. He has to retrieve a plate, silverware, and food from different tables, and finally manages to get something to eat. He runs into similar problems going to sleep, getting dressed, and doing other mundane tasks. Perhaps he needs to rethink his process? The next day, he sets up the last room for himself, then sells the other 99 rooms to people who need a place to live. Now, he has just enough possessions to live, but also has a community of neighbors with whom to interact.

Good Points

The artwork is done in an interesting combination of colors, heavy on the oranges, greens, and yellows, and also has an unusual, angular feel, with shapes outlined with thick, crayon-type lines. The perspective is a bit forced, with the rooms and possessions all being shown piled on top of each other. The book starts with a decent amount of white space, which soon fills in with the man's multitude of possessions.

This is a fun book that showcases a serious message about overconsumption, and is even better for having an additional message about the benefits of community.

A note at the end of the book explains that this is based on the quote "The more possessions, the more worry", and has the feel of a classic tale along the lines of It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale by Margot Zemach. Pair this with Whipple and Wong's Enough Is, Palatini and Jones' Stuff, or the Berenstains' classic The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies to persuade young children that less is more!