My Language Is a Garden

In this picture book, with a story told in rhyming verse, a parent tells their child about their heritage language and all that it represents, from ancient knowledge and medicines to exploration of the cosmos, and how by sharing this language, their hearts will be connected always.

E.G. Alaraj grew up in the magical place that every child knows, where ideas look like pictures drawn with crayons and sound like stories from long ago and far away. The youngest of six girls in a homeschool family, she spent her childhood with her nose in storybooks, art books, music books, notebooks and trouble--especially trouble. In fact, she thinks trouble and imagination are best friends. E.G. lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Rachel Wada's work is defined by heavy texture, bold color and intricate details that capture the nuances of people, places and ideas, real and surreal. Rachel's identity as Japanese-Cantonese, an immigrant and a woman informs her artistic practice. She loves to put her own spin on traditional techniques, motifs and symbolism inspired by her cultural background. This duality of old and new is also apparent in her use of both traditional and digital mediums, and she draws inspiration from a variety of sources, from Japanese woodblock prints, Chinese pottery and ceramics to food-packaging design and traditional folk art. Rachel lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.