Description
★ “Captures a language’s ability to connect one to places, ancestry, and cultural heritage through the sharing of stories, family recipes, and so much more. An inspiring addition to any collection.” — Booklist, starred review
★ “This celebration of language successfully imparts the sense of it as a living, breathing expression of love and belonging.” — Shelf Awareness, starred review
Do you know my language? Have you heard the sounds it makes? Has it rocked you in its rhythms? Have you seen the roads it takes?
A parent invites a child to get to know their language. In a driving rhythm, they speak about the language blossoming in deserts and plains, building castles and forts and motoring over roadways. Not hemmed in by borders, this language holds ancient knowledge, medicines and nourishment within it, and has explored the farthest reaches of the universe. The parent realizes that teaching their heritage language to their child will connect them always and allow them to grow a garden of language together.
For the parents and caregivers who want to share their heritage language with the children in their lives, E.G. Alaraj has crafted this celebratory and inspiring poem in hopes it will get more conversations started and encourage kids to see the joy in discovering their roots. Exploring the links between language, culture and the natural world, this book is a heartfelt celebration of the vitality and importance of our languages and how they bind us together.
Praise for E.G. Alaraj:
★“A stunning marriage of text and art that will linger with listeners as they slip into sleep...This melodic lullaby is warm and tender perfection.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review for When Stars Arise
Author Bio
E.G. Alaraj grew up in the magical place that every child knows, where ideas look like pictures drawn from crayons, paint or ink 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, food packaging design to traditional folk art. Rachel lives in Vancouver.
Review Quotes
★ “Captures a language’s ability to connect one to places, ancestry, and cultural heritage through the sharing of stories, family recipes, and so much more. Wada’s stunning water-colours are awash with nature motifs…The palette is punctuated by pinks, blues, and greens that touch scenes with a whimsy and vibrance in keeping with the text’s joyful message of language as a living thing that ties generations together, past and future. An inspiring addition to any collection.”
— Booklist, starred review★ “Alaraj uses gentle but exact rhyme to convey a shared past, present, and future. Wada’s digital illustrations use jewel tones and watercolor textures to build specific landscapes and poetic phrasing. This celebration of language successfully imparts the sense of it as a living, breathing expression of love and belonging.”
— Shelf Awareness, starred review“A beautiful lyrical book showing the power language has in connection to heritage, family, to culture, and others...will draw listeners in and hopefully inspire them to lean into the language around them, and appreciate the many doors it can open.”
— Islamic School Librarian“Alaraj’s text makes for an effortless read-aloud as she speaks to the power of language. With kaleidoscopic colors and dramatic shifts in perspective, Wada’s majestic visuals depict the characters traversing cities, mountains, the seaside, and even space. A lyrical ballad of a book that celebrates the gift of language.”
— Kirkus Reviews“In a heartfelt tribute to the roots, rhythms, and reasons behind learning and speaking one’s heritage language, this uplifting text addresses the work of raising a child connected to their family’s culture.”
— Publishers Weekly“A warm, poetic read-aloud that celebrates home languages and deepens understandings about identity, culture, and belonging. The story centers emotional connection, making it especially powerful for multilingual speakers who may feel distance from their heritage language. This book works beautifully as a read-aloud or discussion starter for exploring heritage, multilingualism, and the powerful ways language connects families, communities, and generations.”
— School Library Journal (SLJ)“My Language Is a Garden could speak to any parent or educator teaching a heritage language, hopeful of children holding that connection with culture and ancestry, as they balance contemporary influences outside of that language. The rhyming verses soothe and transport, as well as entice inwards and open worlds beyond.”
— CanLit for Little Canadians“Written as a poem, Alaraj’s story moves through many landscapes—deserts, souks, night skies, roads and galaxies…Her aim is to motivate parents to use positivity and patience [when teaching a heritage language to their children].”
— BC BookWorldBiographical note
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.
