Hi Mariko and Rachel! It’s wonderful to ‘meet’ you! I’m so happy you’re here today to chat about your lovely new release, The Book of Belonging, but first of all, what’s one fun thing about you that we won’t find in your bios?

Mariko: I got a loom for Christmas last year and I’ve started learning to weave, which has been surprisingly therapeutic. 

Rachel: Oh my word Marri how did I not know this!? I have weaving aspirations myself, but this ADHDer is working very, very hard to stick to one project at a time. On the topic, I’m learning how to sew. I have one complete napkin with mitred corners and feel brilliant.

Well I’m seriously impressed, since I don’t think I could ever learn to weave and neither could I hand-make any napkins! (Also, ‘brilliant’ is one of my all-time favorite words.) Okay, on to the book! What inspired the writing and illustrating of The Book of Belonging?

Mariko: It actually started with a question from my daughter Aidah, way back in 2020: “Mom, does God love boys more than girls?” She asked because she had noticed that her story Bible only had two stories about women and the rest were about men. I did what any normal person would do and immediately ordered the top eight story Bibles available at the time (It’s important to note that Glenys’ beautiful I Wonder did not exist yet!)  and found that on average, only seven percent of the stories had a female main character, nineteen percent of the stories had a female mentioned and 23% of the pages had a female depicted. This surprised me! Yes, the Bible skews male (it was written in patriarchal societies, and Jesus is a pretty central character!) but there are plenty of amazing stories about women that traditionally never make it into children’s collections. 

As you know, representation is massively important in children’s literature – as they say, “If they can see it, they can be it.” How could I be content with a story Bible in which my daughters literally couldn’t see themselves? Inclusion is necessarily intersectional – how can I say I want to see more female bodies in the illustrations and not be concerned with seeing more aging or pregnant or Disabled bodies? Once I started writing with a lens of belonging, it forced me to really stand behind that with my research and selection process. 

As I was searching for an illustrator, I happened to be reading Scott Erickson’s Honest Advent (a really lovely and powerful book for anyone looking for a contemplative Advent experience!) and on a whim, cold-emailed him to ask if he would be interested! He ever-so-graciously declined, but introduced me to his friend Rachel and the rest is history! 

Rachel: Marri snuck into my inbox at just the right time. I’d been on a long break from scripture and was just beginning to feel ready to open my Bible again. I’d spent the years leading up to that point writing and drawing about my spiritual deconstruction and subsequent wanderings. I called the path I was taking one of “Pictures as Pilgrimage.” Looking back, it seems I was in training for this project, which invited and demanded of me very similar personal examination and creative work.  After many years of practicing my “Nos” to projects that didn’t align with my values, I’m delighted to say that they all paved the way for the gigantic “YES!” I gave to The Book of Belonging and to what would become a rich friendship and partnership with Marri.  

How lovely! I think you were meant to find each other. The Book of Belonging contains 42 stories. If someone is picking it up for the first time, what story do you recommend they begin with?

Mariko: In the words of my childhood hero, Frauline Maria, I would say the beginning is a very good place to start! Chapter 1 (A Very Good Song) was the chapter we developed as our “proof of concept” when we first signed with our publisher and I think it does a lovely job summing up the theology and themes. Many kids’ resources make the mistake of telling the Creation story as sort of something to move through in order to get to Genesis 3, where the “real” theology starts. I disagree- I think there’s so much to be learned from and cherished about Genesis 1 and 2. About God’s posture towards us, about God’s dream for us, about God’s gifts to us. It sets up themes that are referenced throughout the entirety of Scripture and I tried to mimic that in the way I told stories in The Book of Belonging. 

And from Rachel’s end – it’s the most heavily illustrated chapter in the book and I think it really shows the astounding range of Rachel’s talent. From the color scheme (which she agonized over!) to the layout, to the delightful diversity of animals and scenery. She really crushed it! 

Rachel: I agree with Marri and Frauline Maria that the very beginning is a very good place to start. But if you’re like me and want to dive in willy-nilly, then I would recommend Chapter 32 (The Shape of Sadness). I think many of us struggle to acknowledge and express grief, and this story dives deeply into the topic. So many ways we might deal with our grief, like keeping busy, weeping, withdrawing or lashing out are in this story. And this story holds a favorite for both Marri and me: an image of Jesus weeping as he holds Mary. 

That image is SO evocative! I also ADORE the clever depiction of Jesus ‘school of students.’ For me, it’s a perfect example of the creative approach to storytelling and illustrating that is to be found throughout the book. Do you have a favorite illustration? 

Rachel: Thank you! Those fish are one of the quirkier illustrations in the book and I honestly wish I’d made a few more interpretive calls like I did with that one. 

As for my favorite, I have so many, for so many different reasons! There are pictures that I found technically challenging, ones that I just loved how they turned out, ones that felt magical and effortless, others that carried very personal meaning to me, or that remind me of what was going on in my life while I was drawing them. 

You might be surprised by the ones that aren’t my favorites. Most of them are because of how difficult they were for me to complete. I was going through postpartum depression and a lot of sleep loss during large segments of working on this book. The “Good News” spread on p.168 is the poster child for this category. I had dozens of versions I could never quite nail and it’s one that I just had to make a call on.

I’m extremely proud of my work on Esther’s story, but if I had to pick a little favorite, I’d say take a peek at the bottom corner of page 254. The Ignatian spiritual practice of sacred imagination was a tool I often used while working on the book and while working on many of the stories of the New Testament, I found myself encountering them through the eyes of Mary, mother of Jesus. As a new mother, I drew this picture of Mary and Jesus kneeling on the floor, Mary clutching her resurrected son to her chest, holding one another and weeping for joy. She cries and says “My baby!” 

It’s not my best drawing by a long shot, but I feel it sums up so much of my transformational journey into motherhood and healing with these Bible stories while working on this special book. 

Rachel, I love that Mary is saying, “My Baby!” What a beautiful, tender image of motherhood. In closing, what are you both hoping that readers will take away from the book?

Mariko: For kids, I hope it hammers home the very good news of their identity in Christ: that they belong, they are beloved and they are delightful. Identity informs action and I think if they can let those truths sink into their hearts, they will be more equipped and connected as they weather life’s storms. For parents and caregivers, I hope it gives them permission to explore these stories and their relationship with/perception of the Divine in a way that feels very expansive, curious and healing. 

Rachel: My babes (especially my grown up ones), you can belong to these stories, and they can belong to you, too. Even if you feel you’ve wandered far and long, your wandering, your wondering, your dissent, your grief … it all belongs.

What a beautiful note to end on. Thank you so much, Mariko and Rachel, for chatting with me. And now for the GIVEAWAY …

Would you like to win a copy of The Book of Belonging for a child in your life, a Sunday school teacher or to donate to a school or church library? As always, I have several easy ways to enter this three-book giveaway sponsored by Convergent Books. Enter on all platforms for maximum chances!

• Leave a comment here on my website, under this post, telling me what excites you about this book.
• Leave a comment under this post on my Facebook Author Page.
• Enter on Instagram.
• Bonus Entry: Share this post on any social media channel (let me know!)

That’s it! This giveaway closes on Monday Dec 9th. GOOD NEWS! This giveaway is open to USA, UK & CANADIAN residents!

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