About the Book

Morning Circle Media announces the publication of Haiqal’s Garden, the company’s first children’s picture book in Indonesian and English. Haiqal’s Garden features an Indonesian father and his 4-year-old son growing a vegetable garden in their backyard in South Philadelphia. The father, Syarif Syaifulloh, is recognized in Indonesian and American communities around the world for his organic, urban gardening expertise. He has been interviewed by the Voice of America (VOA) radio and TV, IndoGo, Mata Diaspora, Duta Masyarakat, Radio IMSA, Kompas TV, Metro TV, Radar Depok, Republika TV, IDN Global Newsletter, and Indonesian Lantern.




Syarif in his South Philadelphia garden.

For a 12-month period, Morning Circle Media President Cynthia Kreilick, Syarif and his wife, Hani, took photographs of prepping, planting, tending and harvesting the South Philadelphia garden. The authors and publisher share a belief in the importance of teaching children how to grow their own food, how to eat well, and how to be good stewards of the earth by using natural, pesticide-free gardening techniques. They hope that Haiqal’s Garden will inspire urban gardening in cities around the world, as well as an interest in bilingual – specifically, Indonesian/English – literacy.

Morning Circle Media President Cynthia Kreilick first met Haiqal’s mother, Hani, when the two women worked together for a non-profit, micro-enterprise organization in Philadelphia, helping immigrants open child care programs. Haiqal attends Children’s Village, an early learning program at 8th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia.

In addition to a book launch scheduled for Earth Day, April 22nd, 2015, the authors and publisher plan to offer author visits at preschool and elementary schools in Philadelphia, as well as family gardening events at local arboretums and parks. For information on scheduling an event at your location, please contact Cynthia Kreilick at 215-572-9375 or at morningcirclemedia@gmail.com.

Morning Circle Media is a for-profit publishing company that promotes bilingual literacy and cultural understanding. MCM was founded in 2011, and has published seven bilingual (English/Spanish) children’s picture books to date. In 2015, the company will publish is first English/Indonesian and its first English/Arabic children’s picture books. For more information, visit their website at www.morningcirclemedia.com, or call Cynthia at 215-572-9375.