Book Illustration

With her bright, striking and detail-rich painting style, Gayle Garner Roski was commissioned to create illustrations for numerous books, including five children’s books for East West Discovery Press, the Los Angeles-based independent publisher and distributor of multicultural and bilingual books. Her paintings were also prominently featured in LUSCious, a cookbook of treasured family keepsake recipes published by the USC Alumni Association, and The Crooked Man, His Doctor and His Angel, created for Operation Walk.

Mei Ling in China City

Based on a true story of events during World War II in Los Angeles China City, a 12-year-old Chinese American girl named Mei Ling Lee loses her best friend Yayeko Akiyama when she and her family were interned in the Manzanar War Relocation Center. By writing letters to each other, both young girls recount their painful separation and their lives in China City and Manzanar.

Mystery of the Giant Mask of Sanxingdui

The mysterious and ancient city of Sanxingdui is famous for its astonishing bronze-casting technology. Villagers come from faraway lands to admire the bronze masks and trade for the highly prized bronze wares. However, Sanxingdui faces danger when its people hear rumors of a foreign invasion. The chief’s daughter, Min, and her newly initiated warrior brother, Wei, lead the villagers to flee their homeland. Where do they go? And what do they do with their sacred bronze masks and statues?

Thomas the T-Rex

Nine-year-old Thomas and his cousin Rita embark on a journey to Montana for a fossil hunting and study expedition with the Junior Scientist Club of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Thomas discovers a 66-million-year-old dinosaur nicknamed Thomas – one of the ten most complete T. rex skeletons in the world. Through the eyes of Thomas and Rita, young readers learn about the T. rex and how dinosaurs lived, as well as the basics of excavation and the preparation of fossils for their public debut at the museum.

Endeavor’s Long Journey

Space shuttle Endeavour brings its fascinating history to life through a journey to space with a young biy, JoJo. Exploring space with the shuttle, JoJo learns about Endeavour’s extraordinary contribution to space science, and its famous service missions including to the Hubble Space Telescope. This book features stunning NASA photos, fun facts, famous firsts, and quizzes to inspire kids in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Earthwaves

Akela is excited to embark on his first sailing canoe voyage with his wise Grandfather so they can trade with faraway neighboring islands. But their long journey across the open Pacific Ocean is risky, facing storms and sharks and fearing hunger or getting lost. Grandfather teaches young Akela how to pilot a trackless sea by using ancient methods of navigation based on observing natural signs—the stars, the sun, the ocean swells, and the birds. Set in the 1500s, Earthwaves reveals the fascinating and little-known culture of the Pacific Islander seafarers, whose wayfinding techniques began thousands of years ago.

The Crooked Man

Based on a true story, this book follows the journey of Rogelio Estrada, whose legs had become so badly bowed that he could no longer work, and how Operation Walk provided him with the gift of mobility with its pro-bono surgery that included knee-replacing and leg-straightening procedures on both legs.

LUSCious

Roski illustrated LUSCious, is a cookbook published by the USC Alumni Association. This volume shares treasured family recipes as well as new favorites of the Trojan Family, reflecting a love of good cooking and fond memories.