The Night Gardener

We opened this large, luxurious book and stopped for quite some time just on the title page and end page which has a drawing of the neighborhood in sepia tones. I asked my daughter what time period she thought the book took place and we looked for clues. The ultimate verdict was the 1940's. We also talked about what mood was being conveyed by the illustrator and why. It was sad, the street was not quite well kept (weeds growing in the sidewalk and trash on the streets), and people seemed disconnected from each other. The first few pages continue that somber feeling and we meet William who is sad. He is living in an orphanage and it turns out my 7-year-old had never heard of an orphanage. One of my favorite illustrations in this book (and believe me it is hard to choose) shows William looking out of his window staring at the owl topiary that the Night Gardner sculpted in front of the orphanage. In the corner of the windowsill is a small picture of a man and woman. An amazingly poignant picture. My daughter and I speculated about what might have happened to William's parents. It made the somber mood at the beginning of the story so understandable. As the book progresses each day the neighborhood awakens to a new topiary. The pictures lighten; less sepia is used and more color is evident. The people start interacting more and look happier and more connected. William follows the Night Gardener one night and helps him make a whole zoo of animal topiaries in the park. The Night Gardener leaves before morning while William sleeps and in his place is a gift of headgeclippers for William. Seriously I wanted to cry. The seasons change and the trees loose their leaves but the feelings the Night Gardener created remain. It reminds me of that quote from Maya Angelou — "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." It is again summer at the end of the book but this picture is so different from what the illustrator showed us at the beginning of the book. We spent some time comparing and contrasting these pictures and and what techniques the artist used to create the mood at the beginning and end of the book. Finally, we see William using his clippers on a small hedge. This is a great, great book that is beautiful, rich, poignant, deep, interesting, and ultimately happy. Joy coming again after great sadness. We loved this book. I have seriously blown our budget for books recently so we have been checking more books out of the library. My daughter asked if we could buy this book. Done!

The Night Gardner By the Fan Brothers Rating 5 This book caught my eye at a local bookstore and as i perused the book, I was so in awe and amazed at what i found on each page that I had to have it. This is such a delightful, touching and simply told story that even a young child’s interest will be held for more than five seconds. The story actually begins on the flap of the jacket and continues on through the credits, acknowledgment and title pages with art. There is art and every single page and it is absolutely incredible. There is such variety...color, tinted, shaded, black&white, browns&rehire and greys&white and shade of blue...soooo much contrast that I found myself in a quandary. Do I just keep looking at the page to take in every single intricate detail there is or do I turn the next page? Then, I took the book jacket off and what do a find? An absolutely beautiful cover! This book looks great “naked” !!! The next decision was do I keep the book for myself or do I give it to my young grandson??? Easy, peasy...I bought two.

Eric and Terry Fan's "The Night Gardener" is a visual and literary treat for young readers - and for their parents and grandparents. William awakes to find the first of many topiary sculptures on Grimloch Lane. As the nights go on and to the delight of the residents of Grimloch Lane, someone creates more sculptures. Determined to discover the sculpture's identity, William stays awake and catches "The Night Gardener" who invites William to join him. The exquisite illustrations throughout "The Night Gardener" are works of art. Soft colors and detailed drawings emphasize the nighttime activities of "The Night Gardener" and William. Illustrations have depth and dimension, characteristics not often found in many current books targeted at children. Only on the final pages are more saturated colors used to depict the joy viewers feel as they view the topiaries. "The Night Gardener" is sure to become a classic and is definitely a 5-star book.

My twin 3 year old boys are enthralled with this book, both visually and story-wise. So am I! First, the story is sweet and poignant. A little boy and town are forever changed by an anonymous "night gardener" who transforms their small town each night by creating beautiful topiaries of various animals. Each morning, the boy and towns people are in awe of the creations. One day, the boy spots the night gardener and he invites the boy to create several topiaries in the local park. Eventually the night gardener leaves the town, but the people and the boy are forever changed by his impact on them. The boy ends up taking up the hobby himself. It is a very sweet story emphasizing the importance of enjoying nature, using a hobby to express oneself and change others and the environment around you. My boys finish sentences in the book before I do. They arch their necks from their beds trying to see the beautiful artwork throughout each page. I ask them to name the animals depicted and they love to participate. I highly recommend this book for toddlers and adults alike!!

This is a wonderful story that is beautifully illustrated. My grandkids enjoy it so much that I now give it as a gift to new parents.

It's a beautiful book but a small boy discovers and follows the night gardener, a stranger to him into a park at night to make topiaries. It is a lovely story but no child should think it's okay to buddy up with a complete stranger, take off at night, be out all night without a word to anyone. Beautifully done book but I don't want children to think it's okay and magical to go off with strangers. update: After thinking about it more, i have to add there are many children's books where kids wander off and have adventures. I guess the thing to do is just reiterate this is just a story and kids should never do this in real life.

This is a gorgeous children's picture book, with lyrical prose and meticulous, beautifully drawn and detailed illustrations that add depth of meaning to the story in surprising ways. My granddaughter loves this book and so do I. I will be looking for more children's books by these authors/illustrators.

This is a wonderful story, and the illustrations are beautiful. All of my grandchildren love this book.