Picture Book Wednesday: The Night Gardener

Sara's Review:

Each night, young William awakes to find a magical new tree sculpture on Grimloch Lane. He is mesmerized and his fascination is contagious; soon, the entire town shows up to gaze in wonder at these amazing creations of the night gardener. Eventually, William meets the night gardener who asks for his help. Finally, there is a passing of the torch - er, clippers - and William takes over. The illustrations are extremely well done. I love the way color is used to depict the mood and tone of the neighborhood. At the beginning of the story, the colors are extremely muted, except for the tree sculptures, but as the town transforms the colors become more vibrant with each page turn climaxing with the double spread of the neighborhood at dusk in vibrant colors, the complete opposite from where we began. My favorite page:

If you have a limited budget, The Night Gardener is worth your money. 5 stars! Do we ever give any of these Wednesday picture books less than five stars?

Amy's Review:

The Night Gardener is a beautiful book full of illustrations that make it unique. The illustrations were not my favorite part of the story. I loved that the night gardener had such a huge impact on a small town and the people who lived there. By sharing his artistic talent he provided something beautiful for the people of Grimloch Lane to remember. He also helps William to unlock his own artistic talents. I think we can all learn a lesson from the night gardener. We too can have a positive impact on the people we interact with everyday. How have you positively impacted someone today? I give The Night Gardener 5 out of 5 stars.