The Night Gardener

Besides of the magnificent drawings, what's so beautiful in the text is that it doesn't solve the boy's orphanage. It rather gives teaches him an art. And this art is about animation and transiency. Superb.
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I purchased this book for my granddaughter's 4th birthday. She is very visual and I know that she will love the simple story and the wonderful animals that were created in the trees and shrubs of the community. The muted colors and lovely story create a quiet, calming sense with the turn of each page.

Lovely story about a town that seems to be transformed from dreary and dull to one that's full of life after its encounter with "The Night Gardener". The little boy is lonely, and while it doesn't say it in the story, it is implied from the illustrations that he lives in the orphanage. I love how the pages get brighter and brighter after the town experiences each surprise topiary. Excellent illustrations!

My five year old granddaughter and I enjoy this book for its touching story, as well as its captivating illustrations. Very helpful for instilling the values of hard work and the passing down of skills and tradition. A lovely and loveable book.

My five year old granddaughter and I enjoy this book for its touching story, as well as its captivating illustrations. Very helpful for instilling the values of hard work and the passing down of skills and tradition. A lovely and loveable book.

There is no doubt in my mind that this book has the makings to be a classic.

Summary: One day in the perfectly ordinary town of Grimloch, the residents awoke to find someone had trimmed a tree into the shape of an owl! Everyone was shocked, intrigued, and curious as to who could have done such a thing. This continues day after day, tree after tree- each being transformed into something beautiful. One night, young William spots a stranger sneaking away into the cover of darkness- could it be the Night Gardener?

As I was reading this book, it reminded me of the magical qualities found in some of Tim Burton's movies (specifically Big Fish- whimsical, full of color, etc). I love that it is about an ordinary town-turned extraordinary overnight thanks to this mysterious guest. The lesson is lovely- anyone has the power to make someone's day a little brighter. In this case, the whole town was transformed!

Perfect read for bedtime. I can't believe this is a debut book! I suspect we will be seeing a lot more from the Fan brothers.

William doesn't know what to think when the tree outside his window is transformed into an owl topiary overnight. Soon after more wonderful topiaries begin appearing in the neighborhood.

Eager to find out the secrets behind these wondrous creations, William sneaks out after dark to discover the night gardener at work. Soon, William begins working with the night gardener to create more beautiful trees and help change his town forever in The Night Gardener (2016) by The Fan Brothers (Eric and Terry Fan).

The Night Gardener makes full use of its large size with big full-page spreads of artwork throughout the book. Soft, washed out colors in the beginning of the book contrast sharply with the vivid greens used for each new topiary. The Fan Brothers even differentiate between day and night with a subtle blue hue overlaying each evening illustration.

The weight of color used throughout The Night Gardener also highlights the effect of each topiary on the town as more and more heavy color is used in each spread until, at the end of the story, the illustrations are full-color.

This is a charming picture book in the tradition of Grandpa Green by Lane Smith and The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. The arc of the story is reminiscent of Daniel Pinkwater's classic The Big Orange Splot, another book that slowly brings color and individuality to a decidedly beige town.

The Night Gardener is a gorgeous debut. The Fans combine luxuriant, detailed illustrations with a whimsical story to create a picture book that is sure to be a hit with readers of all ages. A likely suspect for many best picture books lists later in the year.

I ordered this book after seeing it being sold for more in a retail store. I found out it's nearly half the cost on the store so I ordered it on here. Upon receiving the book, I realized I ordered two. Apparently, something is coming up that requires I have a gift as lovely as this at the ready. The illustrations are truly beautiful and the main reason I purchased this book, I will enjoy reading it to my son.

A touching, imaginative story beautifully executed. Evocative, detailed illustrations will delight children and adults who love animals!

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Wow! This is one of my favorite picture books I have seen in a long time. I wish I were still teaching Kindergarten so I could read it to my class. It has a magical quality to it.

On Grimloch Lane a tree topiary shows up one morning: the leaves have been clipped to resemble an owl. A young boy William hears some commotion on the street and runs out to see neighbors in awe of the owl tree.

The following morning ANOTHER tree has been sculpted and clipped to resemble a cat. Who is the mysterious night gardener?

And what will he, or she, clip next? You look forward to turning each page to see the topiary creations and wish your street had a night gardener. One night the young boy William is invited to help the night gardener. The gardener teaches William his craft. Pretty soon William can make his own topiary creation. What will William design?

Children will enjoy the artistry of the night gardener and the illustrations in this book. It would make an enchanting read-aloud for a class or library children's group. The authors-illustrators are two brothers who studied art.

A charming endeavor, and one which begs to be read and looked at. Bravo for this book. It would make a great gift!

As a fun art project, a class could draw trees with the green leaves shaped to look like something - as if they clipped their own topiary.

The pictures were beautiful, but the plot is sort of creepy. The child protagonist thinks nothing of following a strange older man into a park after dark and spending the whole night with him. The adults in the boy's life don't miss him, and the reader is not supposed to question this either. Strange, and a bit unsettling.

Summary: Even before the title page, we see that Grimloch Lane looks a lot like it sounds, brown and dreary, populated with sad-looking people. But wait, is that a man pruning a tree? What is he doing? Then the story begins. William, looking through his window at the Grimloch Orphanage, hears a commotion. Running out the door, he discovers a giant owl has been cut into a tree. As the days go by, trees are transformed into an elephant, a rabbit, a parrot, and then, the masterpiece, a two-tree dragon. With each new creation, more townspeople come together and find reasons to celebrate. At the end of the day of the dragon, William sees an unfamiliar figure in the streets, carrying a ladder and some pruning shears. The man sees him, and the two of them work through the night to create a forest of animals. Eventually, the leaves change colors and fall off the trees, and the animals are gone, but the town and William are never the same. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: This simple story has a beautiful message, and the illustrations are worthy of Caldecott consideration.

Cons: This book has the same title as a very creepy book from a couple of years ago. Make sure you don’t mix them up if you plan to read this aloud to a bunch of five year-olds.

A timeless classic with stunning illustrations! THE NIGHT GARDENER is one of those books you read, and instantly fall in love with it. From the heart warming story, to the stunning illustrations, this book is sure to be an instant classic. The illustrations alone are worth picking up this book.

This story is proof that one simple act of kindness/doing good, can forever change people. As the Night Gardener sets out each night, under cover of the night itself, he crafts something marvelous in the trees. First it's an owl, then the next night a cat. This continues night after night. His stunning topiaries bring magic, wonder, and a small town together, as they enjoy the beauty given to them by the mysterious Night Gardener.

This book is easily one of my favorite children's books I've read and reviewed this year. I will be shocked if this debut doesn't win a children's book award. I look forward to reading many more of the Fan Brother's books.

William wakes up one morning to discover that the tree outside his window has been changed into an owl topiary. Day by day, more topiary appear along Grimloch Lane. There is a cat, a rabbit, a parakeet, and an elephant. Then one day, there is a dragon, that inspires the community to hang lanterns in its branches and along the road. It is that night that William notices a stranger with a ladder walking along. He follows the man to the local park where the man turns and invites William to help him. It is the night gardener and William helps him until he falls asleep. The next morning William awakens to see the park transformed by his work. As seasons change, the topiary disappear but the community spirit doesn’t.

This is one beautiful book. The text is simple, allowing the detailed illustrations to shine. Still, the text has gorgeous moments such as William watching the first topiary until it was too dark to see it anymore. This book is slow and steady, magical but also homely. It is filled with community spirit that readers can watch build steadily as the night gardener gives his gifts.

The community spirit is shown as homes with boarded-up windows turn into a dynamic community right before their eyes. The illustrations are beautiful, filled with touches that show the where the gardener gets his inspiration. The illustrations tell much of the story, showing that William lives in an orphanage and vividly demonstrating the inspiration a community can get from art.

A gorgeous and vibrant read, this book can be paired nicely with Lane Smith’s Grandpa Green for a topiary triumph. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

This is a completely magical book, one that is instantly captivating and pulls you in to its twilight world. The illustrations are gorgeous, and there's a classic feel, like you found some long-ago treasure you hadn't known existed. Beautiful.

Also, on a more practical note, my artist neighbor was trimming his hedge and I showed him this book, and now he's going to make it in the shape of a cat.

What a lovely book. It's a sweet and simple story with beautiful and intricate drawings to lose oneself in. I checked it out of the library and will be buying my own copy for my cherished library of children's books. I'll be keeping an eye out for future books published by these talented brothers. I can't wait to share this and read it to children. It's a new favorite and reminds me of the first delight of discovery of David Wiesner stories.

This is one creative, unique, detailed, luminous, astonishingly gorgeous, incredible picture book. If anyone disputes that this is a golden era for children's picture books just hand 'em over this one. The Night Gardener manages to raise the already high bar of picture books to a whole new level. I can't wait to see what might be created by authors and illustrators trying to top this one. Magnificent!

Beautifully written and illustrated book! Just gorgeous! I don't think toddlers or preschoolers would get the story, unless maybe one on one with details pointed out and explained. But older kids and adults will very much enjoy this story! If you are a gardener, you're going to love it! Might even make a great gift for a gardener!

Not what I expected. I thought there'd be magic and dragons, but there's only the night gardener. I guess his relationship with the boy could be construed as magical, but I was hoping for the supernatural.

Given to us as a gift, we dove right in. My daughter loves this book, as do I. She has incorporated the word "dash" into her vocabulary from the story and the beautiful illustrations provide plenty for the adult to marvel over. It is a story of mystery and kindness.

My husband bought this book for my son and I to read. I feel in love with the story, both the written story and what was told by the pictures! Beautiful writing and gorgeous illustrations. So heart warming!

This is an amazing book that moved me to tears the first time I read it and every time since. The illustrations are very well done. You know, you think the world is in terrible disarray and then somebody writes a book such as this and you know there are still wonderful, loving,creative people in the world.

Some impressive artwork but an overly simplistic story. While this was a cute books for kids, the actual ability to change trees into some of these fantastic animals really seemed logistically improbable (he'd have to spend an insane amount of time and the shape and density of the leaves would probably require a certain type of tree.) I probably read into this too much.

While the illustrations are beautiful and the premise is sweet, the story lacks depth. I wanted to know the characters more and you are just left with beautiful illustrations and not much of a story.

I truly LOVE everything about THE NIGHT GARDENER. It was a must-buy for me because I've never seen anything quite like it. My boys are 8 and 10 so they're into chapter books and some novels now, but this book. . .this book is something that will still speak to them. It will keep them swimming in the wonderful world of picture books, a place I hope they'll never want to leave completely. This book is gorgeous and unforgettable.

I was captivated by the beautiful illustrations in this book. Thumbs up for The Fan Brothers. This is their first children's book and hopefully not the last, looking forward to more. My girl said 'wow, awesome'.

If I saw these illustrations in a gallery I would give them the thumbs up but the storyline for a children's book is really dull. Additionally, everything is dark (story takes place entirely at night) so it feels a little creepy. An old guy goes around making topiaries out of trees and one night a boy helps him. The end. No further plot development. This is not a jolly santa showing up at night leaving brightly colored presents. This is the half-hidden view of a gnarled old man coming round at night with very large, very sharp gardening shears. I am just saying....

It does have pretty illustrations (it is written by some artists), but unfortunately that is not how topiary works and those trees do not appear to be the right kind of plants to make into topiary (the artists are probably not actual gardeners). I was therefore unable to enjoy it very much. And it could lead to people's plants being ruined by artistic children with access to cutting tools. If none of this really matters to you, or if you collect owls, then you might like this book just fine.