The Night Gardener
Written and illustrated by The
Fan Brothers
Simon & Schuster Books for
Young Readers, 2016
“The Night Gardener” is a
gorgeously illustrated picture book that tells a magical tale of the
transformative power of art and the kindness of an old man.
The story begins as the orphan
William traces an owl into the dirt and a strange old man walks by carrying a ladder,
a bag of tools, and a rolled-up rug over his shoulder.
During the blue-tinged night, the
old man clips away at a tree in front of the dreary Grimloch Orphanage.
William wakes up and looks out
his window to see a commotion on the street. He quickly dresses, runs
downstairs, and races outside. As if by magic, the tree has been shaped into a
wise old owl like the one he drew in the dirt. William spends the entire day
staring at it in wonder.
As the days go by, every morning
brings a new animal shape in a tree: a cat, a rabbit, a parrot, an elephant,
and finally a dragon. William is very excited, and more and more people are
coming out to see the artistry.
The pictures begin in black and
white, but as the town’s excitement grows, more dabs of color appear in man’s blue
suspenders, a boy’s red tricycle, and a man’s yellow tuba.
Finally, many townspeople gather
and enjoy a day outdoors next to two trees that make a dragon.
As William begins to head home,
he spots the night gardener. He turns to William and invites him to help him transform
Grimloch Park.
They work together deep into the
night until William falls asleep under a tree. In the morning, William awakens
to the sound of happy families walking by and a gift of garden sheers from the night
gardener.
The whole town comes out to admire
the night gardener and William’s work. Every tree is a different animal: a
giraffe, a dinosaur, a rhinoceros, a whale, and a bear.
As the seasons change and time goes by, the trees lose their animal shapes. The night gardener never returns,
but the townspeople are forever changed. Now instead of a dreary black and
white, the town is full of color and life.
And William becomes an artist
with his sheers. On the last page, he is cutting a squirrel from a shrub.
“The Night Gardener” won the 2016
Dily Evans Founder’s Award, which is given by the Society of Illustrators, New York, to
the most promising new talent in children’s book illustration.
About the Author and Illustrator
Terry Fan received his formal art training at
Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, Canada. His work is a blend of
traditional and contemporary techniques, using ink or graphite mixed with
digital. He spends his days (and nights) creating magical paintings, portraits,
and prints. “The Night
Gardener” is his first book. Born in Illinois, he now
lives in Toronto. Visit him online at Krop, Society 6, and Facebook.
Eric Fan is an artist and writer who lives in Toronto, Canada. Born in
Hawaii and raised in Toronto, he attended the Ontario College of Art and
Design, where he studied illustration, sculpture, and film. He has a passion
for vintage bikes, clockwork contraptions, and impossible dreams. “The Night Gardener” is his first children’s book. See more of
his work at his Society 6 shop and on Facebook.
