I begin with a confession - I picked up this book from the Kindle Unlimited catalogue purely on the reputation of the Fan Brothers as gifted illustrators and the praise I had read for their illustrations. I wasn't sure my tinies were ready for it. However, we truly loved reading The Night Gardener. The story is uncomplicated and it might even feel like it has a very classic ending with no takeaway. We read it just for its mythical, magical mood, simply as an appreciation for this artistic branch of horticulture. As an appreciation for the joy that well crafted public places can infuse in us and the society.

The story starts with a slight sadness because we paused to understand the term orphan and orphanage. It wasn't strictly necessary, but I felt it was necessary to highlight why was William so taken with the topiary. In paucity of resources, the smallest of things spark joy. So I was hoping this would be a gentle, non preachy way for them to understand privilege. A boy named William, who lives at the Grimloch Orphanage, wakes up to find a tree outside his window transformed, as if by the wave of a wand, into a mesmerising topiary - a wise owl looking kindly at the William's Window. In the following days, more topiaries appear. The mysterious garden seems to appear out of the thin air as the dark night descends and vanishes just as quickly, almost drifting away like the fog just around the sunrise. But one day, Williams stumbles upon the illusive garden as he is on his way to weave his magic. And everything changes, for William, and for the town.

The Tinies also learnt about topiaries and horticulture and gardening. But mostly we looked at the gorgeous artwork. As the story progressed, the grey sketches gave way to vibrant, eye catching images that seemed to come alive as a new joy seemed spread through the town. I think we would read it again purely for the images. ❤️