The Sprite and the Gardener by Joe Whitt, Rii Abrego
4.5 of 5 stars
Book Blurb:
Long, long ago, sprites were the caretakers of gardens. Every flower was grown by their hand. But when humans appeared and began growing their own gardens, the sprites’ magical talents soon became a thing of the past. When Wisteria, an ambitious, kind-hearted sprite, starts to ask questions about the way things used to be, she’ll begin to unearth her long-lost talent of gardening. But her newly honed skills might not be the welcome surprise she intends them to be.
The Sprite and the Gardener, the debut graphic novel by Joe Whitt and Rii Abrego, is bursting with whimsical art and vibrant characters. Join our neighborhood of sprites in this beautiful, gentle fantasy where both gardens and friendships begin to blossom.
At the beginning, we are introduced to the beautifully drawn and brightly colored sprites whose ancestors used to be the sole caretakers of plants, but all the sprites now are mostly inactive now that human have taken over gardening duties. We meet a sprite named Wisteria, who is new in town, and wants to help plants grow. The other sprites in town tell her that humans just do it all now, but Wisteria wants to work alongside human gardeners.
The illustrations are so so beautiful, with a touch of delicate whimsy. Truly such a beautiful book. I don’t usually read graphic novels, but if they’re anything like this, I’ll definitely be reading many more! Not just the illustrations, even the plot is really good and well structured. Read this to your children, or even to yourself!
Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
*A review copy was provided to Oh Just Books by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*