The Fan Brothers both received formal art training at the Ontario College of Art and Design. When he wakes up the next morning, the man has disappeared, but he has left his tools and a note “from the Night Gardener.” The central message of the book is that we share our talents and skills to help others tap into their own ability to experience wonder.
The two work together under the light of the moon. He follows and the man invites him to help. The mystery surrounding the sculptures continues until the night William spots an unfamiliar older gentleman carrying a ladder and shears into Grimloch Park. Over time, the people of Grimloch Lane are transformed by the sculptures that appear “as if by magic.” All kinds of people come together to marvel and celebrate. One day there is a perched cat, the next a friendly rabbit, then a pretty parakeet and a playful elephant, and finally, “the most magnificent masterpiece yet!” Someone-they do not know who-is pruning their trees into an eclectic menagerie. On subsequent mornings, they gather in anticipation of a new garden creation. This discovery brings a sense of hope to the otherwise bleak community. The next morning, William and his neighbors wake to find an enormous topiary owl in front of the Grimloch Orphanage. Unbeknownst to him, he catches the eye of a talented passerby. The book opens with a forlorn orphan named William sitting slumped on a log, sketching an owl in the dirt.
The Fan Brothers’ debut picture book, The Night Gardener, follows a similar theme. Ogden, a public school teacher, wrote “Brighten the Corner Where You Are,” a song to encourage people to use their unique skills and talents for the benefit of others. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016, 48 pp. It is a pleasing collaboration with art bound to both haunt and delight.Written and Illustrated by Terry & Eric Fan Though not quite life-changing itself, the Fan brothers’ quiet story is nevertheless invested with an element of agreeable magic which is underscored by their use of muted colors to evoke the mysteries of the night. The next morning, the gardener is gone, but he has left William a life-changing gift. Could it be? Yes, it is the Night Gardener, and he asks William to help him. Who is responsible for these marvels? That night, as William is about to head home, he spots a stranger and follows him. Each morning thereafter, a new topiary work appears: first, a cat, then a rabbit, then a parakeet, and finally the most magnificent masterpiece yet appears: a majestic griffin. Life on Grimloch Lane is, well, pretty grim until the morning William awakens in his home at the Grimloch Orphanage to discover that something marvelous has happened overnight: through topiary art, the tree on the street has been transformed into a giant owl! And that’s just the beginning.
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