The Little Gardener [Hardcover]

Celebrate the tender story The Little Gardener with a beautiful new cover in the updated 2018 edition!

There was once a little gardener and his garden meant everything to him. He worked hard, very hard, but he was just too little (or at least he felt he was).

In this gentle, beautiful tale, Emily Hughes, the celebrated author of Wild, departs from the larger than life Wild-girl of her debut to pursue a littler than life Gardener, in a story that teaches us just how important it is to persist and try, no matter what the odds.

With delicately woven tapestries of illustrated magic, Hughes once again transports us to a world not unlike our own, while still brimming with fantasy and wonder. Inspired by a single glorious flower, a Tom Thumb-like gardener toils himself into exhaustion in his attempts to tame enormous weeds and clear the litter from his property. When he finally sleeps in his cozy straw cottage, a regular-size girl is motivated by the same bloom, then takes over the task. When the title character wakes, he and his helper relish the resulting bursts of flora, especially the plant they first admired. Hughes uses minimal text and a dark palette to great effect. The lush wilderness, likely inspired by her Hawaiian background, luckily remains even in the completed garden. VERDICT A gentle fairy tale, the story encourages tenacity and speaks to the value of teamwork and environmental stewardship. —School Library Journal

Emily Hughes' spare prose allows her gorgeous artwork to tell the story of the gardener and the single flower that brings him inspiration and hope. Layered with meaning, this is a book worth lingering over and cherishing.
—NPR, Best Books 2015

Through economical text and luscious illustrations, Hughes captures the daunting challenge (and sometimes despair) of environmental stewardship. However, she ends her story on a hopeful note as the Little Gardener's seemingly futile efforts inspire otlS