The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego & Joe Whitt | Book Review

January 06, 2023

Hello! This is the first book review I made on 2023. Today I read a cute graphic novel titled The Sprite and the Gardener and I love it. I need to let everyone know about this graphic novel, so after reviewing this on Goodreads, Storygraph and twitter, I decided to make a short blog post here too.

Goodreads rating : 4.13

My rating : 5.00

Length : 89 pages

Book type : graphic novel

Keywords : graphic novel, garden, gardening, plants, flowers, diverse characters, sprite

finished in one sitting, quick read, lighthearted

The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego & Joe Whitt | Book Review

Long time ago as a kid I wasn’t good at gardening, the plant I transferred from a pot to garden always experienced near-death experience or the seed I planted remained as a seed, so I wish I had a plant fairy power to take care of them. It’s until I grew up and learned biology and about the science of growing plants. Now, even though I don’t have a garden of my own and I can’t plant anything here, I love seeing flowers, trees, or just a little plants I meet during my morning walk. Seeing them is relaxing and it uplifting my mood. Not only real plants, I love reading fiction books where nature description is everywhere or plant illustrations are filling the pages. I’m so happy to get a chance to read this beautiful graphic novel and share it here.

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.”

I got an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) from Netgalley and Oni Press of The Sprite and the Gardener, yet the reviews I’ve posted here are mine and purely based on my reading experience.

THE SHORT REVIEW

I love this graphic novel. A simple story about asking a help and working together. I love the art style, the color palette, and how short the story yet it deliver the authors' message beautifully. The sprites appeared in different appearances and I love how diverse their skin color and body size are. I cried as a reader when I saw the characters' happy face and the beauty of flowers blooming and plants growing. A strong graphic novel debut and I want to read more from them. I recommend this graphic novel for everyone who wants to read a lighthearted, quick, beautiful and happy story about plants, human and sprites.