From: Robin L. Gibson <gibsonro>
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 14:44:02 -0500 (EST)

I was very pleased to see _The Gardener_ receive a Caldecott Honor. It was one of my favorite books of 1997. David Small is very expressive in his use of line to convey emotion and personality. Lydia Grace is a charming character, likable and perky -- almost all the time. Occassionally she is overwhelmed by the changes in her life -- as in the double-paged spread of her arrival in the train station (Grand Central?) Small's dark palette for these pages conveys this anxiety. The details in the pictures really add to the text . . . things are happening in the pictures that aren't mentioned in the text. The letters mention that she has found a wonderful secret place, but it isn't stated where it is . . . the pictures show us the roof of the building. I especially liked the the endpapers, which serve as prologue/epilogue to the story. Small makes use of every bit of space. The next-to-the last scene of the goodbye is very touching, even though it share space with the credits/CIP info -- somehow they don't distract. The story and illustrations really work together for me . . . I loved it!

Robin

************************************ Robin L. Gibson Children's Librarian Muskingum Co. Library System Zanesville, OH 43701 gibsonro at oplin.lib.oh.us
Received on Mon 26 Jan 1998 01:44:02 PM CST