The Night Gardener

The Fan Brothers’ debut picturebook is a winner! Night Gardener (not to be confused with Jonathan Auxier’s book with the same title) was a class favorite this year due to the mysterious story and the whimsical illustrations. Our 2nd graders love surprises under the cover, and this book did not disappoint! The first page turn reveals a black and white world, and the adults seem downtrodden and preoccupied. The children, even the smallest, seem to be searching for something to believe in. One morning, a tree in front of The Grimloch Orphanage is transformed into a topiary owl. As the moon rises, William, a small boy who lives at the orphanage, is full of excitement about what surprises the next day will reveal. As the story continues, more trees become the canvas to the night gardener, a quiet artist, who creates his masterpieces when the city sleeps. The color intensifies in the detailed illustrations, evoking mood with each new topiary. The Fan Brothers’ use of ellipses provide perfect stopping points for making predictions. The feel of the neighborhood begins to change as neighbors congregate, revealing a multicultural tapestry on Grimloch Lane offering children and teachers a segue into discussions of cause and effect. William follows the night gardener into Grimloch Park and something wonderful happens. When the night gardener leaves Grimloch Lane, what will become of the city? What will become of William? This magical, hopeful story is sure to become a classic!

Mentor Text Ideas: Ellipses, Cause and Effect, Mood

Little Tree

Teaching gives us the great pleasure of reaching out to young learners who are vastly different from one another. Some of our students are bold and confident, while others are more cautious and avoid risks at most costs. Little Tree, by Loren Long, will connect to your risk averse students by introducing them to a forest full of trees and animals whose diverse personalities mirror the students in our own classrooms.. Some trees immediately grow and change without fear or prodding. However, Little Tree enjoys life just as it is. He loves his little forest and the way his leaves cool him in the heat of summer. He wants things to stay the same, so when the seasons change, Little tree holds tightly to his leaves when all of the other trees begin to lose their foliage. He is afraid. Through thoughtful use of dialogue (in all of the ways we teachers want to help students use dialogue), the forest animals encourage Little Tree to drop his leaves so he can grow.  Careful placement of ellipses across pages invite page turns, which is sure to inspire young writers to try on this feature in their own writing. As seasons come and go, Little Tree resists dropping his leaves. As he does, he is unable to grow in the “just right” ways trees grow. Will Little Tree drop his leaves and take a risk in order to reach his full potential? Little Tree is a great SEL (Social Emotional Learning) book building and maintaining a safe learning community for learners.

Mentor Text Ideas- Ellipses; SEL; Dialogue