3.5 stars rounded up.

Sprite and the Gardener was a real cute graphic novella. At around 90 pages it was a quick read, but it was perfectly pieced together and captivating. The pacing was fantastic, and I really liked the way that it wrapped up in a kind of cyclical way. I would love to read more about the sprites in this town, because the premise was so sweet.

The characters were fleshed out really well in the short pages, and the art style was fantastic. It's packed full of emotion and fun. A lovely read and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Sprite and the Gardener in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, this graphic novel is pure serotonin. Sprite and the Gardener is a short, sweet, beautifully illustrated story of the power and friendship one little sprite finds in working outside of social norms to follow her passions and the lessons of friendship and unity she learns along the way. Absolutely delightful.

Sprite and the Gardener is an enchanting graphic novel; the illustrations are beautiful, with each character rounded splendidly. The story follows sprites, beings that used to take care of the garden, and their slow reconnection with humans - a gentle, sweet story about working together.

Being my first graphic novel (I know!), it took some getting used to, and was in many ways out of my comfort zone. It's a very different and immersive experience being able to see the characters that I was reading about, and I say that in a good way! Overall, it's a solid, simple story that is very accessible for most ages to read.

That being said, there were several things that I didn't love about the book. The main thing was a lack of depth or character development - things moved along in a very simple, quick and fantastical way, with little realism. It's clear that in its framework, 'Sprite and the Gardener' is intended to be focused more on the art than the plot, so this is more a criticism in my enjoyment rather than the validity of the book itself. This is likely due to the effort needed for each illustration and the short length of the book, which of course, I appreciate.

The cyclical ending to 'Sprite and the Gardener' is a lovely ending to a gentle and enchanting story. I can certainly appreciate it, and would likely give 4 or 5 stars for fundamentally what it is. That being said, in terms of my enjoyment compared to what I typically read, I can't give it anything other than 3. I'd recommend it to anyone with a green thumb like myself, or who enjoys appreciating beautiful visuals and illustrations :)

A lovely story! I don't have much of a green thumb myself, and it would be helpful to have so many sprites come and figure out what needs to be done!
The art is very well done, making me think of a mix of Magical Girl Manga and delicate fairy-tale illustrations. The story is simple, but has a lovely message of accepting help and working together to complete large tasks. It would be a great gateway for discussions on the importance of social activism through pretty flowers and faeries.

This graphic novel is fairly light on plot but has beautiful art work. It's a gentle story about friendship, magic and caring for nature. It's an uplifting and enjoyable read.

This was just the cutest graphic novel ever with the most enchanting illustrations.
In this one, faeries are endearing characters and Wisteria was so sweet. I love her relationship with Elena and how they decided to work together in order to do something they both cherish.
A beautiful tale of mutual aid and friendship.

This is a super cute graphic novel that will be perfect for those looking for a sweet, uplifting read full of gorgeous artwork. Sprites were once responsible for maintaining healthy and happy plant life, but as humans have taken up gardening and agriculture they've fallen by the wayside. Wisteria is a sprite who wonders if they could still help plants, and when she comes across a very run-down garden she decides to help the young human woman trying to restore it to glory. What follows is a short, but sweet, story of budding friendship and healing nature. It's a lovely little read, and the artwork is very intricate - you could spend a long time looking at this. Its upbeat cheerfulness would definitely suit fans of the Tea Dragon books, and the love and care with which it depicts plants and the healing power of gardening would suit fans of Fumio Obata's The Garden

Sprite and the Gardener is a very sweet, younger grade graphic novel about a sprite, named Wisteria, who tries to fit in, but is unhappy with the status quo. Throughout the course of the story, Wisteria discovers her gardening powers and helps out a young human gardener. Soon, the other sprites discover what Wisteria has been helping out with and pitch in. This is a story about friendship and the value of helping others.

The artwork in this graphic novel is vibrant and uses a colour palette not often seen in this medium, which is refreshing; however, the narration font is a little difficult to read.

Overall, Sprite and the Gardener is a very enjoyable younger grade graphic novel about friendship and helping others.

This is a cute, simple story. The artwork is adorable and very colorful. The sprites each have such a unique design and fun different personalities. I'd describe the tone of this book as playful. This story is about struggling with the norm and critiquing both the present and the past in order to decide what the future looks like. I give this book a 4.5.

I absolutely loved this book. Such a great, endearing story. I’m normally not a fan of fantasy, but for the sprites to help a young girl surprise her mother was adorable.

*An advanced reader ebook copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


As a lover of graphic novels and of gardening I thought this was absolutely magnificent!! I was drawn in by the lovely art style which was just so gorgeous. It was a whimsical and light read. Would be a perfect Spring Time! Definitely will be ordering some copies for the bookstore I work at and displaying them! Highly Recommend this!!

A stunning, glittering, enchanting visual feast, focused on magic, gardening, and friendship. A simple and flowery tale for tweens.

This graphic novel instantly drew me in with that stunning cover! Once I saw that, I knew that I needed it in my life and I am so glad that I requested it because I loved this.

Every single page was full of beautiful, colorful art that kept me focused and attentive until the very last page. The characters were all so unique and that worked out so perfectly for this specific story.

We follow two characters as they come together and realize that working together might work out better than going at the problem alone.

This is a beautiful story of friendship, family and the bond that can form when you work together to accomplish a task.

I can’t recommend this one enough!

5/5 ⭐️

My review will be up on my blog on its release day!

This graphic novel was so cute. The color palette was so warm and inviting, not too busy, and stayed true to the tone of the story.
These sprites are cute and they just want to help, and I loved it.

I was drawn to “The Sprite and the Gardener” due to the title and the gorgeous illustrations with a limited pastel color palette. After reading the story, I am thrilled to say that, the cover does not mislead. The story was a sweet, short, story about gardening, friendship, and working together.
In the story Sprites, before humans, handled the tending of all plant life. But, once humans came about and began tending to their gardens, Sprites were no longer needed. When the story really begins we see that the Sprites now spend there days hanging about together, not doing too much. Newcomer to the area, Wisteria, though, upon familiarizing herself with the area finds herself in a really sad looking garden and decides to help make it flourish. This leads to the Sprites making new friends and finding new purpose.
The story, as I said is very sweet, and so are the illustrations. The pastel color palette matches the story perfectly and the plant life illustrated looks believably lush and magical. In addition, the way the story goes, the reader really sees a visual transformation of the main garden but also of the whole neighborhood. It’s all very moving.
I think this book would be wonderful to highlight for earth day. But, with its focus on friendship and working together, I could see it being worth highlighting all throughout the year. I think graphic novels readers would enjoy this, especially if they are looking for something short and sweet. I always say graphic novels are great for reluctant readers, which stands for this story.

If you're looking for a heartwarming story about finding friendship and doing what makes you happy, this is a wonderful, whimsical graphic novel that will fit the bill. Though we don't get a ton of insight into the other sprites as much as we do into Wisteria, they still come across as individuals. Wisteria's need to do something and to have a purpose was very sweet and her creating bonds with others as the story went on was a great plot point. The story itself is very sweet and the art style matches that. Overall it was a great pick me up read that will leave a smile on your face.

This is an adorable story with cute characters. I wish I had a garden and call out for the fairies! I especially like the colour palette and the illustrations. Great work.

Okay, I love the art of this book it is absolutely stunning! And the story is adorable - the little sprites are fantastic and I really hope my garden has some (my peonies could use some love). The sprites used to be the caretakers of gardens until humans showed up - they are okay, but haven't done work in a long time until Wisteria comes along and discovers her long last talent of gardening. It's a great little story of working together and friendship! So cute!

Sprite and the Gardener is an absolutely beautiful and heartwarming tale. This story is about gently trying to find friends in surprising places, and helping people out just to see them happy. I thought the art was gorgeous and really tied together the magic of the story. It was a quick read, but still brought me to have several different emotions, including being pleased at the way it all came together in the end.

** I received a free copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

'Sprite and the Gardener' is a charming pastel infused story about a little sprite named Westeria who finds a garden that is struggling. The book is full of beautiful imagery. There were some pages I just stopped and looked at the art style because it invoked a lot of nostalgia for me. The art style is a mix of 'Steven Universe' with 1970 or 1980 anime. I kept having 'The Adventures of Unico' vibes from the book and I loved it.

If I had any criticism it's that the story is sweet and charming, but I feel there were moments that could have been stronger with just a panel or two that would give us a bit more background. Things like where Westreia is originally from, or why do humans not see sprites. It's little things and that's the main reason I gave this book four stars, not a full five.

Genuinely if you like pretty pastel art styles and you want something that would be great to read with kids, pick this book up! I'm going to be recommending it to a lot of friends who are looking for something cute to read.