"In the distant distant past, sprites were the caretakers of life [...] ... until humans appeared."

The story starts with the sprite Wisteria joining a group of other sprites. She decides to go on an adventure in the nearby gardens, and stumbles upon one where a young girl is trying to freshen up her mother's garden to surprise and cheer her up.

The art style is adorable, the colours vibrant and the story very sweet! I would love to gift this to a friend's child.
The message of the story is that sometimes, asking for help is okay and working together can achieve great results. "I think, maybe, it's too much for either of us on our own. But together, I think we could do it!"

I enjoyed the fact that the authors have added a bit of the origin of the story and some sketches of the various characters! I love seeing how the characters design change!

📚 #NetGalley ARC review📚

Title: The Sprite And The Gardener
Author: Rii Abrego, Joe Whitt
Release date: 04/04/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the chance to read this poetry ARC ahead of its release later this year.

The Sprite and the Gardener is a charming tale of humanity's relationship with nature. It has a very distinctive art style (well, to me anyway, but I'm pretty new to graphic novels), the colour palette is very warming and cosy, and the sprites are beautiful - each one named after a flower and drawn in amazing detail.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the Disney fairies though - Tinkerbell and her friends - who are also responsible for 'making nature happen', as it were. It's they who make flowers bloom, seasons pass and so on. As a big Disney fan, it was hard to shake those familiar images out of my mind and just enjoy Sprite in its own right, but I suppose that's bound to happen when the main plot point has such similarities.

The story is very sweet and simple, with a positive and encouraging message - and it doesn't need to be more than that. Reading it was like cosying up with a syrup-infused latte, just really comfy and nice. I liked it.

3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

The Sprite and the Gardener is ridiculously cute and magical and shows the importance of caring for nature and it's natural beauty - with the help of some special friends of course!

This was such a sweet book! Beautifully drawn with a lovely colour palette, this is sure to dazzle readers of all ages. The lessons of asking for help and going against the norm are important themes in this book and they shine through beautifully.

**4 stars**

This is an adorable, quick to read but beautifully illustrated comic. It's just wonderful to read and is full of such joy! There isn't much to say, as it is pretty short, but it's definitely worth a read.

This is an adorable illustration about garden sprites and how they have started to work together to grow a garden. The illustrations were beautiful and the story was heartwarming. It is a quick read and I very much enjoyed it

This was a heartwarming quick read. The characters were all lovable and beautifully illustrated. This is about sprites and how one sprite went and helped a gardener to grow plants in their garden. I would recommend this story to children or even adults who just need a break from the stress of life.

I couldn't help but smile when I finished this wishing there was a second book or just more by this duo. It had some great life lessons about helping others and being honest. But, it was just a cozy read! I loved that it was a modern setting and could easily fit anywhere that had suburbs.

This is an adorable story about making friends, feeling different, the importance of reaching out and just all the happy feels.

I loved the graphics, it was an easy, engaging read which I am going to share with my daughter.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to read this in advance.

Adorable story about wanting to help others but being afraid to be yourself and sure you're interests when you're unsure.
An important lesson in life is that other "personalities" shouldn't make decisions for you. Your wants, desires, and enjoyment in life are just as important as anyone's else's and should be more so to yourself.

Short and sweet, approx. 80 pages. This is worth a read.

**Thank you to Onipress and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I recently read the graphic novel ’The Sprite and the Gardener’ and was thoroughly charmed by its whimsical and uplifting story. After the introduction to the story, the reader learns that things have changed over the years and that some sort of connection has been lost. Through motivation and inspiration, part of the connection is reestablished. The small sprites in the story reignite their passion to create green and flowery gardens, and their cute antics had me smiling throughout the book. The illustrations are beautiful and bring the story to life in a way that will appeal to readers of all ages. Personally, I would have loved to have read something like this when I was an early teen.
The Sprite and the Gardener is a delightful read for anyone who loves nature, gardening and fantasy.

3.5⭐️

This was really cute! I loved Wisteria’s passion for making gardens bloom even though it’s not really a Sprite’s place anymore. Her determination to bring beauty with lending help to a local gardener who was struggling to bring life back to her garden to surprise her mom was so sweet.

Thanks to Oni Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was so precious! I don't have a lot to say about it beyond that — I've adored the artist's work for years, so getting to see a full graphic novel from Abrego is an utter treat. The art captures the sweet feel of the story, and the writing is simple but kind. It was a very nice and lush little respite, and I had a lovely time reading it!

Aaah! This was so cute if we speak in the way of designing and ethereal in the way of illustrating! I can't believe I read such a magical work this morning.

It's about the power of friendship, about working together to change things for the better. Sometimes, things can be scary and hard at first, but if we try, we can create amazing things.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for putting up a copy o this to read and review.

This was such a gorgeous and colourful and vibrant graphic novel, with such a heartwarming and sweet story. I loved all the little flower fairys so much. The garden-themed llustrations were beautiful I could genuinly frame them on my wall.

If youre looking for a short and sweet graphic novel to read then this is definitely the one. Such a feel good little tale.

Don't have much more to say other than this was adorable and a cute read.

The illustrations in this one was so gorgeous! I loved the colors and the art itself. The storyline about sprites and gardeners are really heartwarming as well. I love seeing the sprites and the gardener maintain the garden and all. I wished this was longer.

I have been in a massive reading slump and this was what I needed. A quick and gorgeous little graphic novel. The friendship that was packed in this. The lesson that no matter how big or small you are the helping hand of a friend will always go a long way and will always be needed. So cute. I can’t wait for more from this author.

Aaaah!!!
This was short but oh so sweet, I kept smiling when reading!!
The art is stunning and so wholesome, I’d love to see more from this world and the sprites!!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Oni press for the book!
I request this book just from the book cover alone and I regret absolutely nothing. It tells the story of sprites and the growth of a new community that reconnects with humans and it's such a treasure!!
The art is gorgeous, every panel is so beautiful and I also loved the use of color which gives the book an additional feeling of warmth and coziness. I adored the story, as I felt like we can all relate to Wisteria, who struggles but manages it in the end. It's a very quick read, but I took a little extra time reading it because it's really well done and the details in the drawings are wonderful.
5/5 stars, no doubts!!

Graphic novels rarely make me feel at home, but The Sprite and the Gardener are so exquisite and comforting. Instead of turning this into a tale of big adventure, heroic odds, and tragedy — this lovely comic follows Wisteria, a new sprite in the neighborhood, as she discovers the virtue of togetherness and resilience.

I loved how Sprite and the Gardener immediately establishes its world. The artwork was undoubtedly lovely and whimsical; it had the air of a timeless fairytale and complemented the mood and tone of the narrative. The sprites also showed up in various guises, and I adore how varied their body types and skin tones are.

The plot has a lot of intriguing elements, although seeming a little underdeveloped since it mainly served to expand on the different pieces it had already introduced. Nevertheless, the author did a wonderful job of making sure the message would still be conveyed despite it being the kind of story where the conversation serves only as a framework and let the art do the telling. The expressiveness of the sprites and the gardener is simply remarkable.

Despite it looking more children-friendly, this book is surely suitable for people of all ages. The story is a little on the simple side, but it is never hard to follow the plot. Bonus point: if you love to garden, this book is just something you wouldn't want to miss. I know I'll get to this copy every time I'm feeling desolated.

Feeling: Wholesome/100

The Sprite and the Gardener is a beautifully illustrated tale about a sprite named Wisteria, who moved to a new town named Sylvan Trace, where the sprites and stumbled into a dry and delapidated garden at Meadowgreen. A young girl, Elena turns her hand to gardening and revive the garden. However she didn't know that Wisteria secretly used her magic to give all the new seeds and plants a helping hand. The graphic novel is written by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt, illustrated by Rii Abrego.

This cosy story is about friendship and how working together can make the world a better place. In the space of 80 pages of illustration, it has managed to make my little heart blossom into a big fuzzy mess!
The colour palette for this graphic novel is simply beautiful! The uses of oranges, yellows and pinks to show the Sprites and their world conveys a lively and friendly energy. I love the way Rii Abrego used blues to contrast and highlight the occasional ominous feelings. Whilst the illustrations of the sprites are cute and memorable.

For those who love cosy fantasy and feel-good graphic novels like Garlic and the Vampire - this should be your next read.