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Review:

The Night Garden by Elise Hurst


cover image

ABC Books, 2007
(Age Junior primary) I was reminded of two classics, Tom Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat, and Where the Wild Things are, as I read this new tale, of a girl who after painting a magical garden on her window, wakes to go down into the garden, now magically brought to life. The garden is an adventure playground with trees all misshapen and curved, hedges the shape of kindly monsters and strange dancing animals to play with.

Along with her cat, Strange, her imagination has no bounds as she plays, skips, jumps and runs through the place, until tired she returns to her bed to sleep. The illustrations are appealingly old fashioned in their execution, and will have some appeal to the younger reader as they look into the pictures trying to find different shapes and characters. Aimed at the pre school and kindergarten, The Night Garden can be read aloud.
Fran Knight

Comment: Shortlisted CBCA 2008 - Early Childhood
Pat Pledger

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