The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Gershator, Phillis

Sky Sweeper

40 pp. | Farrar/Kroupa | April, 2007 | Trade ISBN 978-0-374-37007-7 $16.00

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Holly Meade. Takeboki is the monks' "Flower Keeper." Relatives urge him to find a better job, but he's content. The story celebrates the rewards of meaningful work and the artistry of Japanese gardens. Meade's mixed-media illustrations depict Takeboki's dedication. The pages are a bit busy to evoke the garden's spare formality, but they do suggest how rich a seemingly unadorned life can be.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007