The Sprite and the Gardener

“With an array of mysterious, wondrous powers,” sprites were once “the sole keepers of the flora that they relied on,” Abrego and Whitt explain in the prologue to this graphic novel. Now that humans manage their own gardens, though, there’s little for sprites to do. With a froth of hair and ruffled clothing, pink-skinned, flowerlike Wisteria is new to the local group, which represents an assortment of body types and fanciful skin tones. When the others mention a neglected garden, Wisteria checks it out, longing to make its plants bloom. As she learns that gardening must happen “one step at a time,” glittering spangles signal her powers awakening. Then, in an awkward moment, Wisteria is found by the young, tan-skinned human gardener struggling with the space. Ought she cooperate with the human or the other sprites, or keep all the fun for herself? In their first outing, a conflict-free, flower-forward hybrid of heroic origins and finding one’s roots, Abrego and Whitt’s sophisticated panel artwork employs an offbeat palette of tangerines, pinks, and purples and a riot of flower motifs that keeps striking images coming. Ages 13–up. [em](May) [/em]