SIBLINGS TERRY and Eric Fan – known collectively as the Fan Brothers – share more than a last name. The two OCAD University graduates combined their artistic and written talents in their debut picture book, The Night Gardener (Simon & Schuster), a whimsical tale of transformation featuring intricate illustrations and a lush natural palette.
The Night Gardener originated as a drawing the brothers collaborated on seven years earlier, featuring an old gardener shaping an owl topiary. They had always envisioned turning the single illustration into a narrative, so when their agent came looking for kids’ book concepts, the brothers returned to the idea of a gardener who stealthily transforms trees into animal shapes.