MR. KUROKI'S GARDEN

Love and hope can bloom anywhere.

Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki, two Japanese farmers, care for their cows and family on lush green hills. They dream of traveling the world, learning new languages and traditions. But time passes, and Mrs. Kuroki becomes ill, losing her eyesight. “Her world had become small. Her world had become night”—poignant words followed by a montage of Mrs. Kuroki growing smaller, grayer, and eventually invisible. Despite her husband’s efforts to keep her from disappearing, their aspirations of globetrotting have changed forever. But bright pink endpapers foreshadow his thoughtful solution to this heartbreaking problem. Mr. Kuroki plants rose-colored shibazakura, or moss phlox, which thrives and spreads across the hills, and he creates paths and benches so Mrs. Kuroki can visit the garden. When people from all over the world come to see this incredible garden, bringing with them their languages, cultures, and traditions, Mrs. Kuroki at last smiles and comes back to life. Renaud employs spare prose for a simple and elegant account of actual events, told with permission from the real-life Mr. Kuroki. Hale’s evocative illustrations use pencil lines and watercolor washes of primarily greens, yellows, and pinks to take readers on the Kurokis’ emotional journey, alternating between quieter spreads of whites and pinks and vibrant displays of vivid garden blooms and a cultural collage of world traditions.

A timeless tale of connection, love, and hope.