Sky Sweeper (review)

"It was the Flower Keeper's job to sweep up the springtime plum and cherry blossoms in the temple garden," and young Takeboki not only executes his charge but exceeds it, going on to sweep and clear the garden through the four seasons year after year. While he's occasionally distracted by thoughts of love or travel, he focuses on his core principle: "The monks need a temple, the temple needs a garden, and the garden needs a Flower Keeper." When he dies, his earthly contributions are finally recognized, and he brings his talent to sweeping the skies into beautiful displays. Though some of the implications of the story are a little questionable (could he really not have kept the garden so beautifully if he'd gone home to a family?), this is a prettily told tale that draws strength from its fable-like structure. Meade's mixed-media art plays against expectation, offering blocky collage and sharp linework (especially in delineation of facial features) that keep the proceedings concrete or lean toward a modernist abstraction. There's a touch of pourquoi tale to the story that suggests some possible partners for the book, but it would also serve as an introduction to a garden exploration or just a sweetly philosophical readaloud. An author's note explains her inspirations for the story.