The Spirited Review - The Paradise Garden

The Paradise Garden by Colin Thompson

Colin Thompson once again stretches the boundaries of children's literature in one of the most insightful and sophisticated picture books of recent years. The Paradise Garden tells the story of a boy who is beleaguered by the constant abrasive noises in his own home and on the city streets, and so escapes away to spend the summer in the nearby city park. He is clearly a neglected child; abused by the anger and non-consideration of his family, he longs for a peaceful time that has never been his, with solace in his waking hours and sleep unchased by nightmares. In the park, he bathes in lotus-filled ponds, buys and forages for food, and collects seeds and trinkets. At first he had feared that he would get bored; instead he finds that he is quietly happy within the magic of the summer gardens. When winter comes the boy finally goes home, but he manages to bring his paradise with him.

One could write a dissertation just on the ideas that are quietly presented in this story, ideas about what makes for happiness, about emotional abuse and the healing gifts of nature, about noise pollution and the psychological impacts of city living, and about money, ownership and the need for common land. That any writer can interweave all of these themes into the limited text of a picture book, and do so with such success that readers can read comfortably on a variety of levels, speaks to a real skill and a thoughtfulness in the work. The Paradise Garden does not hit you over the head with its themes.... unless you are ready to be hit over the head, and are carefully listening. What it does instead is set down a number of little sniggles into your subconscious that become clearer on each read. Thompson's dense illustrative style tells stories that extend beyond the words, offering a vivid lens into the child's experience and emotions. His boy has the face of a child who has grown too quickly, too harshly, and too alone, but the explosion of color that surrounds him is a gate into paradise and hope.

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