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4.5 AVERAGE
4.5 AVERAGE
Another picture book written and illustrated by Shaun Tan but this one really pushes the boundaries of adults' perceptions of what a picture book is. This is not one I would read to a young child, simply because the subject matter – a young girl wandering through landscapes of existential despair – and the accompanying illustrations are beyond the reckoning of a young mind.
The book begins with the line, "sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to" and continues in this vein, building in poetry until you can hear the words singing in your head. In each picture there is a single red leaf to be found, a symbol of hope that carries the reader and young girl through isolation and confusion. The illustrations are once again testament to the incredible versatility of Tan, and range from the creepy depiction of the girl sitting in a bottle wearing a diving helmet to the joyous and glowing red tree of the last page.
This is a picture book which speaks to adults and disaffected teenagers first and foremost. It is truthful and haunting but ultimately hopeful.
The book begins with the line, "sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to" and continues in this vein, building in poetry until you can hear the words singing in your head. In each picture there is a single red leaf to be found, a symbol of hope that carries the reader and young girl through isolation and confusion. The illustrations are once again testament to the incredible versatility of Tan, and range from the creepy depiction of the girl sitting in a bottle wearing a diving helmet to the joyous and glowing red tree of the last page.
This is a picture book which speaks to adults and disaffected teenagers first and foremost. It is truthful and haunting but ultimately hopeful.
Jag relaterar så mycket till det här, till känslan genom boken. Alla Shaun Tans illustrationer är egna små konstverk. Men det kändes som att den behövde stanna lite längre vid det hoppfulla.
That is a pretty accurate representation of depression, there, except, you kn0w, for being inutterable lovely
A bit depressing with how much it emphasises the theme... but the illustrations are amazing and those two last ones! <3
Shaun Tan, The Red Tree (Simply Read Books, 2001)
Shaun Tan, in his twenties, became one of the faces of the revival of the graphic novel; The Arrival garnered any number of awards, got starred reviews from the review publications, made the New York Times Notable Books list... you get the idea. But back when Tan was still in his teens, he was already publishing in his native Australia, and America had no clue. To this day, we still don't; Simply Read Books, who picked him up back in 2001, are a Canadian imprint. (A compendium of three of Tan's early tales, including The Red Tree, is finally being released on American shores in April 2011 by Arthur A. Levine.) While none of these early books that I've reviewed (with the arguable exception of The Rabbits) comes close to the power of The Arrival or its follow-up, Tales from Outer Suburbia, they are valuable both as indications of where Tan would eventually end up and as the originators of some of Tan's visual obsessions that persist to this day. The illustrations in The Red Tree contain blueprints for some of the things that, fully matured, would show up in The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia, and the pleasure of reading this book with ten years of hindsight is seeing how Tan progressed from point A to point B. ****
Shaun Tan, in his twenties, became one of the faces of the revival of the graphic novel; The Arrival garnered any number of awards, got starred reviews from the review publications, made the New York Times Notable Books list... you get the idea. But back when Tan was still in his teens, he was already publishing in his native Australia, and America had no clue. To this day, we still don't; Simply Read Books, who picked him up back in 2001, are a Canadian imprint. (A compendium of three of Tan's early tales, including The Red Tree, is finally being released on American shores in April 2011 by Arthur A. Levine.) While none of these early books that I've reviewed (with the arguable exception of The Rabbits) comes close to the power of The Arrival or its follow-up, Tales from Outer Suburbia, they are valuable both as indications of where Tan would eventually end up and as the originators of some of Tan's visual obsessions that persist to this day. The illustrations in The Red Tree contain blueprints for some of the things that, fully matured, would show up in The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia, and the pleasure of reading this book with ten years of hindsight is seeing how Tan progressed from point A to point B. ****
2014- I finally found a copy of this. Thank you Powell's! It's every bit as exceptional as I remember, every bit as compelling. As I enter the darkest portion of my year, I'm comforted beyond measure to have this book in my hand.
2009- I have never read a better book about depression. Tan's illustrations are otherworldly and inform and illuminate the simple text with layers of meaning and despair and hope. This is a truly extraordinary book which I recommend whole-heartedly to anyone whose life has been touched by sadness. Brilliant, intense, and outrageously beautiful.
2009- I have never read a better book about depression. Tan's illustrations are otherworldly and inform and illuminate the simple text with layers of meaning and despair and hope. This is a truly extraordinary book which I recommend whole-heartedly to anyone whose life has been touched by sadness. Brilliant, intense, and outrageously beautiful.