Bookverdict.com

The author/illustrator of The Arrival (2007) and Tales from Outer Suburbia (2009) is back with a collection of three stories, originally published as picture books in his native Australia. While there is certainly enough visual magic to entrance younger readers, the stories' themes will reson...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Gr 4 Up—Three previously published stories collected into one volume, all illustrated by the amazing Tan. "The Red Tree" follows a solitary girl through a single, not very good day, exploring her feelings as they shift from disappointment and confusion to alienation and despair. The spare, lyrical text provides an anchor for Tan's large, moody, beautiful paintings. "The Lost Thing" is a more upbeat tale of a boy who discovers an unusual objec...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

This compilation of three previously published but hard-to-find picture books is a treat for fans of Shaun Tan who know only his last two books, The Arrival (rev. 11/07) and Tales from Outer Suburbia (rev. 3/09). In "The Red Tree," a young girl moves listlessly through her day with a sense of dreadful ennui that escalates with each page turn ("darkness overcomes you / nobody understands / the world is a deaf machine / without sense or reason") until ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In "The Red Tree," a girl moves through her day with a sense of escalating ennui. In "The Lost Thing," a boy discovers a most pe...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Each of the three tales has a distinct tone and look, but all display a moving combination of melancholy and hope. These stories function like parables, and are o...Log In or Sign Up to Read More