The Red Tree Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Red Tree
Book Review: A thought-provoking, entertaining picture book
Summary: 5 Stars
Written and illustrated by award-winning artist and author Shaun Tan, The Red Tree is the story of a young girl who feels that sometimes days begin with nothing good to look forward to, and downwardly progresses from worse to even worse. She wanders an imaginary and surreal dreamscape of cold and misery, yet there is a curious red leaf which leads her to remember a bright possibility of purity and good things, both here and to come. Richly and imaginatively illustrated, The Red Tree is a thought-provoking, entertaining picture book for children that carries an ultimate message of hope.Book Review: A thrilling, captivating novel that will inspire all.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Red Tree, by Shaun Tan was first published in 2001, by Lothian Books in Melbourne. The book was an Honor Book in the year 2002 CBCA picture Book of the Year Awards. The Red Tree is a fiction book by an author who has also written The Lost Thing. The book explores the themes of depression, contemporary urban life and hope.
The book's main character is a young girl exploring life's challenges of acceptance and depression. The young girl faces the issue of being depressed and takes the reader on a journey to finding a light and something that gives her happiness. One each page the reader will find a certain thing that holds the happiness and hope that she is looking for. The character is searching for this hope which is a theme in the book. That hope is always there, although you need to search for it. The theme of contemporary urban life is also explored in the book. The characters are placed in a modern society of city buildings and settings.
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan, l believe is truly a memorable, inspiring picture book. It is so captivating and thrilling mainly because of the images. The pictures are not realistic although they are very detailed and imaginative with strange extraordinary objects. Each page takes you a while to look at and understand the themes and emotions presented in the images.
The author believes that hope is present in everyday of our lives even in difficult situations. This is present in the book as the leaf represents hope. Hope that the character is searching for.
In the book, there are many issues and possibilities that it raises. One in particular is that in no matter what situation, whether it is difficult or simple, hope will always be there. Hope in the book, is presented as a red leaf that readers will find on each page. Another possibility of the issue of being lonely, is that you will eventually live life happily. That you will get over your problem.
Even though the book shows the readers hope, it doesn't show us how or why the girl became depressed. It doesn't show how the character overcame her problem and what the red tree represented, example, it could of been a friend.
Personally the book affected me deeply as l learnt that depression occurs at any stage of your life, that you always have someone or something to help you. One experience of mine that relates to the novel is when l had too many tasks and assignments to complete, and l thought l was going to explode. What kept me going what the fact that l had my mum with me and that she would support and comfort me.
"Darkness overcomes you", although when this occurs, remember that there is always hope. Even in times of sadness, loneliness, there is always someone there. The Red Tree is truly an amazing, inspiring and influential book that will capture you attention. l recommend the book to all ages although l believe that adults and teenagers will have a deeper understanding of the book in terms of the themes than children. l recommend the book a 4 out of 5.
Book Review: Absolutely amazing story and pictures
Summary: 5 Stars
The Red Tree is what every one of us forgets at times. I am sure this story happens to all, and this book explains wonderfully and simply that there will be hard times and we must keep on. I believe it is important for children to understand that.
The illustration is gorgeous. The story reminds me of "Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey..." by Wordsworth:
These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye;
But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration: -feelings too
Of unremembered pleasure; such, perhaps,
As have no slight or trivial influence
On that best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered, acts
Of kindness and of love.
Book Review: Alive with imagination
Summary: 4 Stars
`The Red Tree', an astounding book by Author/illustrator Shaun Tan takes the reader into the dark and dismal life of a young girl struggling in a complicated world. Shaun Tan adds another fine piece of work to his Award winning range of picture books including' The Viewer',' The Lost thing' and `The Rabbits'
`The Red Tree' leads the reader into a world full of imagination and mystery portrayed through exceptional illustration.
The young girl seems disheartened and alone as she seeks to find hope in a complex world that doesn't seem to care. We are shown this through the text "And nobody understands" The girl is sitting in a glass bottle wearing an old fashioned helmet bowing her head low.
Toward the end of the book the reader is shown that the girl finds happiness and meaning in her life through the text "And suddenly there it was bright and vivid just as she imagined to be" the girl opens her door only to find a full grown and vibrant Red tree growing within her room.
This book incorporates many themes such as depression, the search for identity and finding hope. The illustrations expose these themes using colours, shape and texture to provoke emotion and enable the reader to understand the meaning.
Overall, I believe that this book `The Red Tree' is wonderfully written using simplistic language that contains hidden meanings. The illustrations enhance the text and aid the reader in discovering the true significance of the book, and captivate the reader.
I don't recommend this Book to young children because `The Red Tree' holds a deeper and larger meaning which may not be understood by younger children.
I urge all children above the age of 12 to read this exceptional piece of work.
Book Review: Amazing Illustrations.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Red Leaf is an exceptional picture book by Shaun Tan about hope. The illustrations are wonderful and although the concept of depression may hopefully be foreign to a child aged ten, the story, is accompanied by amazing pictures, provide young children with the opportunity to gain a greater meaning from the story from looking at the pictures. I definitely think it provides children with the opportunity
for high level thinking.
I feel in love with this book. As too did my 5th graders.
Although a dark subject (depression) the pictures provide children with such stimulus that it's worth having in your child's home library.
And in the end, everything works out. I love this book.