Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Tan may be best known in these parts for his masterful graphic novel, The Arrival (2007), and the eerie and unforgettable illustrated short-story collection, Tales from Outer Suburbia (2009), but before he was obliterating preconceived notions in those formats, he produced several astonishing picture books. Originally published in Australia, three are collected here. In The Red Tree, a young girl braves dark, often monstrous trials before finding a seed of hope. The Rabbits is a take on John Marsden's classic tale of invaders assimilating an indigenous culture. The book's standout, The Lost Thing, which Tan adapted into an Oscar-winning animated short, is the story of a boy who finds a most curious and inexplicable companion. Technically picture books, these pieces will appeal to a broad age range, with sophisticated page compositions and image tones that realize the narratives in subtle and powerful ways. They are also possessed of deep wisdom and a strong sense of melancholy, if not, in The Rabbits,downright tragedy. While they are most assuredly not for young children, these stories representing the visionary work of a master storyteller, illustrator, and designer who cares deeply about his message deserve a place in almost every collection.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
There isn't really a bad time to win an Academy Award, but Shaun Tan's timing is impeccable. His animated short film, The Lost Thing, picked up an Oscar just as the book upon which it was based returns to print in this collection. The three stories within-The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits-were previously published (separately) in Australia and made available in the U.S. by Simply Read Books (PW gave starred reviews to all three stories). This compilation also incorporates new background and notes on each from Tan (and, for The Rabbits, from John Marsden, the author of that story). With glowing critical receptions for The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia, Tan's career had already been ascendant before his Oscar night success, and this offering should only further raise his profile. All ages. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
This book's title theme of something of value lost and then recovered is linked to three previously published stories. Uniquely sophisticated art extends the relationships between the stories. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
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 finally finding some hope at the end. In "The Lost Thing," a young boy discovers a most peculiar object and dutifully tries to find a proper home for it, at first proclaiming there isn't a moral to the bizarre story, but then realizing that "maybe there aren't many lost things around anymore. Or maybe I've just stopped noticing them. Too busy doing other stuff, I guess." Finally, "The Rabbits" (with a text by John Marsden) is a colonization fable, as rabbits invade and populate a new land, overwhelming the native animal population and severely altering the landscape. It ends with the plaintive plea, "Who will save us from the rabbits?" Since something in each story is both lost and found, the title perfectly captures the thematic connection. And Tan's superb artwork -- quirky, surreal, paradoxically inviting and alienating -- is tailored to each story without any loss of his signature style. jonathan hunt (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
