Thursday, March 24, 2011

Bookanista Feature: Shaun Tan's LOST AND FOUND

My friend Heather kept telling me about this artist and writer, Shaun Tan. And then Tan won an Oscar for his short film based on "Lost Things."

And still, I would look at his books and think, "meh." It didn't seem to be my sort of thing. It wasn't pretty. It seemed like a quiet book. I was fairly certain neither kissing nor explosions were involved.

But recently I was in Salisbury at the Literary Bookpost, and thought...I'll try it.

Within the first few pages...I was hooked. My doubt was SO unfounded.

LOST & FOUND was beautiful. Well...it was, but it wasn't. I was right in that the artwork isn't pretty. But there's a difference between "pretty" and "beautiful." Something can be ugly, but beautiful at the same time.

LOST & FOUND consists of three stories--"The Red Tree," "The Lost Thing," and "The Rabbits."

The stories are each different in tone. "The Red Tree" is about overcoming depression; "The Lost Thing" is about losing the nature of innocence; "The Rabbits" is about colonialism. But, of course, it's not as simple as that. None of it is. Because "The Red Tree" might be about depression, but it's also about finding yourself, about being yourself, about accepting what's wrong and what isn't. Also: it's about a red tree.

None of these stories are simple. While I think you could make some comparisons to "The Red Tree" with Doctor Seuss's OH, THE PLACES YOU WILL GO! this story is much more complex. Tan's stories are not meant for children, despite the picture-book format. Or, rather--they are meant for children. In the same way that the Grimm Fairy Tales were meant for children. These stories aren't silly little nothings, they aren't  fluffy bunnies and pokey puppies. But they are true, and they are beautiful.


This is an illustration from "The Red Tree"--the dark fish is the disappointment, sorrow, and sadness hanging over the red-haired girl on the street. It doesn't swallow her, but it does block out the sun. And that's one of the most important things in this book--that the text and pictures are indelibly intertwined.

But if you look closely--and I mean closely--you'll see a red leaf. And the red leaves add up to a red tree.


So: check this book out! And check out Shaun Tan's other works, too--I know I will be!

Check out the other Bookanista Reviews!


16 comments:

Monica Zepeda said...

Tan's "The Arrival" has such beautifully mind-blowing storytelling; if Magritte and Escher created a graphic novel about the immigrant experience, it might be something like "The Arrival."

Aurora Smith said...

those are some serious pictures. really neat!

Diane said...

Really different art work with those. Great selection. :O)

Unknown said...

I loved the art work! It's what caused me to move from my google reader over to your blog to comment. This is such a cool book and with my birthday around the corner I now know what to ask for!

Vanessa said...

"I was fairly certain neither kissing nor explosions were involved."

LOL! That so perfectly sums up why I have't tried this book yet. You've piqued my interest.

Unknown said...

Looks super cool. Great review!

Anita Saxena said...

Love the artwork!

Jessi said...

I'm totally intrigued by this one. And I love the artwork too!

Hardygirl said...

Wow!

Sold.

Totally.

sf

Unknown said...

Love those illustrations. So interesting.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I absolutely LOVE Shaun Tan!!! :-)

Matthew MacNish said...

This is a PB? It looks incredible!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

What an innovative sort of book. This is definitely the kind of thing I like to stumble across. Sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation, Beth.

Anonymous said...

They're the best, aren't they?

Missed Periods said...

This book sounds amazing.

"Something can be ugly, but beautiful at the same time" is such the perfect way to put it.

Sherrie Petersen said...

I took the kids to the animation festival in Santa Barbara a few weeks ago and The Lost Thing was one of the films featured. It was very cool, but I didn't realize it was a book, too. I'll have to look for it. Thanks!