Read this when
The Red Tree
Some days start with nothing to look forward to. Look closer: the red leaf is on every page. 🍁
Who it's for
Tan pairs a few flat, honest sentences with enormous surreal images in which the girl is tiny, lost and dwarfed by the world around her.
Feelings it meets
What it is
The Red Tree is a 2001 picture book by Australian author and illustrator Shaun Tan, published by Lothian Books. With sparse text and surreal illustrations, it follows a solitary red-haired girl through a day of alienation and low mood, shown in metaphorical scenes such as being in a tiny boat or trapped in a bottle. A small red leaf appears throughout the illustrations as a quiet sign of hope.
Where to find it
In print (Lothian/Hachette Australia; Simply Read Books in North America) and in libraries.
Before you start
Heads up: Hopelessness and isolation imagery.
Age: Ages 6+
Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone.Ella Wheeler Wilcox, “Solitude”
