The Red Tree
Shaun Tan
(illustrator),
Port Melbourne
:
Lothian
,
2001
Z926241
2001
single work
picture book
children's
(taught in 4 units)
'The Red Tree is a story without any particular narrative; a series of distinct imaginary worlds as self-contained images which invite readers to draw their own meaning in the absence of any written explanation. As a concept, the book is inspired by the impulse of children and adults alike to describe feelings using metaphor - monsters, storms, sunshine, rainbows and so on ... A nameless young girl appears in every picture, a stand-in for ourselves; she passes helplessly through many dark moments, yet ultimately finds something hopeful at the end of her journey.' (Source: Author's website)
A broad aim of this unit is to survey the range of picture books produced for children and, in doing so, to examine the range of possible ways in which words and pictures can be combined to create narrative and to generate meaning. More specifically, it promotes students' research abilities by encouraging them to explore the different ways in which pictures and words represent reality, construct narrative and communicate ideology. The unit will also focus in detail on aspects such as textual layout and composition; visual and verbal point of view strategies; strategies for depicting time, space, movement and stasis; style; and genre.
