The Red Tree (Shaun Tan)

The Red Tree

First edition cover
Author	Shaun Tan
Illustrator	Shaun Tan
Country	Australia
Language	English
Genre	Picture book
Publisher	Lothian Books
Publication date	2001
Media type	Picture book
Pages	24
ISBN	9780734401724
OCLC	155754630
Dewey Decimal	A823.3
Website	http://www.shauntan.net/books/red-tree.html

The Red Tree (2001), written and illustrated by Shaun Tan, is a picture book that presents a fragmented journey through a dark world. The illustrations are surreal. The text is sparse and matches the dark illustrations.

The story is based on images inspired by the experience of depression. The main character is a lonely red-headed girl. A red leaf from a red tree follows the girl through her day; it states how she feels and depicts her worries. Almost unnoticed in each picture is a small red leaf (symbolising hope). At the end, the little girl stands smiling at a beautiful red-leafed tree growing in her bedroom.

This book is one of many picture books by Tan, who also addresses issues such as immigration and cultural differences.

Awards

• Winner of NSW Premier's Literary Award Patricia Wrightson Prize 2002
• Shortlisted for APA Design Awards: Scholastic Best Designed Children's Book 2002
• Shortlisted for Western Australian Premier's Book Awards: Children's Books 2009

References

• "The Red Tree", Publishers Weekly, Jan 27, 2003, p. 259.
• "The Red Tree", Kirkus Reviews, Jan 15, 2003, p. 148.
• "The Red Tree", Booklist, May 1, 2003, p. 1589.
• The Red Tree at WorldCat