The Red Tree by Shaun Tan is a picture book– but don’t under estimate the world within! Tan is able to capture the attention of any reader by the ornate detailed illustrations. The phenomenal pictures in the book engulf you in a sea of emotions and the use of selective words fully illuminate the story. A nice vacation for a student’s eyes.
The story itself is about a young girl who wakes up in the morning “with nothing to look forward to.” Tan continues the story by dragging the readers into a progressively darker world. However there are illustrations throughout the book that foreshadow hope. As the foreshadow suggests, there is a certain “light at the end of the tunnel.”
The Red Tree is a lovely book that provides insight into how we all feel during finals week. Feeling overwhelmed? Check out The Red Tree on the fifth floor of Hubbard.