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This picture book is for readers of all ages and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The art is gorgeous and truly interesting, the story of despair and hope is well done. I wish there had been picture books like this years ago; it doesn’t at all underestimate children. This could also make a wonderful gift book for older children, young adults, and adults going through a difficult emotional time, especially those suffering with depression or facing a challenge that seems overwhelming. It di More...

An absolutely stunning picture book which conveys, in visual language easily accessible to a five year old, what it's like to suffer from a bipolar affective disorder. Move over Sylvia Plath, Tan has done it better.

It's a children's book, but it's probably one of the deeper children's books you're likely to come across. The meaning is subtle and easy to miss, but significant. The only clue I can give is this: read it twice, and look for what was always there.

my dear friend carrie gave me this book, little knowing it would speak directly to my heart during a time when my ears didn't seem to be working. powerful stuff in the guise of a children's book.

In looking into ordering Shaun Tan's The Arrival, I checked my stock at work, and found a book of his already in my shelves: The Red Tree (in Norwegian, directly translated: Det røde treet). I opened it, and stunned read this short picture book cover to cover.
This work is absolutely gorgeous. The artwork is impeccable, drenched in dreams and truly inspiring imaginary images, ranging from the dark and dismal to the brightest reds and yellows.
This charming, honest book starts with the words (and t More...

This is an absolutely beautiful book, art and words and poetry and emotion all used to express what can't be expressed. It's a book for all ages, for everyone. It captures so powerfully our worst moments, moments of self-doubt and loneliness and unhappiness, when things seem too big and too overwhelming, when we feel helpless, misunderstood and unheard. The artwork is beautiful, unique and inspiring.

This is a book of few words, and one you find yourself "reading" again and again. The illustratio More...

Clare bought this to read to her children (she's a teacher), but they're 5/6 years old and she said the subject matter is probably too grim for them. It's about dealing with depression, if that's not too strong a term for the isolation and hurt a child can feel, and features the darkness seen in Tan's graphic novel 'The Arrival' (about immigration to a strnage land). Somehow he captures exactly what it feels like to be alone and sad, but with the glimmer of hope that can happen too..
and in - wha More...

This is the best book I read lately. It is about the feeling of despair! Very easy, yet very complicted! I loved the page that goes, "Sometimes you wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait but nothing ever happens" and the eight pictures zoom out the picture of the main character writing on the the floor counting days. You find out on the fifth picture that the girl is sitting on the back of a snail that goes in circles! In the end, a red tree grows into the girl's room.
Simply, More...

This is my favourite book of all time, a bold call I know. But its the one I have given away infinite copies of and one I would reccomend every person reads. Shaun Tan is an Australian Illustrator of note and the works of art in the book are beyond stunning. What makes this book great though is the way in which it so decisively analyses depression, dissapointment and despair. Having spent a fair chunk of my life looking down the barrel of these issues I can honestly say it had the greatest impac More...

Brief Plot Summary:

‘The Red Tree’ is a picture book that does not have a specific or distinct narrative. It is very much up to the reader and their interpretation of the vivid pictures and provocative text. Therefore, I can only provide an insight into what the book is about through my own reading; others should read this book to come to their own understanding.
Opening with a picture of a grey background with a single leaf of a similar colour against it, suggests the book is going to be about s More...

Feelings of depression and isolation are explored in this emotionally evocative story. A small red-haired girl in a long purple dress begins her day with nothing to look forward to and the situation goes from bad to worse. She feels lost, misunderstood, and forgotten. She waits and waits, but nothing changes. Wonderful things pass her by while troubles beset her from every side. She doesn’t know who she is or what to do. But at the end of the day, when she is about to go to bed with the same fee More...

Despite having most of my moral compass formed by stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood as a child, I've always been a little wary of the picture-book-as-philosophical tract phenomena. I think it's the blatancy of the well-meaning manipulativeness that puts me off - life's simple lessons presented in a way explicitly designed to tug at your heartstrings.

But when a friend says to me You must, then I try. And try I did. And I would be a churlish kind of person to say that Shaun Tan's little-big s More...

I am quick to reserve Shaun Tan's books prior to publication. His artwork is intricate and multi-layered, often filled with images of strange creatures and new worlds. These sophisticated picture books are hard to pigeon-hole, and I have used them with pupils from Year 4 through to KS4, although my two-year-old also adores them.

The Red Tree is another Tan masterpiece. Describing the storyline in The Red Tree is problematic; the book lacks a sequential narrative. A small girl travels through bewi More...

This book is amazing.

I very rarely give books five stars - but I'd give this one six if it were possible, and it's not even a "book" in the traditional sense - it's technically a children's picture book - but that description hardly does it justice.

The artwork is the main event here - there are very few words - maybe a scant paragraph's worth for the entire book - although the words that do appear are poignant and powerful. The story follows the dark emotions of a little redheaded girl :) as s More...

Gorgeous book. If you've ever thought picture books couldn't be Art with a Capital A, or appealing to older readers, take a look at The Red Tree. It's got some of the best visual representations of depression and uncertainty that I've ever seen. Shaun Tan's illustrations are otherworldly, and the words are just enough, ending with a note of hope that makes you realize the hope has been there all along. This book would make a great gift for someone who's going through a hard time.

i wish i could zoom back to the time when laurel stayed with me in austin for a month. one of the best memories was spending hours in the book store with my favorite book lover. and she hung out with me in the kids' section! we read this book together and i was taken aback. later i found this book neatly inscribed by my best friend on my book shelf. i love to read it regularly.

This beautifully illustrated picture book is for children aged 5 to 6 years. The short story starts with "sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to" and closes "but suddenly there it is right in front of you... just as you imagined it would be."

The pictures really tell the story and we can assume the character is scared whilst the world passes by without anyone noticing and her troubles still remain. However, as time passes by, things go back to normal.

Personally, I am not a huge More...

I find this book to be perfect for children in middle childhood because Tan is able to visually represent the dismal, and critical emotions that adolescents may feel. The small figures of people in the large, dark world construct the lonely feeling that many young people have when transitioning to their adult years. I would recommend this book for older children who are going through a rough time, because Tan is able to relate to these children in a way that makes you feel like you are not alone More...

In this picture book, Tan uses text and his own illustrations to address difficult and sad feelings that everyone can relate to in their lives. A little girl is shown waking up and going about her day while trying to understand her feelings. The book ends as the girl returns to her bedroom to find that a red tree has grown which represents that there is always hope no matter how bad things are.

This was a very simple but deep children's book. It can give hope to children who may not fit in and re More...

'Profound' is the only word which can accurately describe this Shaun Tan masterpiece. This stunning book truly gives picture books a new meaning, with its minimal words and vividly beautiful illustration, which promises to have a huge impact on anyone who reads it. Personally, I feel that although this is a picture book it would be best suited to older readers due to the intense feelings dealt with in this unique book.
The illustrations really capture the sense of isolation and lack of hope that More...

The Red Tree is the story of a lonely girl, her day full of worries and depression. Though this is a story told mainly in pictures, it is not specifically a child’s story – anyone of any age who has felt bleakness and depression will resonate with the truth in its pages.

The paintings are stunningly beautiful and evoke perfectly the emotions of the small girl as she travels though her day. The title refers to the red tree – a symbol of hope – which scatters its leaves throughout the pages until More...

This book is an accurate representation through art and verse of how it feels to be depressed. That's what makes it so amazing for those experiencing depression, or who have experienced it. However, my review falls just short of five stars because there's also something sort of depressing about it. That sounds obvious, but there are books I've read that have expressed beautifully how it is to be grief-stricken, depressed, and numb, without also making the reader feel the same way. Unfortunately, More...

The Red Tree was beautiful. I had no idea what to expect, especially because I thought the picture book was going to teach me a moral or value that a child is expected to learn and perform. This book didn't ask me to be respectful to my neighbor or pick up my toys, what it asked of me was something completely different and welcome.

"Sometimes you just don't know what to do or who you are meant to be..." this isn't a moral. This is a fact of life. No matter what stage you're entering or leaving: More...

I completely disagree that this book is about manic depression, which is Manny's take. It is simply about feeling bad and realising that this won't last forever and that things will get better. It is about the irrationality of this process.

The author's take is that you can read it however you like. But having said that, he says:

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 e

More...

Vaya por delante que ayer me dijo una chica que un amigo suyo lo había definido como "un libro de autoayuda para niños". Quizá sea una de esas frases donde uno se puede revelar como un romántico o un cínico, no lo sé, pero advertidos quedáis.

A mí el libro me ha encantado, pero reconozco que me parece una maravilla porque las ilustraciones son una maravilla. Como libro álbum o lo que sea esto no sabría juzgarlo, la verdad, sobre todo porque no me veo capacitada para valorar si la ilación de unas More...

I think this is one of the most amazing picture books, in terms of its visual beauty and its inspiring content. At one level it is extremely simple yet also very powerful and profound, I think appealing to both mature adults and young children alike. A range of experiences can be embraced within the story, which despite its sadness ends with hope for the future. We all have days like the one where the child wakes up with "nothing to look forward to" and sometimes words will not suffice to meet t More...

Shaun Tan's work literally gives me goosebumps. I think I first came across The Red Tree when I was relief teaching in Melbourne's west. I was working with 5/6th grade children in the library and The Red Tree was suggested as a book to read with them. I recently bought myself a copy and it's amazing what comfort it can bring. Here Shaun Tan has written the words as well as illustrating the story. The story in words is fairly sparse but perfectly suits Tan's incredible illustrations. His work is More...

After having read this book in Norwegian, I ordered the English language version for my boyfriend, as it was the most beautiful picture book I'd ever seen.

It also held meaning to me in terms of subject matter. I read this book on a day things were a little off, a bit hard to handle, and strangely, it comforted me.
Because that's what it is, a book about bad days, when you feel all alone and lost and unable to pull yourself out of the gloom. This book is about that thing I keep forgetting: that th More...