The Tower to the Sun

by Colin Thompson

One hundred years in the future, when the earth is so polluted that the sun can't be seen, the richest man in the world wants his grandson to experience the blue sky and orange sun he remembers from his childhood. So he spends 20 years and all of his money  to build a tower to the sun. Using the largest rock in the world as the foundation, workers pile stone upon stone, beam over beam, building atop building, until the old man sits on top of the tower with his great grandson and feels the warmth of the sun shine on his face. Though now penniless, he is indeed, a rich man. Lush with the intricate detail that has become his hallmark, Colin Thompson's art invites repeated examination and yields its secrets subtly. His tower is an extraordinary pastiche of architectural prototypes from Stonehenge, Greek temples and the leaning tower of Pisa to the Chrysler Building and the Guggenheim Museum. This is Thompson's most provocative pictorial fantasy to date--and a moving fable for the environmentally conscious of all ages.  

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 1996

About the author

Since he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 50 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel HOW TO LIVE FOREVER and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for THE SHORT AND INCREDIBLY HAPPY LIFE OF RILEY. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most inspiring children's books I have ever read. Despite being children's literature, it manages to explore dreams and ideals in a dystopian world with poetic storytelling and intricate, microscopic and somewhat steampunk illustrations. I modeled my own children's book assignment (for my creative writing class) based on this book. It touched me greatly and I simply couldn't get enough of the artwork. Strongly recommended!

[Rachael Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much great detail in the artwork. Also a very intriguing use of perspective.

[Jordan Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a grandfather and grandchild on a polluted earth who want to see the sun again, good for an 'eco-warrior' theme, lots of interesting buildings used, 3rd person narrator

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storytelling gets 2 stars from me, but the illustrations give this book an extra star.

[Leah]

The Tower to the Sun was set in a future time with many advances on technology. The earth is so polluted that all the people see is a thick brown cloud. The main character is the richest man in the world, and all he wants it to see the sun once before he dies. He comes up with several ideas, including building a hot air balloon to reach above the clouds, but they all seem to fall short. This is until the grandson came up with the idea to build a tower up into the sky. Will the tower be built high enough in time?
This book has a lot of detailed colored pictures. Most of these pictures have a darker theme to them, which fits with the overall theme of the world at the time. The pictures definitely gave the feeling of gloom and pollution. The medium of the pictures appears to be with a paint brush and paint. The pictures themselves are incredibly detailed, even with the faces on people with heads about a centimeter long. Several of the spreads seem cluttered with all of the detail, however. Overall, this book had an interesting and thought-provoking storyline, with incredibly detailed pictures.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended, especially to children and educators who are passionate about the environment. A beautiful and tragic depiction of the future world where such dense fog prevents hot air balloons from ascending to a desired height and buildings and monuments (Guggenheim; Tower of Pisa) are inventoried and sold to the richest man in the world. For all the money that he has, his only wish is to show his son and grandchildren what the sun looks and feels like. Incredibly poignant, heartbreaking, telling story in elaborate picture book format. There are some spaces for comic relief, and a fine collection of 'I Spy'-type images...my favorite so far being: "Chimneys for Sale: Stacks of Them." This is a story that can be re-read and seen anew through its detailed illustrations.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be too depressing for a five year old -- irreversibly polluted Earth, no clear happy ending -- but she really likes it because "they build things".

The intricate illustrations reward rereading and there's plenty of visual references for adults to enjoy as well.

(Also, maybe it's my cultural background, but I do wince a little at the concept of stuff being built on Uluru.)

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in primary school and I remember people fighting to borrow this book.

I realise now that this book teaches a huge lesson on the simple things that people would miss. The environmental apocalypse theme in this highlights that we need to care for our environment and this teaches children at a young age well.

A great book that I would read to my own children.

[Peter O'halloran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome illustrations. The story is good but a little dark, and seems to be trying to turn the old Tower of Babel myth on it's head. There's a huge blatent error though - the Great Wall of China can't be seen from the Moon! Nothing can! Even continents are almost impossible to make out, let alone anything man made.

[Rachel Cavender · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I think it taught the power of hard work and setting your mind to something to make it happen. But it was a little confusing for me. I might have this on my shelf. It would be good for 1-3 graders.

[Erroll Treslan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife thought the theme was a little dark (i.e. post-enviromental apocolypse) but I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Bravo Mr. Thompson from the Treslans in Owen Sound.

[Jax Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book. Sp much going on in those pictures. Genius.