We’re all emotive beings, and this book can open up an intergenerational dialogue and encourage talking about feelings to promote understanding and healing. The honesty in the language and imagery is empathetic and respectful of a person’s emotional experience, regardless of whether that person is young or old. For children that struggle to express how they’re feeling, this book could offer a valuable and powerful acknowledgment of their inner struggles and provide them with comfort and knowledge that things will get better.

It makes the complex simple and bursts with beautiful illustrations that truly emphasise the idea that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. I had to buy this book because it reached me on a very personal level. The Red Tree is an uplifting and empowering picture book. Here is a little video I made this morning after recording myself reading 'The Red Tree' By Shaun Tan. The leaf blossoms into a beautiful red tree and ends the story with an uplifting symbol of hope, renewal and inspiration. After a challenging day of difficult thoughts and feelings, the girl returns home to discover the red leaf waiting for her. The reader is navigated through her fragmented and complex emotive landscape with frank and evocative language and illustrations, which perfectly express the inexplicable. It appears on each page, hidden somewhere in the image. “Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to and things go from bad to worse”Ī small, red leaf follows a young girl through her day, where she feels alone in a dark and surreal world. Author: Shaun Tan Illustrator: Shaun Tan Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

The Red Tree by Shaun Tan