1. Anxiety
2. Art motifs
3. Collage
4. Depression
5. Emotions
6. Empathy
7. Hope
8. Imagery
9. Imagination
10. Loneliness
11. Mental health
12. Metaphors
13. Perspectives (Art)
14. Self-esteem
15. Surrealism
16. Symbolism
17. Visual literacy

‘The Red Tree’ is a picture book without a story, that can be opened at any page, to explore the illustrations on that page, and then others, in any order.

The book starts somewhat depressingly: ‘sometimes the day begins / with nothing to look forward to / and things go from bad to worse’. This sparse text verges on the cliche, but it is also language that readers, including children, have heard in the common culture.

The main character, a young girl with red hair, looks as if she’s drowning in black leaves, and walks morosely towards a metal machine, carrying a die with six on each side. This symbol, of a lack of chance, is only one of the myriad of conflicting images in the detailed illustrations.

Tan himself says that he is most interested in images where things are a bit askew. These appear dark, and many readers and reviewers have pushed back on these depictions in picture books, but Tan is not trying to push a nihilistic view. Rather, in his Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award speech, he recognises that:

‘…life is hard. As much as it is joyful, wonderful and astounding, it can often be depressing – people suffer, irrational things happen, fairness is far from guaranteed and disappointment is commonplace. Just admitting this openly can be immensely consoling, especially for a child, given that childhood is so emotionally tumultuous – there’s a kind of relief to be found in an honest, safe and thoughtful examination of weakness, failure and fear.’

On every page there is a red leaf, culminating in the tree of red leaves that brings the girl so much pleasure at the end of the book. This small symbol on every page seems to symbolise hope arising out of the darkness.

‘The Red Tree’ was awarded the Patricia Wrightson/NSW Premier’s Prize for Children’s Literature in 2002 and a CBCA Picture Book of the Year Honour Book that same year.

1. Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award acceptance speech by Shaun Tan discussing his life and work for young people https://www.shauntan.net/essay_alma-acceptance
2. Shaun Tan’s website with a discussion of The Red Tree https://www.shauntan.net/red-tree-book
3. Hachette Children’s Books Teacher Resources by Nancy Mortimer for ‘The Red Tree’ https://cdn.hachette.com.au/resources/9780734411372-teachers-notes.pdf
4. Australian Curriculum Lessons 3 May 2014 Example lesson plan, ‘The Red Tree’ by Shaun Tan — A Unit of Study (yr 4 upwards) by A Jorgensen https://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/2014/05/03/red-tree-shaun-tan-unit-study-yr-4-upwards/
5. Riverside National Theatre of Parramatta Education notes for the performance of ‘The Red Tree’ play https://riversideparramatta.com.au/wp-content/uploads/NTofP_TheRedTree_EducationNotes.pdf
6. Australian Music Centre Resonate Magazine 14 Jul 2008 ‘Capturing Colour – The Red Tree’ by Angharad Davis interview with composer Michael Yezerski about a collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/article/capturing-colour-the-red-tree
7. Graphic Medicine review 5 Aug 2010 by Sheila Ngoc Pham of ‘The Red Tree’ https://www.graphicmedicine.org/comic-reviews/the-red-tree/