Lost & Found (Review by Leighanne Massey)
Bibliography
Tan, Shaun. Lost and Found. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic), 2011 (first Omnibus edition). ISBN 9780545229241
Plot Summary
Lost and Found is a book containing three stories told mainly through illustrations in imaginative and futuristic detail. Each highlights the theme of loneliness and hope, abandonment and help, and foreign occupation of native lands, destruction, and the possibility of coexistence.
Critical Analysis
In this highly detailed, unique and imaginative picture book lies the tales of The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits. The Red Tree details the life a young girl stuck in the monotony of routine, searching for something meaningful. Just as the moroseness of the story begins to wash over with overwhelmingly dark images, suddenly the story shifts into a celebration; a possibility. Told with few words, the underlying message for the reader seems to be that life may not always be what you expect, but if you dwell on it too much, you will miss the great moments it has to offer.
The Lost Thing is told from the perspective of a teenage boy living in an over-populated futuristic industrial city powered by many kinds of machines. The coldness is felt in the gray and brown hues decorating most of the city and the impartial expressions worn by the busy citizens. Nothing extraordinary really happens until the boy stumbles upon a bright red thing on the beach. As he inspects it, it springs to life and he finds himself playing with the thing for hours. When he realizes it's time to go and the thing has not been claimed, he sets out to find more information about it and who lost it. Befriending the thing, the boy eventually realizes through trial and error and careful observation where the thing's home should have been all along.
The Rabbits highlights an ugly truth about society's past; the invasion into foreign territory and often toxic influence on the native inhabitants and surrounding lands. The reader is appalled as the rabbits take over, spreading out and developing while eliminating the wild-life and natural characteristics of the landscape. In the end, the future of the creatures and their possible coexistence remains an unknown variable. Special notes from the author about his unique illustrations and the origins of the stories is detailed at the end of the book.
The Lost Thing is told from the perspective of a teenage boy living in an over-populated futuristic industrial city powered by many kinds of machines. The coldness is felt in the gray and brown hues decorating most of the city and the impartial expressions worn by the busy citizens. Nothing extraordinary really happens until the boy stumbles upon a bright red thing on the beach. As he inspects it, it springs to life and he finds himself playing with the thing for hours. When he realizes it's time to go and the thing has not been claimed, he sets out to find more information about it and who lost it. Befriending the thing, the boy eventually realizes through trial and error and careful observation where the thing's home should have been all along.
The Rabbits highlights an ugly truth about society's past; the invasion into foreign territory and often toxic influence on the native inhabitants and surrounding lands. The reader is appalled as the rabbits take over, spreading out and developing while eliminating the wild-life and natural characteristics of the landscape. In the end, the future of the creatures and their possible coexistence remains an unknown variable. Special notes from the author about his unique illustrations and the origins of the stories is detailed at the end of the book.
Review Excerpt(s)
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2007
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2007
World Fantasy Award 2007, Best Artist
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2007
A Booklist Editors' Choice for 2007
A 2012 ALA Notable Children’s Book
Parents’ Choice Gold Award
2012 USBBY Outstanding International Book
Starred review from Publishers Weekly on 03/14/2011:
"There isn't really a bad time to win an Academy Award, but Shaun Tan's timing is impeccable. His animated short film, The Lost Thing, picked up an Oscar just as the book upon which it was based returns to print in this collection..."
Starred review from Booklist on 04/01/2011:
"Gr 4 Up—Three previously published stories collected into one volume, all illustrated by the amazing Tan. "The Red Tree" follows a solitary girl through a single, not very good day, exploring her feelings as they shift from disappointment and confusion to alienation and despair. The spare, lyrical text provides an anchor for Tan's large, moody, beautiful paintings. "The Lost Thing" is a more upbeat tale of a boy who discovers an unusual object and then must decide what to do with it. Freedom and imagination are the themes in this story, and here the art includes fascinating and sometimes humorous bits of technical drawings. The prose of John Marsden's "The Rabbits," an allegory about imperialism, is so simple and melodic that it verges on poetry..."
Review from The Boston Globe on 12/8/2011:
Connections
Other Shaun Tan books to check out:
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2007
World Fantasy Award 2007, Best Artist
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2007
A Booklist Editors' Choice for 2007
A 2012 ALA Notable Children’s Book
Parents’ Choice Gold Award
2012 USBBY Outstanding International Book
Starred review from Publishers Weekly on 03/14/2011:
"There isn't really a bad time to win an Academy Award, but Shaun Tan's timing is impeccable. His animated short film, The Lost Thing, picked up an Oscar just as the book upon which it was based returns to print in this collection..."
Starred review from Booklist on 04/01/2011:
"Gr 4 Up—Three previously published stories collected into one volume, all illustrated by the amazing Tan. "The Red Tree" follows a solitary girl through a single, not very good day, exploring her feelings as they shift from disappointment and confusion to alienation and despair. The spare, lyrical text provides an anchor for Tan's large, moody, beautiful paintings. "The Lost Thing" is a more upbeat tale of a boy who discovers an unusual object and then must decide what to do with it. Freedom and imagination are the themes in this story, and here the art includes fascinating and sometimes humorous bits of technical drawings. The prose of John Marsden's "The Rabbits," an allegory about imperialism, is so simple and melodic that it verges on poetry..."
Review from The Boston Globe on 12/8/2011:
“Lost & Found," written
by Shaun Tan and John Marsden, illustrated by Tan. Tan’s inimitable art tells
three stories about darkness and hope, loneliness and friendship, and
displacement and belonging. He won an Oscar for the short animated film he made
of “The Lost Thing,’’ a tale about a boy who takes pity on a strange thing when
no one else would."
Connections
Other Shaun Tan books to check out:
- Tan, Shaun. Tales From Outer Suburbia. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic), 2009. ISBN 9780545055871
Lost and Found is a creative work of fantasy with global messages any reader can glean and apply to real life. It is a book that invokes thought about society and allows the reader their own interpretations.
