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الشجرة الحمراء
When a child awakens with dark leaves drifting into her bedroom, she feels that "sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to, and things go from bad to worse." Feelings too complex for words are rendered into an imaginary landscape where the child wanders, oblivious to the glimmer of promise in the shape of a tiny red leaf. Everything seems hopeless until the child returns to her room and sees the red tree. At that perfect moment of beauty and purity, the child smiles and her world stirs anew.
Shaun Tan's illustrations are remarkable for the way they combine and react upon each other. He creates an otherworldly labyrinth of visual ideas joined with the familiar immediacy of the little child, and condenses them into scenes of extraordinary depth and insight. Every child will appreciate the book's life-affirming message but it will be equally successful with all readers. With sensitivity and wonder, the evocative images in The Red Tree open a window to our inexplicable emotions and tell a story about the power of hope, renewal and inspiration.
Shaun Tan's illustrations are remarkable for the way they combine and react upon each other. He creates an otherworldly labyrinth of visual ideas joined with the familiar immediacy of the little child, and condenses them into scenes of extraordinary depth and insight. Every child will appreciate the book's life-affirming message but it will be equally successful with all readers. With sensitivity and wonder, the evocative images in The Red Tree open a window to our inexplicable emotions and tell a story about the power of hope, renewal and inspiration.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2001
38 people are currently reading
5954 people want to read
About the author
Shaun Tan
72 books2,598 followersShaun Tan (born 1974) is the illustrator and author of award-winning children's books. After freelancing for some years from a studio at Mt. Lawley, Tan relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, in 2007. Tan was the Illustrator in Residence at the University of Melbourne's Department of Language Literacy and Arts Education for two weeks through an annual Fellowship offered by the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust. 2009 World Fantasy Award for Best Artist. In 2011, he won his first Oscar in the category Best Short Animated Film for his work The Lost Thing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 840 reviews
January 18, 2016
Quite possibly the most beautiful picturebook I've ever read.
(Also, it made me cry.)
(Also, it made me cry.)
December 27, 2012
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.
June 8, 2018
This book was on the hold shelf at work, waiting for a student to pick up. I have just read it at work. What a beautiful book! This is a gentle, beautifully illustrated and simply gorgeous story in all senses! I love when I witness fabulous art, it is divine. Simply told, we see darkness envelope a small soul, feel the angst and the desperation, and finally the fog begins to clear. It is bleak for some time, but there is a break in the stifling clouds. A gradual relief to a burdensome feeling. I think we all know what it is like to feel some kind of darkness in our wake from time to time. This shows that hopefully, it will always lift and move away. It is such a lovely book. One for all ages and all walks of life.
December 21, 2023
As ilustrações são muito bonitas e cheias de cor. Quanto à história, tem uma mensagem bonita, mas acho que não percebi o fim. Acredito que seja uma melhor leitura para quem estiver numa fase menos positiva. Irá identificar-se melhor com a menina do livro e perceber que não está sozinho(a) no mundo.
January 27, 2016
*REREAD ON 31ST DECEMBER 2015 TO REACH 200 BOOKS LOL*
This is perfection in a picture book.
This is perfection in a picture book.
January 17, 2016
به خودم قول داده بودم تا وقتی برای چندتا از کتابای ۲۰۱۵ ریویو ننوشتم کتابی رو تموم نکنم تو ۲۰۱۶ تموم نکنم،اما وقتی این کتاب رو گرفتم دستم نشد.
شون تن با همین تعداد کم کلماتش و با اون تصاویر زیبا وشکلهای عالی و رنگهای فوقالعاده معجزه کرده،خوندن و دیدن کتاب و لمس کردنش لذتی داشت که نمیتونم توصیفش کنم.
از تصاویر کتاب هرچی بگم کم گفتم.
این کتاب رو بعضیها بهتر میفهمند،اونایی که افسردگی(از هر نوعی)داشتند یا اضطراب یا....البته بیشتر که فکر میکنم میبینم حتی اگه برا یه روز حس غم داشتی این کتاب رو تا مغز استخونت و تو تک تک سلولهات حس میکنی.کودک،نوجوان،بزرگسال،حتما تا حالا یه روز این شکلی داشتی.
از اون کتابهاست که دوست دارم تمام بچه های جهان رو بغل کنم و براشون بخونمش.
میتونید از این لینک هم ببینیدش،اما خریدن و داشتنش رو بیشتر توصیه میکنم:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrmMF...
شون تن با همین تعداد کم کلماتش و با اون تصاویر زیبا وشکلهای عالی و رنگهای فوقالعاده معجزه کرده،خوندن و دیدن کتاب و لمس کردنش لذتی داشت که نمیتونم توصیفش کنم.
از تصاویر کتاب هرچی بگم کم گفتم.
این کتاب رو بعضیها بهتر میفهمند،اونایی که افسردگی(از هر نوعی)داشتند یا اضطراب یا....البته بیشتر که فکر میکنم میبینم حتی اگه برا یه روز حس غم داشتی این کتاب رو تا مغز استخونت و تو تک تک سلولهات حس میکنی.کودک،نوجوان،بزرگسال،حتما تا حالا یه روز این شکلی داشتی.
از اون کتابهاست که دوست دارم تمام بچه های جهان رو بغل کنم و براشون بخونمش.
میتونید از این لینک هم ببینیدش،اما خریدن و داشتنش رو بیشتر توصیه میکنم:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrmMF...
March 23, 2018
میتونست کتاب رو در همون دارک بودنش تموم کنه. بدون دو صفحه آخر. میتونست الکی خوب تموم نشه.
و اینکه قطعاً مناسب بچهها نیست.
با وجود نقاشیهای خیلی خیلی خوبش.
و اینکه قطعاً مناسب بچهها نیست.
با وجود نقاشیهای خیلی خیلی خوبش.
March 25, 2025
3,5*
Às vezes esperas e esperas
e esperas
e esperas
e esperas
e esperas
e esperas…
mas nada acontece
Talvez por ser demasiado breve e se destinar a um público mais jovem, não achei “The Red Tree” tão profunda nem imaginativa como obras anteriores de Shaun Tan.
Disse o autor que quis criar ilustrações sobre um leque variado de emoções, mas que acha os sentimentos negativos, como a tristeza e a solidão, mais interessantes do ponto vista pessoal e artístico e, de facto, a sua arte no geral coaduna-se bastante com a sensação de alienação, que neste caso assume tonalidades de fábula com final feliz.
Às vezes esperas e esperas
e esperas
e esperas
e esperas
e esperas
e esperas…
mas nada acontece
Talvez por ser demasiado breve e se destinar a um público mais jovem, não achei “The Red Tree” tão profunda nem imaginativa como obras anteriores de Shaun Tan.
Disse o autor que quis criar ilustrações sobre um leque variado de emoções, mas que acha os sentimentos negativos, como a tristeza e a solidão, mais interessantes do ponto vista pessoal e artístico e, de facto, a sua arte no geral coaduna-se bastante com a sensação de alienação, que neste caso assume tonalidades de fábula com final feliz.
August 27, 2014
Shaun Tan's "The Red Tree" is a sparely scripted book with incredible paintings telling the story of depression and how a person copes with it, from waking up and struggling to get out of bed, to finding the energy to walk to work as well as constantly battling the negative thoughts in your head.
One of the most haunting images in the book is of an ordinary street scene rendered nightmarish by a giant fish with a gaping mouth and bleeding eyes hovering above the main character. It's a more frightening rendering of the traditional metaphor of depression as the "black dog".
The artwork is varied and beautiful on every page with Tan's imagination lending itself enormously well to simple lines like "sometimes you just don't know what you are supposed to do" followed by an elaborate stage filled with grotesques and strange creatures surrounding the main character doing unfathomable things dressed up as a magician while playing to a mysterious audience of hats!
It's a supremely creative book dealing with everyday questions that we never answer. Profundities manifested in paintings. The human condition told as a picture book.
The book is labelled as "children's"which I feel is a mistake as it would dissuade some adults from picking it up for themselves as it's a book that people of all ages can get something from.
Shaun Tan has crafted a wonderful book about a difficult subject and it is something to be enjoyed and seen by all. Ultimately uplifting, "The Red Tree" won't necessarily help people with depression but might help people who don't go through it to gain a perspective on it that they might not have had before.
The book's worth picking up for the sublime paintings alone. “The Red Tree” is a great work by a remarkable artist.
One of the most haunting images in the book is of an ordinary street scene rendered nightmarish by a giant fish with a gaping mouth and bleeding eyes hovering above the main character. It's a more frightening rendering of the traditional metaphor of depression as the "black dog".
The artwork is varied and beautiful on every page with Tan's imagination lending itself enormously well to simple lines like "sometimes you just don't know what you are supposed to do" followed by an elaborate stage filled with grotesques and strange creatures surrounding the main character doing unfathomable things dressed up as a magician while playing to a mysterious audience of hats!
It's a supremely creative book dealing with everyday questions that we never answer. Profundities manifested in paintings. The human condition told as a picture book.
The book is labelled as "children's"which I feel is a mistake as it would dissuade some adults from picking it up for themselves as it's a book that people of all ages can get something from.
Shaun Tan has crafted a wonderful book about a difficult subject and it is something to be enjoyed and seen by all. Ultimately uplifting, "The Red Tree" won't necessarily help people with depression but might help people who don't go through it to gain a perspective on it that they might not have had before.
The book's worth picking up for the sublime paintings alone. “The Red Tree” is a great work by a remarkable artist.
May 16, 2018
This is included in Lost & Found with interesting comment from Tan that in general adults were more likely to assess this book as too depressing while children pointed out details of hope or encouragement sprinkled throughout the illustrations. I didn't really lean one way or the other but felt that it was an accurate portrayal of a mood or feeling. Some days (or weeks, or months) ARE really bad. Kids can be depressed, too, and telling them they aren't does them no service. I really appreciated the author's acknowledgement that children can have these feelings.
That grumpy black angel cat is my favorite.
That grumpy black angel cat is my favorite.
August 2, 2018
2.5 stars. I found this gloomy, I get the idea, when things are bad there's light at the end of the tunnel. The red tree at the end of this girls depression was like the red leaf at the end of Crime and Punishment, that little bit of hope. Perhaps this book would be comforting to a child who felt depressed, I don't know.
February 28, 2019
Re-read
Talking of books that have had a deep effect on me, I recalled this picture book and just had to re-visit it.
There are not many words in these pages and yet Shaun Tan communicates an incredibly poignant narrative. It isn't really a story as such but a visual metaphor for depression, alienness, isolation... and hope. A little girl wakes up one morning - Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to - a few dark leaves floating around her, that turn into a flood she has to wade through to leave the room - and things go from bad to worse.
Tan shows many powerful emotions through these amazing surrealist paintings. Every element functions brilliantly, from the few words, the typography (stressing some words by enlarging their size or de-aligning them) to the images. The artist must have suffered from depression to be able to paint the complex emotions in such a sensitive way.
The end might seem uncharacteristically positive in light of the rest of the book but it does make sense. On each page, a tiny red leaf can be found. The girl doesn't see it, and the reader has to look for it. I feel this leaf personifies hope, as shown by the title, always there even if hidden from us. It is true that the tree might disappear, dried up, but there is a circularity however - like all plants, it will grow back.
By the nature of this picture book, it is marketed to children and I feel this is a good thing. Kids feel everything adults do, they just have less experience than we do. People, society even, are scared by this subject and try to hide it away. This book shines on it, showing children and indeed adults that they are not alone in those feelings and that there is hope, however long it takes to find it.
PS: Tan also dealt with emigration (The Arrival) and colonisation (The Rabbits) in the same amazing way.
Talking of books that have had a deep effect on me, I recalled this picture book and just had to re-visit it.
There are not many words in these pages and yet Shaun Tan communicates an incredibly poignant narrative. It isn't really a story as such but a visual metaphor for depression, alienness, isolation... and hope. A little girl wakes up one morning - Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to - a few dark leaves floating around her, that turn into a flood she has to wade through to leave the room - and things go from bad to worse.
Tan shows many powerful emotions through these amazing surrealist paintings. Every element functions brilliantly, from the few words, the typography (stressing some words by enlarging their size or de-aligning them) to the images. The artist must have suffered from depression to be able to paint the complex emotions in such a sensitive way.
The end might seem uncharacteristically positive in light of the rest of the book but it does make sense. On each page, a tiny red leaf can be found. The girl doesn't see it, and the reader has to look for it. I feel this leaf personifies hope, as shown by the title, always there even if hidden from us. It is true that the tree might disappear, dried up, but there is a circularity however - like all plants, it will grow back.
By the nature of this picture book, it is marketed to children and I feel this is a good thing. Kids feel everything adults do, they just have less experience than we do. People, society even, are scared by this subject and try to hide it away. This book shines on it, showing children and indeed adults that they are not alone in those feelings and that there is hope, however long it takes to find it.
PS: Tan also dealt with emigration (The Arrival) and colonisation (The Rabbits) in the same amazing way.
January 2, 2023
اگه پایانش طور دیگه ای رقم میخورد ، بدون شک می گفتم این شعر سهراب میتونه توصیفش کنه :
شب سردی است و من افسرده
راه دوری است و پایی خسته
تیرگی هست و چراغی مرده
میکنم تنها از جاده عبور
دور ماندند ز من آدمها
سایهای از سر دیوار گذشت
غمی افزود مرا بر غمها
فکر تاریکی و این ویرانی
بی خبر آمد تا با دل من
قصهها ساز کند پنهانی
نیست رنگی که بگوید با من
اندکی صبر سحر نزدیک است
هردم این بانگ برآرم از دل
وای این شب چقدر تاریک است
خندهای کو که به دل انگیزم؟
قطرهای کو که به دریا ریزم؟
صخرهای کو که بدان آویزم؟
مثل این است که شب نمناک است
دیگران را هم غم هست به دل
غم من لیک غمی غمناک است
شب سردی است و من افسرده
راه دوری است و پایی خسته
تیرگی هست و چراغی مرده
میکنم تنها از جاده عبور
دور ماندند ز من آدمها
سایهای از سر دیوار گذشت
غمی افزود مرا بر غمها
فکر تاریکی و این ویرانی
بی خبر آمد تا با دل من
قصهها ساز کند پنهانی
نیست رنگی که بگوید با من
اندکی صبر سحر نزدیک است
هردم این بانگ برآرم از دل
وای این شب چقدر تاریک است
خندهای کو که به دل انگیزم؟
قطرهای کو که به دریا ریزم؟
صخرهای کو که بدان آویزم؟
مثل این است که شب نمناک است
دیگران را هم غم هست به دل
غم من لیک غمی غمناک است
September 27, 2020
درست در سختترین روز زندگیم که با درد و رنج مواجه شده بودم و گوشه تخت اشک میریختم و فکر میکردم زمان به کندی پیش میره و هیچوقت هیچ اتفاق خوبی برام نمیفته، این کتاب رو ورق زدم و نگاه به دورم انداختم و توی جزئیات اطرافم به دنبال نهال درخت قرمزی بودم که بی صدا منتظر، درخشان و شاداب نشسته.
به خودم فرصت غم خوردن تا آخر شب دادم و قول دادم که فردا نگذارم چیزهای شگفت از کنارم بگذره.
ممنونم ازت آقای شان تن نازنین.
به خودم فرصت غم خوردن تا آخر شب دادم و قول دادم که فردا نگذارم چیزهای شگفت از کنارم بگذره.
ممنونم ازت آقای شان تن نازنین.
October 12, 2018
Un libricino, perlopiù ad immagini, sul trovare se stessi, sul credere sempre che ciò che si pensa, si sogna, può avverarsi...
Con immagini visionarie, surreali e delicatissime Tan, ci racconta una storia adatta a tutti!
Con immagini visionarie, surreali e delicatissime Tan, ci racconta una storia adatta a tutti!
December 28, 2012
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:
That is not manic depression and indeed, it would be distinctly odd to make manic depression out to be something which has a positive aspect to it, since the 'up' side of it is pretty lousy too.
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 end of her journey.
That is not manic depression and indeed, it would be distinctly odd to make manic depression out to be something which has a positive aspect to it, since the 'up' side of it is pretty lousy too.
July 7, 2018
This is a book I keep on my shelf to reread after particularly trying days. I adore it.
First picked up in my favourite bookstore at the time, Readers Feast, in Melbourne, circa 2002. It is everything I love about Shaun Tan, a kind of beautifully illustrated melancholy that you can return to again and again.
Since then I have slowly collected up most of his works and would count him as my favourite illustrator.
The Arrival is his masterpiece but this book will always be my first love.
First picked up in my favourite bookstore at the time, Readers Feast, in Melbourne, circa 2002. It is everything I love about Shaun Tan, a kind of beautifully illustrated melancholy that you can return to again and again.
Since then I have slowly collected up most of his works and would count him as my favourite illustrator.
The Arrival is his masterpiece but this book will always be my first love.
April 1, 2016
2014 has been a crappy year for me. It has. And I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that when I opened this book I was aware of that fact. And it spoke to my heart through words and colors and emotions you can't just express with words.
You might feel alone, you might sense a grey cloud over you, you might feel the need to define yourself every day but know this: when you least expect it, something good will be waiting for you.
You just need to be patient and it will find you.
You might feel alone, you might sense a grey cloud over you, you might feel the need to define yourself every day but know this: when you least expect it, something good will be waiting for you.
You just need to be patient and it will find you.
February 4, 2017
Have you heard of Shaun Tan? I was first introduced to his beautiful books at an English Language Arts workshop a few years back, The Arrival remains one of my favorite "wordless" books. Stunningly beautiful illustrations, I recently used this book in my class as a writing prompt for my grade 7 and 8 students. It was so interesting to hear the different ways in which they interpreted the message or theme of the book. Highly recommended!
June 4, 2009
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 didn’t really strike me as something that would cheer readers up in a big way, but the empathy expressed and the light at the end of the tunnel philosophy might be a comfort to some. It’s a beautifully done book and the art alone is worth reading this.
March 13, 2025
✒️ Un viaje emocional de superación que arranca desde la desesperación, la soledad y el aislamiento hasta la esperanza pasando por los problemas del día a día, el miedo por el futuro y la pérdida de la ilusión.
🔝 Puntos fuertes:
- Historia que invita a pensar.
- Las bonitas ilustraciones.
- El mensaje de esperanza que transmite.
- Público tanto infantil como adulto.
🔝 Puntos fuertes:
- Historia que invita a pensar.
- Las bonitas ilustraciones.
- El mensaje de esperanza que transmite.
- Público tanto infantil como adulto.
February 7, 2016
Este objeto NÃO É um livro.
É uma obra de arte.
Só me apetece digitalizar algumas páginas e emoldurar as ilustrações.
Tanta beleza!
Este é um livro aparentemente simples mas com uma mensagem poderosa para quem se sente triste ou desanimado.
Shaun Tan - um nome a reter.
PS - Só um comentário acerca da publicação portuguesa, do qual, apesar de excelente qualidade, acho o preço absolutamente exorbitante. Por acaso tenho-o porque vi-o muito barato.
É uma obra de arte.
Só me apetece digitalizar algumas páginas e emoldurar as ilustrações.
Tanta beleza!
Este é um livro aparentemente simples mas com uma mensagem poderosa para quem se sente triste ou desanimado.
Shaun Tan - um nome a reter.
PS - Só um comentário acerca da publicação portuguesa, do qual, apesar de excelente qualidade, acho o preço absolutamente exorbitante. Por acaso tenho-o porque vi-o muito barato.
September 17, 2017
I love this book. It's so true to life and deeply meaningful.
June 9, 2017
أحيانا يبدأ يومك دون أن تصبو إلى شيء..
الشجرة الحمراء قصة مصورة للأطفال..
للكاتب والرسام الأسترالي "شون تان".
أحببت الرسومات كثيرا..
الشجرة الحمراء قصة مصورة للأطفال..
للكاتب والرسام الأسترالي "شون تان".
أحببت الرسومات كثيرا..
August 10, 2015
Brilliant
December 20, 2023
This is an illustrated book that will probably be more meaningful if you read it while having a bad day or a bad phase in your life.
That is basically what the book is about. We all have bad days, bad phases and this book shows that it's normal to feel the way we feel in those situations.
But at the end of the day, eventually, things will get better.
Shaun Tan's illustrations are beautiful. It's clear why his illustrations are so much praised.
That is basically what the book is about. We all have bad days, bad phases and this book shows that it's normal to feel the way we feel in those situations.
But at the end of the day, eventually, things will get better.
Shaun Tan's illustrations are beautiful. It's clear why his illustrations are so much praised.
April 1, 2019
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2019
Simple story about things that do happen and how at the end might end up totally different. Shaun Tan knows how to draw and how to share, big emotions on tiny space.
First sentence:
Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward
Last sentence:
Just as you imagined it would be
Goodreads Challenge 2019: 43. kniha
First sentence:
Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward
Last sentence:
Just as you imagined it would be
Goodreads Challenge 2019: 43. kniha
April 4, 2017
A little gem of a book, beautifully drawn.
March 18, 2020
"sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to," begins this stunning picture book, which - with its flawless blend of text and picture - expresses the reality of depression better than any other book I have seen. Each page adds another simple sentence, and another complex layer of emotion, to this unfolding story of despair. The pessimism of the opening line is followed by a descent into hopelessness, a sense of overwhelming darkness, and the conviction that it is futile to attempt to either understand or be understood. The loneliness of living in a world that feels like "a deaf machine," the horrifying feeling of being trapped in a place "without sense or reason," and the terrible sense that this downward spiral is somehow inevitable and inescapable, lead the narrator into a place of almost-total isolation. She has become lost, not just from the world around her, but from herself... And then an extraordinary thing happens - something that has been with her all throughout her journey is revealed - and she learns that nothing is lost...
It is difficult for me to describe just how perfectly Shaun Tan's illustrations complement the brief text in this picture book. They are both beautiful and terrifying, but most importantly, they are TRUE. The combination of word and image evokes a powerful emotional response, and although hope does surface at the end, it is Tan's depiction of depression that resonates the longest. I was so moved by this book that I bought a copy for my sister. I wanted her to understand what I meant when I tried to describe depression as less of a "feeling" of sadness, than as a "state" in which the soul itself becomes weary...
It is difficult for me to describe just how perfectly Shaun Tan's illustrations complement the brief text in this picture book. They are both beautiful and terrifying, but most importantly, they are TRUE. The combination of word and image evokes a powerful emotional response, and although hope does surface at the end, it is Tan's depiction of depression that resonates the longest. I was so moved by this book that I bought a copy for my sister. I wanted her to understand what I meant when I tried to describe depression as less of a "feeling" of sadness, than as a "state" in which the soul itself becomes weary...
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