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El Tunel
Scornful of his little sister's fear, a young boy decides to explore a tunnel, forcing his sister to go after him when he doesn't return.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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About the author
Anthony Browne
160 books315 followersAnthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
December 27, 2021
Hay algo en esta historia que siempre logra ponerme los pelos de punta.
Y quizás es esa sensación que me quedó de niño, donde pensaba que estaba ante una historia de terror. Así me lo pareció en su tiempo y así sigue siendo hoy en día ya que hay cierto suceso que ocurre con uno de los hermanos al que no le encuentras respuesta y aunque eso es lo menos importante dentro de la obra, sigue dejándome siempre con la terrible incógnita de qué fue lo que pasó o qué fue lo que vio en aquel lugar.
Por cierto, he tenido la oportunidad de releerlo por mi hermana menor y aunque obviamente es una lectura infantil me sigue fascinando tanto como la primera vez.
Y quizás es esa sensación que me quedó de niño, donde pensaba que estaba ante una historia de terror. Así me lo pareció en su tiempo y así sigue siendo hoy en día ya que hay cierto suceso que ocurre con uno de los hermanos al que no le encuentras respuesta y aunque eso es lo menos importante dentro de la obra, sigue dejándome siempre con la terrible incógnita de qué fue lo que pasó o qué fue lo que vio en aquel lugar.
Por cierto, he tenido la oportunidad de releerlo por mi hermana menor y aunque obviamente es una lectura infantil me sigue fascinando tanto como la primera vez.
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April 18, 2012A fascinating adventure story that is more suitable for Key stage 2 due to the context. Initially, it presents a familiar scene of sibling rivalry that all children will be able to identify and relate to at some level. The author’s portrayal of the contrasting male and female characters is particularly stereotypical - Jack likes to play football, roughly. He is a loud boisterous young man, while Rose is quiet and nervous; she enjoys spending her time reading endless books. This idea of stereotypical behaviour is good discussion point for the class to explore in more detail.
The elder of the two Characters, Jack, dismisses his sister’s fears and wanders into a dark tunnel only to find himself alone, lost and eventually frozen in a statute like position. The reader never discovers what happens to Jack during this period of time but this provides a good starting point for predictions within literacy. The setting, a strange and unknown world at the end of a mystery tunnel, provides endless possibilities for this activity. The story is exploring the relationships between siblings, Jack is assured that despite her fears; Rose will follow him into the tunnel. Indeed, Rose does desperately want to retrieve her brother to ensure his safety but she is tormented by the idea of scary and unknown creatures that may lurk within the tunnel. This moral dilemma that Rose faces allows children to relate to her character, they may compare her challenge to a situation they found themselves in whereby they were unsure of the right decision to make. Rose is courageous and travels through the tunnel only to find her dear brother rooted to the ground, numb, fixed, and perhaps petrified. Her warm embrace and wet tears soon melt Jack and they run home together.
At home, neither character wishes to disclose the day’s events to their mother. The story subtly hints at a ‘secret garden’ of emotions that occur between siblings. This could lead to a discussion about the different types of relationships within a family unit, how they differ and the challenges they sometimes present as a link to PSHE. The illustrations are a very important part of this story- they are quite grim at times and thus depict the feelings of both children well . They contribute to the tone and atmosphere of insecurity and uncertainty which is evident throughout but are also metaphorical and open to interpretation which aids debate and group discussion.
Overall this book could work equally well for year 3 class as it could for a year 5 lesson depending on the angle that it is approached at. It may work well as an introduction to character description, the importance of describing emotion and gesture in story writing. It is also perfect for imaginative change of ending and also drama or role play in the classroom.
The elder of the two Characters, Jack, dismisses his sister’s fears and wanders into a dark tunnel only to find himself alone, lost and eventually frozen in a statute like position. The reader never discovers what happens to Jack during this period of time but this provides a good starting point for predictions within literacy. The setting, a strange and unknown world at the end of a mystery tunnel, provides endless possibilities for this activity. The story is exploring the relationships between siblings, Jack is assured that despite her fears; Rose will follow him into the tunnel. Indeed, Rose does desperately want to retrieve her brother to ensure his safety but she is tormented by the idea of scary and unknown creatures that may lurk within the tunnel. This moral dilemma that Rose faces allows children to relate to her character, they may compare her challenge to a situation they found themselves in whereby they were unsure of the right decision to make. Rose is courageous and travels through the tunnel only to find her dear brother rooted to the ground, numb, fixed, and perhaps petrified. Her warm embrace and wet tears soon melt Jack and they run home together.
At home, neither character wishes to disclose the day’s events to their mother. The story subtly hints at a ‘secret garden’ of emotions that occur between siblings. This could lead to a discussion about the different types of relationships within a family unit, how they differ and the challenges they sometimes present as a link to PSHE. The illustrations are a very important part of this story- they are quite grim at times and thus depict the feelings of both children well . They contribute to the tone and atmosphere of insecurity and uncertainty which is evident throughout but are also metaphorical and open to interpretation which aids debate and group discussion.
Overall this book could work equally well for year 3 class as it could for a year 5 lesson depending on the angle that it is approached at. It may work well as an introduction to character description, the importance of describing emotion and gesture in story writing. It is also perfect for imaginative change of ending and also drama or role play in the classroom.
August 12, 2016
I like Browne's Gorilla books best. And his books about Willy, the boy who is drawn as an ape, are terrific for the right readers. His original and fractured fairy tales, though... these are challenging. Brilliant, gorgeous, but challenging. I watched a read aloud of this on youtube; I wish I could read a print copy so that I could get a richer experience and more complete understanding. It's gotta be very symbolic, maybe Jungian?
January 18, 2019
The illustrations are brilliant, and could easily tell most, if not all, of the story. There are so many different opportunities for this book. Be it grammatical features or picture analysis. It bridges the world of reality with that of fairy tales which in itself creates lots of writing opportunities. I love the illustration of the wolf, in the tree, along with the bear. So much to pick apart with the children. In particular for core values of school, such as the one I work at, is bravery, and this is highlighted throughout this story.
April 30, 2020
it has a nice message.
May 1, 2020
SBC Summer Text
I have chosen The Tunnel and three stories from the Story Star Website to review and think about how I may use them with a class. Each story could be used to look at different aspects of writing. For example, you could ask the children about the problem and the resolution in the story, or perhaps the authors use of connective or their description of settings and characters. This website could also be used as an example of children’s work being published and would be fun to use with a class or similar aged children to the authors.
We used The Tunnel as an in depth class book and as a model for writing adventure stories.
The Tunnel by Anthony Browne
This is an adventure story about a brother and sister who do not get along. It is their journey through adversity that brings them closer together. The Tunnel would be a great story to read aloud to a class, particularly when studying adventure stories. There are lots of opportunities in the book to pause and ask inference questions of your class. It also follows a structured adventure story model and therefore would be an excellent text to use for writing. During our SBC3 summer planning tasks our group used the The Tunnel as a text to accompany our writing lessons on adventure stories.
Looking at the book in greater depth, there are clues in the pictures to link to other stories, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretal and storybook wolves. You could point these links out to your class and discuss why these may appear in the pictures, but not in the words. The pictures also provide further clues that the brother and sister do not get on and this goes further than the mention in the writing. For example, the brother and sister are often seen in separate frames with different backgrounds. Before they make amends, when they are seen in one frame they are separated by space and looking away from each other. You could also discuss with your class some of the authors choices for example, why does Browne not reveal the children’s names until the end of the story.
This is a great example of an adventure story that you can cover in depth with a class. Children can also revisit this story time and time again and find new treasures in the pictures which give the reader more information than the words.
My Vast Imagination Behind the Leaves by Shifa Asif
This is a short, sweet story written by a ten -year-old child. The suspense and mystery are created from the second sentence and the author goes on to unfurl the mystery as the story continues. I would use this story towards the end of my lesson (or series of lessons) to encourage the children to put into practice what we have been learning. I would read the story to the children, pausing after the second sentence to ask them to predict what might happen. On completion of the story I would ask the children to discuss the aspects of the story that they enjoyed. Then, as a class, we would discuss the tips we would offer the author to improve the story. We would then use this text almost as a shared write to model editing our written work, using the children’s suggestions.
The Werewolf by Yumnah TK
This is a mystery adventure story written by an eleven-year-old author. The story tells a tale about an adventure the protagonist and her best friend have on their school trip. This story is told in first person and will be relatable to most children. The author builds up the sense of excitement alongside the sense of adventure and mystery. The author has used some lovely language choices and I would like to unpick these with a class. I would start by reading through the story, using presentation skills to bring the story to life. I would pause in the section where the protagonist and her friend leave the tent and ask for the class to predict what might happen in the rest of the story. I would also pause when the protagonist becomes ill and ask the class what they think is happening. We could look at synonyms for the authors word choices and talk about how changing the word could change the way the story flows. I’d like the class to tell me which aspects of the story they like, what works well and would they would offer for an ‘even better if…’ point. The children could discuss in their talk partners the use of first person narration, does this work for this story? How has the author connected the ideas throughout the story, have they used connectives to signal time? Where are they? Are there any ideas that the children would like to magpie for their writing? We could discuss the woodland setting and how other stories we know use woodland settings. Are they sinister or are they safe places? I would encourage the children to make connections between this story and others they may have read (or studied in class).
The Dragon Rock by Cameron
This is a wonderful and imaginative story by an adult author. It would be a great story to look for examples of many different aspects of writing, particularly with a Year 4 class or older. The author uses authorial intrusion effectively and I would like to discuss this choice with the children. Do they like it? How does it make them feel? Why do you think the author does this? There is also a lot of descriptive language throughout the story and is a good example of how the children could describe a setting or a character. I would ask the children to tell me what they know about the settings and the characters. What is the weather like? Do they think it is a peaceful place? What do they know about the characters lives? How does the author use personification and simile in the story to help you picture the scene. We would be able to discuss aspects of the scenery including learning about what a valley is and why do the flowers droop? The author also uses some interesting word choices that several of the children would be unfamiliar with. I would like to encourage the creation of a class dictionary that we could add to as we uncover new words and the children could refer back to it when writing their own stories.
This was a really interesting exercise to undertake. I enjoyed looking at the children’s stories and picking out the choices they had made as authors. I think this website will be a lovely resource to use with my future class as it highlights how capable they can be as authors and the different choices writers make throughout their stories. It will also be fun to see how their writing develops over time. I hope that each child can have their own class story book where each of their pieces of writing can be copied and published in their book. The books can then be available for other children to read in the class library
I have chosen The Tunnel and three stories from the Story Star Website to review and think about how I may use them with a class. Each story could be used to look at different aspects of writing. For example, you could ask the children about the problem and the resolution in the story, or perhaps the authors use of connective or their description of settings and characters. This website could also be used as an example of children’s work being published and would be fun to use with a class or similar aged children to the authors.
We used The Tunnel as an in depth class book and as a model for writing adventure stories.
The Tunnel by Anthony Browne
This is an adventure story about a brother and sister who do not get along. It is their journey through adversity that brings them closer together. The Tunnel would be a great story to read aloud to a class, particularly when studying adventure stories. There are lots of opportunities in the book to pause and ask inference questions of your class. It also follows a structured adventure story model and therefore would be an excellent text to use for writing. During our SBC3 summer planning tasks our group used the The Tunnel as a text to accompany our writing lessons on adventure stories.
Looking at the book in greater depth, there are clues in the pictures to link to other stories, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretal and storybook wolves. You could point these links out to your class and discuss why these may appear in the pictures, but not in the words. The pictures also provide further clues that the brother and sister do not get on and this goes further than the mention in the writing. For example, the brother and sister are often seen in separate frames with different backgrounds. Before they make amends, when they are seen in one frame they are separated by space and looking away from each other. You could also discuss with your class some of the authors choices for example, why does Browne not reveal the children’s names until the end of the story.
This is a great example of an adventure story that you can cover in depth with a class. Children can also revisit this story time and time again and find new treasures in the pictures which give the reader more information than the words.
My Vast Imagination Behind the Leaves by Shifa Asif
This is a short, sweet story written by a ten -year-old child. The suspense and mystery are created from the second sentence and the author goes on to unfurl the mystery as the story continues. I would use this story towards the end of my lesson (or series of lessons) to encourage the children to put into practice what we have been learning. I would read the story to the children, pausing after the second sentence to ask them to predict what might happen. On completion of the story I would ask the children to discuss the aspects of the story that they enjoyed. Then, as a class, we would discuss the tips we would offer the author to improve the story. We would then use this text almost as a shared write to model editing our written work, using the children’s suggestions.
The Werewolf by Yumnah TK
This is a mystery adventure story written by an eleven-year-old author. The story tells a tale about an adventure the protagonist and her best friend have on their school trip. This story is told in first person and will be relatable to most children. The author builds up the sense of excitement alongside the sense of adventure and mystery. The author has used some lovely language choices and I would like to unpick these with a class. I would start by reading through the story, using presentation skills to bring the story to life. I would pause in the section where the protagonist and her friend leave the tent and ask for the class to predict what might happen in the rest of the story. I would also pause when the protagonist becomes ill and ask the class what they think is happening. We could look at synonyms for the authors word choices and talk about how changing the word could change the way the story flows. I’d like the class to tell me which aspects of the story they like, what works well and would they would offer for an ‘even better if…’ point. The children could discuss in their talk partners the use of first person narration, does this work for this story? How has the author connected the ideas throughout the story, have they used connectives to signal time? Where are they? Are there any ideas that the children would like to magpie for their writing? We could discuss the woodland setting and how other stories we know use woodland settings. Are they sinister or are they safe places? I would encourage the children to make connections between this story and others they may have read (or studied in class).
The Dragon Rock by Cameron
This is a wonderful and imaginative story by an adult author. It would be a great story to look for examples of many different aspects of writing, particularly with a Year 4 class or older. The author uses authorial intrusion effectively and I would like to discuss this choice with the children. Do they like it? How does it make them feel? Why do you think the author does this? There is also a lot of descriptive language throughout the story and is a good example of how the children could describe a setting or a character. I would ask the children to tell me what they know about the settings and the characters. What is the weather like? Do they think it is a peaceful place? What do they know about the characters lives? How does the author use personification and simile in the story to help you picture the scene. We would be able to discuss aspects of the scenery including learning about what a valley is and why do the flowers droop? The author also uses some interesting word choices that several of the children would be unfamiliar with. I would like to encourage the creation of a class dictionary that we could add to as we uncover new words and the children could refer back to it when writing their own stories.
This was a really interesting exercise to undertake. I enjoyed looking at the children’s stories and picking out the choices they had made as authors. I think this website will be a lovely resource to use with my future class as it highlights how capable they can be as authors and the different choices writers make throughout their stories. It will also be fun to see how their writing develops over time. I hope that each child can have their own class story book where each of their pieces of writing can be copied and published in their book. The books can then be available for other children to read in the class library
January 21, 2013
“The Tunnel”, by Anthony Browne, is a fantastic book with wonderful imaginative imagery. The story is about overcoming sibling rivalry. Rose and Jack are two very different characters who are always bickering much to the dismay of their mother. One day, sick of their constant fighting, she tell them they must spend the day together in the park. Rose sits placidly on the grass doing her own thing while Jack explores and ends up crawling into a mysterious tunnel. When Rose urges him to return, there is no response and she is forced to follow him into the tunnel. She emerges from the tunnel in a strange dark forest where everything is not as it seems. The illustrations of the forest are excellent because when you look at the trees closely there is more than meets the eye. Rose wanders through the forest and eventually finds Jack, who has been turned to stone. She weeps and hugs his stone figure and this transforms him back in to himself. Their adventure in the dark woods seems to bring them closer together and they now respect, and get along with each other much better. My favourite part of this book were the illustrations and I would recommend it for reading to a year 2 class or individual reading for early ks2.
February 19, 2020
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! OK, so there are no lions or tigers, but there is definitely a tree which looks suspiciously like a bear...
Anthony Browne's eerily lifelike illustrations are mesmerising, and this fantastic little tale threatens to take a really dark turn, but goes just far enough, and no more. We're two for two with Anthony Browne, after reading the terrific Gorilla, and it looks like he has plenty of other little treasures just waiting for us to discover.
Anthony Browne's eerily lifelike illustrations are mesmerising, and this fantastic little tale threatens to take a really dark turn, but goes just far enough, and no more. We're two for two with Anthony Browne, after reading the terrific Gorilla, and it looks like he has plenty of other little treasures just waiting for us to discover.
January 25, 2023
Si no fuera por las ilustraciones (personalmente no es de mi agrado), la historia es perfecta. Ideal para reflexionar la relación entre hermanos.
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RESEÑA COMPLETA EN MI BLOG: https://lavidadeungamerprincipiante.b...
May 1, 2012
The Tunnel by Anthony Browne is a very interesting book. It tells the story of a brother and sister who argue all the time, when their mother sends them out to play together and they discover a tunnel, their relationship is changed forever. The brother, whose name we do not find out until the end, crawls through the tunnel ignoring of his sister’s protests, and ends up in a magical forest. When her brother does not return, Rose follows him into the tunnel and finds him turned to stone.
This book is very intriguing and would be perfect to use as a stimulus for a philosophy for children session. There are many thought-provoking features that would be great to discuss on a philosophical level with children who are already accustomed to thinking and discussing philosophically or for older children year 3/4 and up. Such as the use of first names in the book; how did the brother know she would come? Why did he turn to stone? Why did Jack go through the tunnel if his sister was scared?
The illustrations in this book are lovely, especially once the children are in the magical forest. Browne dedicates a double page spread to an elaborate drawing of the forest with its creepy details.
A great read and would definitely recommend using this in P4C.
This book is very intriguing and would be perfect to use as a stimulus for a philosophy for children session. There are many thought-provoking features that would be great to discuss on a philosophical level with children who are already accustomed to thinking and discussing philosophically or for older children year 3/4 and up. Such as the use of first names in the book; how did the brother know she would come? Why did he turn to stone? Why did Jack go through the tunnel if his sister was scared?
The illustrations in this book are lovely, especially once the children are in the magical forest. Browne dedicates a double page spread to an elaborate drawing of the forest with its creepy details.
A great read and would definitely recommend using this in P4C.
November 24, 2015
Review of 'The Tunnel' - Emma, Georgia and Benny.
About a relationship between a brother and sister. They don't see eye to eye and have different interests. They come across a tunnel which results in her being separated from her brother. She has to face her fears from traditional fairytales in order to save him.
Implied Reader - previous knowledge of fairytales. Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast in particular.
Themes - sibling relationships, loss, mourning, personal journeys, fears, reconciliation, fairytale.
Picturebook Techniques - Character Direction and Positioning, colour contrasts, picture size and border changing with the focus of that page, metatextuality, lighting in illustrations and line formation, literal and expressive pictures.
How do the words and pictures work together?
Pictures can stand alone to show emotion and description of setting. Words carry the story and add support through speech.
About a relationship between a brother and sister. They don't see eye to eye and have different interests. They come across a tunnel which results in her being separated from her brother. She has to face her fears from traditional fairytales in order to save him.
Implied Reader - previous knowledge of fairytales. Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast in particular.
Themes - sibling relationships, loss, mourning, personal journeys, fears, reconciliation, fairytale.
Picturebook Techniques - Character Direction and Positioning, colour contrasts, picture size and border changing with the focus of that page, metatextuality, lighting in illustrations and line formation, literal and expressive pictures.
How do the words and pictures work together?
Pictures can stand alone to show emotion and description of setting. Words carry the story and add support through speech.
September 2, 2011
In the book the little girl reads allot of books this allows different stories to be introduced into the book, pictures of the images of the different books in this book are shown as the girl’s imagination.
The tunnel contains a lot of intertextuality, there is allot of contrast of colours and images in this book this helps children to stay engaged on looking at the pictures because they are attractive.
This book could be used as a basis for discussion within classroom children could rewrite the story giving it a different ending.
The tunnel contains a lot of intertextuality, there is allot of contrast of colours and images in this book this helps children to stay engaged on looking at the pictures because they are attractive.
This book could be used as a basis for discussion within classroom children could rewrite the story giving it a different ending.
October 12, 2011
I thought this was the cutest book! I have siblings so I related to this book. Also me and my brother used to argue a lot and now we r the best of friends. I would love to show this book to my kids because i know they all fight with their siblings so they can definitely relate to this book. I would maybe have them talk to each other and see how they reacted in certain situations and maybe talk about some things that they have done together with their siblings. Im sure they will learn a lot from each other.
August 26, 2025
Scardinare i rapporti familiari, offrire una lettura critica, attraversare e decifrare la paura. Browne offre tutte queste possibilità con Il tunnel, vincitore di tantissimi premi e tradotto in tutto il mondo, finalmente portato in Italia da Camelozampa.
In tutti gli albi illustrati di Anthony Browne il perturbante avvolge totalmente il lettore, che si trova di fronte (e dentro) a una storia apparentemente ordinaria, ma che rivela indizi, simboli stranianti, capaci di scavare nel profondo.
In tutti gli albi illustrati di Anthony Browne il perturbante avvolge totalmente il lettore, che si trova di fronte (e dentro) a una storia apparentemente ordinaria, ma che rivela indizi, simboli stranianti, capaci di scavare nel profondo.
September 29, 2024
Es la segunda vez que leo este cuento🥹 de peque me había gustado mucho pero creo que ahora no fué para tanto. Seguramente mi primera puntuación hubiese sido un 5⭐️.
November 13, 2018
A tale that isolates how far the rift between siblings can go but also how impactful the care within a family can be. 'The Tunnel' tells the tale of two siblings, who battling rivalry ends in them taking a mysterious journey through a fairy tale tunnel ending in the brother's stone cold exterior being broken down by the love and grief of his sister.
The fact that this seemingly normal story of brothers and sisters is set amongst the back drop of fairy tales provides the chance for children to engage with the book in a wider context and depth. By spending time re reading the picture book both with and without the narrative, I was amazed about how much I discovered and how different my interpretation of the book was each time. The Tunnel incorporated so many parts of different stories that it provides a great whole class opportunity for children to engage in inference, prediction and extending the story activities and also would provide great insight for the teacher into how children's depth of understanding about stories is developing within their classroom.
The illustrations, alone, provide vital insight into the emotions and feelings of the character. The use of panels throughout also aids in developing a sense of distance between characters and also draws the reader in at different crucial times. Often the images that Brown has added greater detail and intertextuality fill the whole two page spread or the whole page that they are on...encouraging the reader to spend more time picking apart each image.
Overall, a brilliant picture book to introduce children into the idea that depth can be found in whatever text they are reading. Brilliant as both a whole class text or a group text but it is vital this picturebook is given the right amount of time to be looked at in depth and critically otherwise who know's how many children's ideas we are going to miss.
The fact that this seemingly normal story of brothers and sisters is set amongst the back drop of fairy tales provides the chance for children to engage with the book in a wider context and depth. By spending time re reading the picture book both with and without the narrative, I was amazed about how much I discovered and how different my interpretation of the book was each time. The Tunnel incorporated so many parts of different stories that it provides a great whole class opportunity for children to engage in inference, prediction and extending the story activities and also would provide great insight for the teacher into how children's depth of understanding about stories is developing within their classroom.
The illustrations, alone, provide vital insight into the emotions and feelings of the character. The use of panels throughout also aids in developing a sense of distance between characters and also draws the reader in at different crucial times. Often the images that Brown has added greater detail and intertextuality fill the whole two page spread or the whole page that they are on...encouraging the reader to spend more time picking apart each image.
Overall, a brilliant picture book to introduce children into the idea that depth can be found in whatever text they are reading. Brilliant as both a whole class text or a group text but it is vital this picturebook is given the right amount of time to be looked at in depth and critically otherwise who know's how many children's ideas we are going to miss.
November 13, 2019
Brilliant book and very engaging. Despite being brother and sister, Rose and Jack have very differing interests. Rose enjoys spending time inside whereas her brother enjoys playing outside, meaning they also argue lots. After being sent out together by their mother (who is never physically pictured) they come across a tunnel. Curious Jack climbs through the tunnel and Rose follows shortly behind him after worrying where he has got to. On the other side of the tunnel is an enchanted fairy tale like woods (with lots to pick up on for discussion with children) with many references to perhaps other books. Rose finds her brother has turned to stone! Wrapping her arms around him in despair, Jack gradually regains colour and life before they both head back home as quickly as they can.
A great book for provoking discussion with children and opportunities for writing tasks such as what happens next in the book.
A great book for provoking discussion with children and opportunities for writing tasks such as what happens next in the book.
January 2, 2025
Deutsche Ausgabe übersetzt von Peter Baumann
Das Bilderbuch habe ich für mein Deutsch Seminar ausgesucht, in dem wir Literaturtheorien anwenden.
Ich mag sehr gerne diese mysteriöse Stimmung die etwas düsteres hat aber gleichzeitig auch wohlig ist. Ich kenne dieses Gefühl aus meiner Kindheit/Jugend. Diese Stille in der Natur. Im Wald.
Mir gefallen die Symbolik und die Rotkäppchen Referenzen. Der Zeichenstil hat einen alten Charme und die Figuren zeigen ihre Emotionen sehr ausdrucksstark.
Übrigens liebe ich die Coverillustration. Was löst es in euch aus?
Anwendbar:
- Psychoanalyse
- Intertexutalität
- Gender studies
Das Bilderbuch habe ich für mein Deutsch Seminar ausgesucht, in dem wir Literaturtheorien anwenden.
Ich mag sehr gerne diese mysteriöse Stimmung die etwas düsteres hat aber gleichzeitig auch wohlig ist. Ich kenne dieses Gefühl aus meiner Kindheit/Jugend. Diese Stille in der Natur. Im Wald.
Mir gefallen die Symbolik und die Rotkäppchen Referenzen. Der Zeichenstil hat einen alten Charme und die Figuren zeigen ihre Emotionen sehr ausdrucksstark.
Übrigens liebe ich die Coverillustration. Was löst es in euch aus?
Anwendbar:
- Psychoanalyse
- Intertexutalität
- Gender studies
November 5, 2018
A nice book about an adventure and sibling relationships - overcoming rivalry and fear to look out for one another.
The time the brother spends in the tunnel is not recorded which provides a great opportunity for prediction and imaginative activities.
The book ends with neither rose nor jack wanting to share where they had been, creating the idea of a secret world. This lends itself to activities exploring connections and imagination between friends and siblings.
The time the brother spends in the tunnel is not recorded which provides a great opportunity for prediction and imaginative activities.
The book ends with neither rose nor jack wanting to share where they had been, creating the idea of a secret world. This lends itself to activities exploring connections and imagination between friends and siblings.
May 19, 2022
3.5/5 An excellent picture book for older pupils (8+) to explore sibling relationships and examine the use of fairy tales to teach children important lessons about life. The illustrations are incredibly detailed and atmospheric, the text simple but effective (and just dated enough to make for an interesting lesson about rewriting the story in a more modern way!). This would be a great addition to a primary teachers library.
October 15, 2021
As always, with Anthony Browne, the illustrations say so much more. I really loved this book! Hours could be spent discussing different interpretations and the finer details of the pictures. Great book to get children thinking and seeing things from a different perspective.
October 2, 2018
Lovely story
November 24, 2020
Don’t think I’m yet to come across a book I don’t like by Anthony Browne, every single one has so many layers to it to be explored. You can really see why he has won so many awards!
June 3, 2023
oooh a little creepy
June 15, 2025
intriguing. Chihiro turned wrong vibes
January 26, 2026
Brilliant little book, just not to my taste.
Old school drawings, references to fairytales. Its a short story for kids about relationships with their siblings
Old school drawings, references to fairytales. Its a short story for kids about relationships with their siblings
books-i-read-when-i-was-younger
January 30, 2023goodreads recommended this to me and it reminded me of how much it traumatised me when I was younger.
October 31, 2018
This picture book had really clear images about what was happening in the story. I shared this with an EAL pupil on placement and was able to point to the pictures that linked with vocabulary in the story for the pupil to understand. Therefore it was useful to read and it was a nice story.
January 5, 2016
I finally read this book today, whilst sat in a classroom during which the children were packing up from their lesson. While I was reading the book, I found myself getting the most strangest looks, but that was because of the facial expressions I was pulling due to my utter enjoyment in the book. I found that whilst reading the book, I was taken into the tunnel with the children, and shared the same experience with them.
Anthony Browne has yet again produced an amazing children's book for children of all ages. With links being made relating to fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, through illustrations, children of all ages could easily relate to this book and develop a love of reading. Those of all abilities could interact with this book, whether this be by focusing on the pictures and the words or by just focusing on one aspect (either purely the words or the illustrations), the teacher could develop a community where children are confident when sharing ideas.
Drama opportunities - Children could explore this book using drama. For example, hot-seating could be used to explore emotions, freeze frames could be used where similar images are created but alternative fairy tales are used, conscience alley could be used to persuade the girl to either follow the boy through the tunnel or to leave him.
Links to other stories - Alice in Wonderland, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Receptive context - The teacher that I have been working with in the last few weeks has decided to use this book with her class, because of how much I have been inspired to investigate myself. Together, we have decided to use a tunnel where the children can go through it, sharing the experience that was experienced by the two characters. Also, to explore the story further, we are going to get the children to draw what they think is at the end of the tunnel before actually exploring the story. The overall aim of the unit is to develop children's curiosity but to also get them excited about reading.
Anthony Browne has yet again produced an amazing children's book for children of all ages. With links being made relating to fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, through illustrations, children of all ages could easily relate to this book and develop a love of reading. Those of all abilities could interact with this book, whether this be by focusing on the pictures and the words or by just focusing on one aspect (either purely the words or the illustrations), the teacher could develop a community where children are confident when sharing ideas.
Drama opportunities - Children could explore this book using drama. For example, hot-seating could be used to explore emotions, freeze frames could be used where similar images are created but alternative fairy tales are used, conscience alley could be used to persuade the girl to either follow the boy through the tunnel or to leave him.
Links to other stories - Alice in Wonderland, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Receptive context - The teacher that I have been working with in the last few weeks has decided to use this book with her class, because of how much I have been inspired to investigate myself. Together, we have decided to use a tunnel where the children can go through it, sharing the experience that was experienced by the two characters. Also, to explore the story further, we are going to get the children to draw what they think is at the end of the tunnel before actually exploring the story. The overall aim of the unit is to develop children's curiosity but to also get them excited about reading.
January 21, 2013
I read The Tunnel on the back of being fascinated by another Anthony Browne story Voices in the Park.
Resemblance in picture quality is equal if not better within this book, setting the spooky scenes in which the story experiences.
If the reader is able to surpass the illustrations a beautiful relationship is formed and shared between a brother and sister of whom usually argue, disagree and clash in terms of stereotypical characteristics and lifestyles.
Jack, being the boy he is sets out to explore a wasteland area, Rose, intrigued follows him. Both come across a tunnel, inviting any young boy to enter and act on instinct, of which Jack does, against the wishes of sister Rose.
Jack enters the tunnel leading into a magical forest. When he does not return Rose, alone and scared follows him. Upon her arrival into the magical forest she finds her brother; turned into stone. Her emotions are evident to the reader. Unaware of what to do Rose simply cuddles Jack showing the care and love she has for her brother. This cuddle turns Jack back into the young boy he was before entering the tunnel and forest.
The story promotes thought, emotion and the importance of family/friendships. Using this in the recommended key stage 2 classroom could allow an excellent weekly topic using cross curricular links in Literacy, RE, PSHE and Geography.
A great story with brilliant pictures and a deeper meaning, the perfect read for whole class discussion, morale and respect.
Resemblance in picture quality is equal if not better within this book, setting the spooky scenes in which the story experiences.
If the reader is able to surpass the illustrations a beautiful relationship is formed and shared between a brother and sister of whom usually argue, disagree and clash in terms of stereotypical characteristics and lifestyles.
Jack, being the boy he is sets out to explore a wasteland area, Rose, intrigued follows him. Both come across a tunnel, inviting any young boy to enter and act on instinct, of which Jack does, against the wishes of sister Rose.
Jack enters the tunnel leading into a magical forest. When he does not return Rose, alone and scared follows him. Upon her arrival into the magical forest she finds her brother; turned into stone. Her emotions are evident to the reader. Unaware of what to do Rose simply cuddles Jack showing the care and love she has for her brother. This cuddle turns Jack back into the young boy he was before entering the tunnel and forest.
The story promotes thought, emotion and the importance of family/friendships. Using this in the recommended key stage 2 classroom could allow an excellent weekly topic using cross curricular links in Literacy, RE, PSHE and Geography.
A great story with brilliant pictures and a deeper meaning, the perfect read for whole class discussion, morale and respect.
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