Lost & Found

Written and Illustrated by Shaun Tan

Bibliographic data

Tan, Shaun. 2011. Lost & Found. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 9780545229241

Plot Summary

This is a book consisting of three previously published stories, “The Red Tree”, “The Lost Thing”, and “The Rabbits.” In “The Red Tree,” a young girl wanders through the darkness to find hope at the end. In “The Lost Thing,” a young boy finds an unusual object and strives to find a place for lost items. In “The Rabbits” (text by John Marsden), rabbits invade and take over a new land that pushes out the current animals.

Critical Analysis

Shaun Tan’s illustrations throughout the three stories are original and unique. He is very imaginative and provides many aspects to his pictures that need more than a quick glance from the reader to capture them all. If the reader really looks hard in “The Red Tree” they will notice that in every scene there is a red oak leaf. The leaf does not stand out, so it is almost like a “Where’s Waldo” search.

Each story has its own unique setting, but all of the stories have a theme of searching for something that is lost, or a place for something that is lost. In “The Red Tree,” the little girl searches for a brightness in her life and finds it at the end. In “The Lost Thing,” the boy finds a very unusual lost creature and searches for a home for it. In the end he finds it a home and seems to not notice lost item anymore. In “The Rabbits,” the rabbits come and take over a land already inhabited by animals. This story does not really have a happy ending because the readers are left with “Who will save us from the rabbits?”

Even though the characters might be a little unusual, the reader can identify with them. In “The Red Tree,” everyone seems to go through a time searching for meaning and a light in their life to brighten things up. In “The Lost Thing,” I imagine connecting it to helping a lost animal find it home. In “The Rabbits,” people could connect with the rabbits that take conquer the land or the fight that the current animals have to keep their home.

At the end of the book there is an Author’s Note where Tan provides some more insight into each story. There is also a note from John Marsden on “The Rabbits.”

The interest level of the book is grades 5 through 8, but these stories can be enjoyed my all ages. Younger students may not understand some of the deep meaning, but they will love all the interesting illustrations.

Review Excerpts

• Parents' Choice Gold Award 2011
• “While they are most assuredly not for young children, these stories representing the visionary work of a master storyteller, illustrator, and designer who cares deeply about his message deserve a place in almost every collection.” Booklist starred review
• “Uniquely sophisticated art extends the relationships between the stories.” School Library Journal

Connections

• Have the students discuss what they think each story is about. Since there are some underlying messages, it will be interesting to see what they come up with.
• After reading “The Rabbits” talk about how this relates to Columbus and the discovery of America.
• Ask students how they handle things that are lost.