Two picture books: Mitsumasa Anno and Shaun Tan

[sweet-adelheid.livejournal.com]

#5 - Anno's Medieval World by Mitsumasa Anno, (Bodley Head, 1980)

A favourite storyteller of my childhood, and here I found an Anno book I hadn't yet read! My review is here.

#6 - The Red Tree by Shaun Tan (Lothian, 2001)

I'm not sure there's any point linking to my "review" of this, because it's mostly incoherent and gobsmacked. With the exception of the fact that I really loved the final spread and have found a great deal in it, I'm just going to point you all to sanguinity's review instead. (Mine's here if you really want to read it.)

Comments

[sanguinity]

I'm glad that you loved the final spread. The book is amazing, and I'm glad to know that it stayed amazing right through to the end for you.

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

Shaun Tan is a genius, just a brilliant talent, absolutely world class. I know him personally (though not well), and he is also a humble, interesting, and sweet human being.

The only thing I would say is that The Red Tree is not even close to his best. I think that honour goes to The Arrival, his wordless book about the migrant experience, but The Lost Thing is a definite contender as his best children work. Basically, everything he does is superb.