This could be read as a simple tale of a Lost Thing in a faceless industrial world but as with all Tan's work it invites more complex analysis. I think it evokes so well those melancholy feelings of being "other", of not fitting into a world that appears to be rushing on without you. Although this essay by Tan is quite lengthy for the intended age group of this program, it offers many ideas about his creative process and thought about visual storytelling that can stimulate discussion and student responses.

Other artistic influences mentioned by Tan that relate more to the Utopia scene are those of Hieronymus Bosch and the Spanish Surrealists. A simple Google image search of Spanish Surrealists will provide plentiful images to give students a sense of the colour, vibrancy and the often bizarre subject matter of Surrealism; qualities that can also be seen in the Utopia image. One of the most famous works by Bosch is The Garden of Earthly Delights, a triptych depicting the Garden of Eden and Hell on the left and right panels, and the central panel involving people carousing with each other and animal figures in a strange landscape dotted with odd architecture. The link provided here is of a virtual tour of the expansive painting and it needs to be noted that there is adult content which some teachers may find unsuitable for Year 7/8 students. Adaptations The time given to each panel discussion should equate to an average speaking time of two minutes per student (that is, 10 minutes for a five-member group). Year 7: (ACELA1782) (ACELA1763) (ACELT1619) (ACELT1620) (ACELT1803) (ACELY1804) (ACELY1722) (ACELY1724) (EN4-1A) (EN4-3B) (EN4-8D) (EN4-2A) (EN4-5C) (EN4-6C)

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Something that breathes and writhes’ ... The Lost Thing by Jules Maxwell. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian Non sequitur:a set of panels seemingly unrelated in relation to images or words (there is no example of this in The Lost Thing). McLoud. S., 1993. E’ curioso che ho letto il libro in modo abbastanza rapido, curandomi soprattutto della storia senza dare troppa importanza ai dettagli. E alla fine sono sbottato in un: “ e allora?” After a few “tugs” (post-it notes) have been placed, students are to evaluate the relative strengths of the tugs, whereby the stronger points are placed closer at the farther ends of the rope. The set of resources available here is based on Shaun Tan’s collaboration with Gary Crew in The Viewer. The Scaffold for Reading Visual Images can be easily adapted and used for The Lost Thing.

The Lost Thingis a humorous story about a boy who discovers a bizarre-looking creature while out collecting bottle-tops at a beach. Having guessed that it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it, or where it belongs, but the problem is met with indifference by everyone else, who barely notice its presence. Each is unhelpful in their own way; strangers, friends, parents are all unwilling to entertain this uninvited interruption to day-to-day life. In spite of his better judgement, the boy feels sorry for this hapless creature and attempts to find out where it belongs.As a boy, Tan spent time illustrating poems and stories and drawing dinosaurs, robots and spaceships. At school he was known as a talented artist. [6] At the age of eleven, he became a fan of The Twilight Zone television series as well as books that bore similar themes. Tan cites Ray Bradbury as a favorite at this time. These stories led to Tan writing his own short stories. Of his effort at writing as a youth, Tan tells, "I have a small pile of rejection letters as testament to this ambition!" [7] At the age of sixteen, Tan's first illustration appeared in the Australian magazine Aurealis in 1990. [7] Transition to illustration [ edit ]

Action to action: a single subject (whether person, animal or thing) is depicted in a sequence of actions to represent a longer, overall scene; In asking questions of the book, the reader is inevitably asking questions about their own experience in seeking individual closure. What aspects of it are familiar, and why? What does it remind you of, or make you think about? This is a picture book that works through such resonance rather than recognition, or any didactic imperative; ideas and feelings are evoked rather than explained. For his career contribution to "children's and young adult literature in the broadest sense" Tan won the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from the Swedish Arts Council, the biggest prize in children's literature. [5] Biography [ edit ] Early life [ edit ] In the middle of the rope write the statement, “ The Lost Thing has a happy ending” and the words “Yes” and “No” at each end of the rope.Year 7: (ACELT1620) (ACELT1622) (ACELT1625) (ACELT1805) (ACELY1725) (ACELY1726) (ACELY1728) (EN4-2A) (EN4-1A) (EN4-6C) (EN4-4B) When his parents notice it, Shaun’s mother reacts like most do: “Its feet are filthy!” she shrieks. His father is equally negative: it has to go. The Lost Thing is hidden in the shed, but Shaun knows that’s not a permanent solution, so he tries his best to do the right thing. He encounters bureaucratic indifference in the city (Downtown, 6328th Street, Tall Grey Building #357b) but also helpful advice, and hopes he has ultimately helped The Lost Thing to a good destination.

Colours: notably, the juxtaposition between the grey bleakness of Shaun’s world and the utopian sanctuary can emphasise certain qualities of each place. Panel layout: an interesting case is the sideways layout of the utopian scene. The reader’s action to turn the book sideways can be read as symbolising the importance of looking at things differently.Choose three words to describe the narrator and share them with your group. As a group decide on the three best words – you need to be able to explain why you have chosen them. Organise the children in small groups (4 usually works well). Share notes. Encourage attentive listening while everyone has their turn. Ask students what they think the image reveals about the physical world represented in the image. List these responses under the heading “Physical setting”. Select two or three images for close looking (e.g. the beach, the image with Shaun and Pete sitting on top of the house, Shaun’s parents, the inner city high-level view looking down on Shaun and the lost thing, the place of lost things).