Memorial [Hardcover]

Gary Crew (Author), Shaun Tan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A Moreton Bay Fig tree, planted as a memorial to Australian soldiers killed in World War I, looks set to be cut down by the local council. A young boy tells the moving story of the tree, as related by his great grandfather, grandfather and father, each of whom has participated in wars over the years. Interweaving themes of war, memory and conservation while bringing the legend of the Anzacs to a new generation, with brilliantly original collage illustration.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–A conversation among an unnamed boy, his great-grandfather, grandparents, and parents reveals a sense of community and remembrance that grew up around a statue and fig tree planted when Australian soldiers returned from the First World War. Each man in the family participated in a different war and shares memories of returning home afterward. The protagonist's inquisitiveness turns to idealistic outrage when local officials propose removing the tree since its roots are lifting the pavement ("bitumen" in Australia), causing a traffic hazard. The boy believes that the tree is as much a memorial as the statue, and that it houses animals and plants that are valuable to the town. An aura of sadness and pessimism pervades the story: the boy's great-grandfather says, "They'll beat you, son. The big boys will beat you every time. They'll chop you to bits…." The town council does take down the tree, but the youngster is consoled by reflecting on his great-grandfather's opinion that it is people's fighting spirit that is remembered in the end. Detailed, engrossing, multimedia collages draw in readers and hint at hard war times, warm family times, and stages in the life of the tree and in the community. It's undeniably a powerful package, but one that will have a hard time finding its audience; middle-school art and social-studies teachers may be the key to its success.–Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Queensland author Gary Crew has an outstanding reputation as a writer of young adult fiction and innovative picture books. His numerous prizes and awards include CBC Book of the Year: Older Readers for Strange Objects and Angel's Gate (1991 and 1994); CBC Picture Book of the Year shortlisting for Lucy's Bay (1993); CBC Picture Book of the Year for First Light (1994) and CBC Picture Book of the Year for The Watertower (1995). Gary was editor of the After Dark series and author of the picture books First Light, The Lost Diamonds of Killiecrankie, Bright Star, The Viewer, Troy Thompson's Excellent Peotry Book, Troy Thompson's Radical Prose Folio, Memorial and Leo the Lion Tamer. His previous Lothian YA Fiction titles are Mama's Babies and Dear Venny, Dear Saffron. ILLUSTRATORBIO: Shaun Tan has an outstanding reputation for his illustrative work. He won the Crichton Award for Book Illustration (The Viewer) in 1995. His collaborative effort with John Marsden, The Rabbits was named CBC Picture Book of the Year in 1999. Memorial was his third picture book. He has been a leading science-fiction illustrator in Australia for several years; with recognition including the Illustrators of the Future Award (1991) and the Australian National Science Fiction Best Artist Award (1995, 1996). He contributes regular political cartoons to the Western Review and is the art editor and a regular contributor to Eidelon magazine.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lothian Books (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850919835
• ISBN-13: 978-0850919837
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,863,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy it for the story, or for the pictures, January 13, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memorial (Hardcover)

A very short picture book, but one with an emotional thread tapped by both the author and illustrator. Suitable for adults as well as children. Its only fault is that it is perhaps too short.

A statue to commemorate one war is uprooted by a tree planted to commemorate another. When the tree is cut down by the council, it deeply affects a family whose own roots lay in both conflicts.

Shaun Tan's illustrations are amazing and in comparisson to 'The Rabbits' show an incredible diversity in his work. Like The Rabbits, the illustrations in this book are powerful and emotional, full of texture and detail. If you are Australian or have been there, you will recognise the shapes, colours and sense of light. If you aren't from those parts, you will be taken on a ourney of even richer discovery.

Add it to a collection of Shaun Tan illustrated works and your appreciation will be even richer.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich Layers in History and Collage, February 2, 2002

By 

Fiona (Aotearoa/ New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memorial (Hardcover)

An inspiration for art exploration, Shaun Tan creates wonderful montages and collages that carry a message to enrich and extend the text. This is a fine book from Australia, honouring the soldiers who fell and the memorials that were built for them, illustrating the threads of oral history that are passed through a family, and questioning "progress" and modern convenience in the town planning processes. Excellent material as social Studies and the Language Arts overlap and complement each other.