The Tower to the Sun [Hardcover]

Colin Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

One hundred years in the future, when the earth is so polluted that the sun can't be seen, the richest man in the world wants his grandson to experience the blue sky and orange sun he remembers from his childhood. So he spends 20 years and all of his money  to build a tower to the sun. Using the largest rock in the world as the foundation, workers pile stone upon stone, beam over beam, building atop building, until the old man sits on top of the tower with his great grandson and feels the warmth of the sun shine on his face. Though now penniless, he is indeed, a rich man. Lush with the intricate detail that has become his hallmark, Colin Thompson's art invites repeated examination and yields its secrets subtly. His tower is an extraordinary pastiche of architectural prototypes from Stonehenge, Greek temples and the leaning tower of Pisa to the Chrysler Building and the Guggenheim Museum. This is Thompson's most provocative pictorial fantasy to date--and a moving fable for the environmentally conscious of all ages.  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-6. Thompson creates a futuristic world in which the Earth is shrouded in a yellow, polluted mist and only the "weakest wash of sunshine" comes through. The richest man in the world and his grandson set out to penetrate the fog in order to see the sun. Collecting buildings from every continent, they spend years fabricating a tower. Finally, the leaning tower of Pisa is set at its peak, and the sky grows lighter. Sitting next to his great-grandson, the man feels the "warmth of life shine on his skin." The outlook of this book can only be described as bleak with its stark, desolate cityscape; dreary apocalyptic sky; and slim hope of continued survival. The only bright bit of fun arrives with the building of the tower where Thompson's signature crowding of minute details allows readers to put aside the story's premise in favor of discovering every visual nuance and identifying famous buildings. And yet this distraction is obliterated by the final illustration with its desolate line of silhouetted people waiting for their climb up the now menacing structure that looms like a foreboding atomic mushroom cloud. Maybe young readers will be incensed at the implied downtrodden apathy of this world's general population. Maybe this book will serve to spark the imagination in older readers to find more far-reaching, positive solutions. There's a lot of potential for discussion here.?Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Thompson (How to Live Forever, 1996, etc.) offers readers plenty to think about, while providing, as usual, a great deal to look at in this story of a world where the sun no longer shines. The richest man in the world wants his grandson to see the sun as it truly is, without the haze of pollutants that makes their world look as if it were wrapped in ``dirty cotton wool.'' The biggest balloon ever cannot take them beyond the clouds, so they resolve to build a tower that will--``What use is all my money if I can't build dreams?'' asks the grandfather. The construction of the tower is full of Thompson's expected visual and spatial puns and drolleries; when, after decades of work, people start adding whole buildings to the tower, some very recognizable architectural works (the Guggenheim, the Sydney Opera House, Stonehenge) appear. The carefully wrapped Tower of Pisa is the final element that enables the very old man and his great-grandson to feel the warmth of the sun at last. Thompson's opening and concluding comparison of the tower with the Great Wall of China doesn't hold up to any sort of scrutiny, but his painterly pyrotechnics make this worth lingering over. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (April 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679883347
• ISBN-13: 978-0679883340
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,288,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Our children's inheritance superbly crafted., August 14, 1999

By 

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

This review is from: The Tower to the Sun (Hardcover)

Colin Thompson is a craftsman in both word and thought, 'Tower to the Sun' is a feast for the eyes and the soul. Imagination runs rampant while reality raps nervously on your sensibilities. In a world of darkness this is a story of a immensely rich man and his adoring grandson who decide to build a tower through the man-made smog so that each may feel the sun on their face. It is a vision of one real possibility facing the future generations and a warning of this generation's carelessness with the environment. A joy to read over and over again with pictures that reveal something new at every viewing. Children will delight at the endless variety and adults will marvel at the intricacy and depth to the story telling.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REASSURING TALE OF HOME AND LOVE, March 3, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tower to the Sun (Hardcover)

The Tower To The Sun is an amazing edifice constructed by the inventive mind of England's Colin Thompson. As always, the intricacies of his brilliantly conceived illustrations fascinate in this conscience-raising tale of the richest man in the world who wants his grandson to see truly blue sky.

British writer/artist Jane Hissey takes toys and readers on a moonlight excursion in Hoot (Random House, $18.00). Her luminous watercolor paintings of button-eyed plush toys are wonderfully apt accompaniment for this reassuring tale of home and love.