This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book, originally crafted as large oil paintings by Australian author/illustrator Shaun Tan, was awarded Best Picture Book of 2014 by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
Containing very little text, “Tan loves to juxtapose the ‘ordinary and extraordinary’ to translate ordinary activities into fantastical scenes.” and Tan believes that less is more, allowing the illustrations to be interpreted by the viewer’s own perception and imagination to unravel the events.
The story is about two boys, one rather bigger or older than the other, and the things they do one summer, which is told in a series of dramatic and evocative paintings. It is a mysterious and at times unsettling visitation of childhood imaginary play, friendships, memories, disagreements, rivalry and ‘rules’ that might govern any relationship between close friends or siblings.
This book begins with the line: ‘This is what I learned last summer’ and then each page contains a rule that begins with ‘Never’ until the last few rules, which begin with the word ‘Always’. There is a surreal quality to some of the rules offered up in the text.
Watch the video below where Shaun is interviewed on ABC Radio and discussed the book in more detail.
Themes to explore from the book:
- rules
- friendship & companionship
- disagreements & rivalry
- outsiders, loneliness, isolation, alienation and belonging
- imagination
Curriculum Topics
Study of History, Society & Environment
- intolerance & cultural miscomunication
- suburbia & the urban environment
Teachers:
Click here to download a teacher’s guide for this book which you can use with your students.
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