There is a richness to Shaun Tan's work that is truly remarkable. There are so many little things to notice in his work. Some things I noticed are:
- The little red leaf occurs on every page: symbol of hope?
- The snail: the small snail on the desk in the first illustration reappears later in the narrative.
- The use of color: Like all great artists, Tan is a color master, each page uses a pallet that portrays different moods and feelings.
- Landscapes: There is a different landscape portrayed on each page, each rather isolating, despite their scope. This topic could be interesting to discuss with students.
- Medium: For the most part, I think Tan uses paint, but the illustrations that really intrigue me are the ones that use newspapers and print.
- Mixed media words: going along the same lines as the previous point, there are words hidden in some of the illustrations. It could be interesting to discuss how these words contribute to the narrative.
- What the protagonist holds: sometimes the protagonist holds nothing, but in other illustrations she holds a dice or a puppet. Again, this is an interesting discussion topic with students