paperapostle
New Member
A friend and I found this book in Indigo a few years ago, and it has to be about the most beautifully illustrated book I have ever held in my hands. I wouldn't hesitate to scan the pages and have them printed and framed so I could hang them in my home. Of course this desire could also stem for the aligorigal message that lies in this book, and how that closely ties into matters of my heart. The book deals with ecological devastation and genocide using highly stylized paintings (made using acrylic, ink, gauche, and coloured pencils) of rabbits who look very much like they're ready to take Alexandria along side Napoleon.
Quote from Illustrator Shaun Tan's on the controversy over The Rabbits winning Picture Book of the Year by the Children’s Book Council (of, I assume, Australia):
One reason for the initial controversy is that The Rabbits is a picture book, and therefore thought to be children’s literature, and wrongly assumed to be didactic, whereas it had been originally conceived as a book for older readers, and generally difficult to categorise. Some children may get a lot out of it, but generally it defies most picture book conventions and is not necessarily a good choice for pleasant bedtime reading!
I was going to post a link to Tan's site so you could see his truly amazing work, but the little preview message has warned me that I haven't made 15 posts yet. Well, boo. Another time, I guess. OR! You can just Google "Shaun Tan + The Rabbits"!
Quote from Illustrator Shaun Tan's on the controversy over The Rabbits winning Picture Book of the Year by the Children’s Book Council (of, I assume, Australia):
One reason for the initial controversy is that The Rabbits is a picture book, and therefore thought to be children’s literature, and wrongly assumed to be didactic, whereas it had been originally conceived as a book for older readers, and generally difficult to categorise. Some children may get a lot out of it, but generally it defies most picture book conventions and is not necessarily a good choice for pleasant bedtime reading!
I was going to post a link to Tan's site so you could see his truly amazing work, but the little preview message has warned me that I haven't made 15 posts yet. Well, boo. Another time, I guess. OR! You can just Google "Shaun Tan + The Rabbits"!
