Lost Thing

Product Information

Provide students with copies of the document, The Lost Thing: making meaning with other art (PDF, 165KB). Teachers should model the first exercise of Part 1 where students are asked to identify a difference between Tan’s work and the original, and the effect this change has on suggesting an idea or developing a theme. Shaun Tan was born in 1974 and grew up in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. In school he became known as the ‘good drawer’ which partly compensated for always being the shortest kid in every class. He graduated from the University of WA in 1995 with joint honours in Fine Arts and English Literature, and currently works full-time as a freelance artist and author in Melbourne. Shaun Tan is an incredible artist whose pictures are able to capture nostalgia, and the bittersweet sadness that exists in the contemporary world. Rather than superficial princesses and shallow fairy tales, Tan asks us to also reflect upon aspects of life through original illustrations that are humorous, sentimental, poignant and satirical. Has the narrator changed in any way at the end of the story as a result of his encounter with the lost thing? Butcher’s paper or space on walls to assemble responses under the headings: Think, Puzzle and Explore.

Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections is a new collection of images from artist and writer Shaun Tan's best-known works as well as more than 100 illustrations that have never been seen before. The book also includes essays by the artist. In the audio commentary that accompanies the DVD of The Lost Thing, Shaun Tan describes the city where the boy lives as having ‘a dead heart’. Choose three words to describe the narrator and share them with your group. As a group decide on the three best words – you need to be able to explain why you have chosen them. Tan describes himself as a slow worker who revises his work many times along the way. He is interested in loss and alienation, and believes that children in particular react well to issues of natural justice. He feels he is "like a translator" of ideas, and is happy and flattered to see his work adapted and interpreted in film and music (such as by the Australian Chamber Orchestra). [10] Influences [ edit ] Consider at least four illustrations in this text in detail, and critically analyse how Tan uses a variety of techniques to convey his ideas to reader.

Other Recommended Titles

This is a comprehensive resource by ACMI that offers many avenues to consider the book in conjunction with its film adaptation.

A Panel Discussion guide (PDF, 159KB) is provided for students to be aware of conventions and expectations. If this is the students’ first attempt at panel discussions, it is advisable to identify and screen examples from the media. Some of these can include: The Footy Show, Q&A, The New Inventors, or Offsiders.Tan was born in Fremantle, Western Australia, and grew up in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. In 2006, his wordless graphic novel The Arrival won the Book of the Year prize as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. [1] The same book won the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year award in 2007. [2] and the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Premier's Prize in 2006. [3] Activity: After looking at the physical qualities of the lost thing and other “things” in the utopia scene, student can draw or construct their own “thing”; these creations can then be hung around the classroom to create a menagerie of “things” .

In 2010 I wrote, co-directed and designed a 15 minute animated adaptation of The Lost Thing which went on to win an Oscar at the 83rd Academy Awards. You can read more about the film here. Organise the children in small groups (4 usually works well). Share notes. Encourage attentive listening while everyone has their turn. Un ragazzo occhialuto e spettinato nota una strana creatura sulla spiaggia. Una cosa strana, una specie di teiera con i tentacoli. Sembra spaesata, o forse solamente abbandonata. E si lascia avvicinare senza timore dal ragazzo che decide di cercarne il proprietario. I wrote the story over a couple of weeks on my kitchen table - the original draft was much longer and more detailed, and was set in an ordinary suburb much like the one I grew up in. Later that changed as I developed the idea that the it was a kind of ‘retro-future’ suburb where there were almost no living things left, aside from people, and that everything was very dull and suffocating, but nobody cared very much about this. This story is set in the near future of dystopian Melbourne, Australia. The story took place on a beach and a city with "really busy" people. It is a gray world with the only colorful things being the lost things.The Lost Thing is rich in opportunities to develop students’ understanding of symbolism, which will also help with generating their own interpretations of the individual images and the whole text. The symbols can be discussed in terms of different categories. What do you think are the main themes in this story? Remind the children that themes are big ideas that underpin the story. They relate to concerns, ideas, beliefs and feelings about life. Themes do not have to be explicitly stated but are inferred from characters behaviour, narrative structure and lexical choices. One way to identify themes is to look at the decisions, changes or lessons learned. Discuss these in your groups and find some evidence in the text Theme indicators