The Lost Thing :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Haunting, whimsical, wonderful

2008-07-20
This is the first online book review I've ever been moved to write.

The story is sophisticated (few kids' books I know of dare first-person narration; fewer still go beyond a neatly-put-to-bed ending), yet it is both accessible to a young audience, and engaging for the adults.

The Lost Thing is cinematographic in its detailed, industrial-style illustations. The matter-of-fact storytelling about an extraordinary experience somehow add to the magic.

This is one of the books my kids will examine for ages, "reading" long before they can really read.

Wonderful.

Beautiful but strange

2007-01-07
The eerie illustrations are strangely appealing. However, I found the end to be anti-climatic.

Rich design and deep message

2006-12-23
The lost thing is about isolation and indifference. The hero of the story is a bottle-top collector that suddenly finds a very interesting thing and decides to help it find its place. It makes funny of our busy and boring day-to-day life, of how indifferent we are to what happens around us. I laugh aloud every time I read the book; Shaun's humor is so unique!

The story is told in a very special way, with lots of details in the graphics that must be observed carefully. The drawings are just wonderful; Shaun tan mixes the grey and yellow of the cities and adds a touch of color in the lost things. I believe that the book is a great adventure to children and adults alike, every reading brings new discoveries.

As the sub-title of the books reads: "A tale for those who have more important things to pay attention to".

Shaun Tan admirer

2006-08-01
I discovered Shaun Tan in my small town local library. I live in a rural farming community in Upstate NY. I found his book The Viewer and took it home. It wasn't long before I purchased my own copy of The Viewer and then went out to seek what else I could find that Shaun Tan had a hand in. I now own Memorial, The Red Leaf, The Viewer, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits. I can sit for hours and look at these books. The Viewer invites me into the illustrations as if it was the actual viewer to the boy in the story. Shaun Tan has buried treasures hidden throughout. I have held 12 year old boys entranced when reading it to them.As for The Lost Thing, it is another of his marvelous books with illustrations that beg to be poured over and a text that begs to be pondered. I have shared this book and the others with children and adults. All of them become involved in the books.

Sheer Brilliance

2006-03-15
Words could not describe the brilliance of this book...if only i could convey it through the wonderful images that Shaun Tan creates to convey much of his emotion. One of the best picture books I have ever seen. Shaun does it again!

A truly splendid visual treat combined with a heartwarming story

2005-10-04

A boy scavenges the beach for his bottle top collection when he discovers a lost “thing”; a large, freakish creature that looks like a cross between a crab and a pot-bellied stove. Thus begins a witty and strange narrative set in a creepy, futuristic environment. Shaun Tan’s artwork, collages comprised of such unusual elements as old textbook pages, oil paint, gears, and tubes, inspires young readers to figure out what goes where, and why, in this challenging mix of science fiction and puzzle book.

Simply wonderful

2005-08-06
It is difficult to classify this superb book. It is classified as a children's book, but it will have appeal to all ages. To a certain extent it reminds me of the great works of art by Graeme Base and John Sceszka and Lane Smith, but again it is different. The imagies are almost surreal - certainly reminiscent of Dali on an odd day.

A simple tale, without a moral? Perhaps so, perhaps not - I like to think it is a comment on all we have lost, and found, and let go again.

The illustrations are magnificent, quirky and engaging, and you notice different things with each reading (or viewing?). Our hero is a simple soul, the lost thing also simple and yet remarkably complex. My favourite part is where our hero gives it something to eat once he has discovered what it likes, and the food he is offering it is christmas decorations!

It is an absolutely delightful book. Share it with your children, or your partner, or your best friend. Or keep it for yourself. It isn't a book that is easy to classify, but it is definitely a keeper.

I recommend it highly.

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

2004-10-05
In today's world, we are bombarded everyday with advertisement and hyperbole to get us to buy products and services. As a result of all this exaggeration, it is extremely difficult to find something that actually lives up to all it's credits.

However, "The Lost Thing" was one of these uncommon books.It is advertised as a kid's book, and yet, I think that it would be much more enjoyable for an older audience.

We have already seen, from Shaun T's "The Red Tree" that the author has incredible artistic talent, especially in painting. In this book, he uses this talent to an amazing degree to create a story and a world unique to the story.

The urban setting of Suburbia is filled with details -which are essential for a good story, novel or picture-book. From the everyday people to the shop windows, Suburbia is a richly imagined world where people seem to have reached their peak - identical, sophisticated in technology but simple in emotion. They have created an ordered, mechanical world, but one day a boy finds a thing on the beach, unlike anything else in the world. He strives to find it a place to live, and in doing so travels through the nooks and crannies of Suburbia until he finds a place for the thing.

One of the reasons why I was at first apprehensive about buying this book was because, quite simply, it was a picture book. I could finish it in no time at all - was it really worth my money? Well, as a matter of fact, I reread it about twice a week for the next half-year. I've probably got just as much time and enjoyment peering at all the details than from any novel. Whenever feeling depressed, tired or upset, I could always pull my head under this blanket of a book and disappear for a few minutes, emerging later with a warm feeling in my heart.

And I've noticed that all the reviews for this book so far, including mine - are Australian! I would take any opportunity I could to reveal this book to a wider, more global community - because in terms of artwork, plot and imagination, it is very difficult to compare. It is about time Shaun Tan got real recognition from the world. He has prodigious talent.

A view to the future?

2004-05-17
We can certainly hope not. After reading it was interesting to go back through and have a look at some of the artwork - if it can be called that - around the boarders of the pages. Because I'm currently studying Physics and Mathematical Methods for my V.C.E., a lot of it made sense.

But back to the actual story. Shaun Tan has put together an interesting look at life where government agencies seem to control each and every aspect of the citizen's life. We know of A Federal Department of... management, economics, tubes & pipes, odds & ends, censorship and information. The society is filled with all kinds of interesting buildings, where evry home has a 15-foot chimny, every intersection of pedestrian paths has traffic lights and where a concrete wall borders the beach.

And the cause is to fine a home for a lost thing (thus the title). I'd recommend this book to anyone who really wants to break free from the norm.

Just so you all know, I read this book, because for a Drama Examination I must base my characters around this book. I've certainly got an interesting task ahead of me.

Great imagination and creativity 2004-04-28
Wow, you know when you pick up a book and its simple but it makes you think. Shaun has once again done a fabulous job with the illustrations which always captivate its readers. No major meaning to the book just an enjoyable read.