Comparing Shaun Tans And John Marsden's The Rabbits

The best picture books should allow children to experience things through the literature and provide entertainment aswell act as a learning tool. It is not necessary for picture books to be warm and humorous, of much greater importance is the text’s ability to be read again and again, take something away every time you read it and contain substance, depth and layering. This can be seen in The Rabbits by Shaun Tan, My Hiroshima by Junko Morimoto and John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat by Jenny Wagner

The Rabbits by Shaun Tan and John Marsden is a picture book addressing the suffering that the Australian Aborigines experienced at the time of European colonisation. The novel is a metaphorical fable about colonisation told from the view point

of the colonised. The ‘Rabbits’ in the story are meant to symbolize the European settlers in a less confronting manner however this does not lessen the dark and confronting themes in this text. This picture book is by no means ‘warm and humorous’, however, it does stand up to multiple readings. This story tells and provides insight into a historical event therefore is educational and something can be taken away every time. There is substance, layering and depth and this can be seen in the different levels of interpretation. A child may just see that the story deals with change; change of environment family or friends. However, if an adult was to read the book they will see darker themes appearing which demonstrates layering. However, on a more superficial level, the ‘Rabbits’ in the story are meant to symbolise the invasion of the English, who also brought Rabbits to Australia. This indicates that layering is essential to enable everyone to take away something different from the text. From this text young readers can come to appreciate the change experienced by the Aboriginal people when Australia was colonised by the English as well as educate its readers about a historic event. After every read of this book something new can be gained and because of this The Rabbits can hold up to multiple readings. This text allows children to grasp key concepts of colonisation and allows them to see parallels in their own lives, like treating others well, not discriminating and because of this contains substance, layering and depth.

‘John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat’ is the tale of Rose, a Widow whose beloved dog, John Brown, shares a strong love for each other.

‘We are all right, John Brown,’ said Rose. ‘Just the two of us, you and me.’(J. Wagner, John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat, p2) Until the midnight cat starts appearing. John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat is a text dealing mainly with the issue of death. In this text, the midnight cat can be considered a metaphor for death. The confronting theme of death is certainly not warm or humorous; however, the reality of death is inevitable for everyone. The theme of death is educational however the book deals with this theme indirectly. This book can be read on a more superficial level in which the themes revolve around dealing with loss of place, jealousy, sacrifice and the life cycle. Substance, layering and depth are dominant aspects of this book which can be understood differently depending on the age of the reader. A child may not grasp the idea that the cat is supposed to symbolise death. A child might think that the book is just about how owners treat their pets. However, an older reader would be able to understand some of the darker, less humorous themes of the book. Due to the fact that this text has many interpretations on different levels this text can be read numerous times and something new can be taken each time but it cannot be said to be humorous or warm. John Brown, rose and the Midnight Cat has been described as ‘whimsically, melancholic’ and ‘ a flag character for a number of books which approach the question of death and grief’ (J.Hicks, Catching the reading bug,

p138)

‘My Hiroshima’ follows the journey of a young Japanese girl through her experience of the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This book is not humorous or warm and relies on this characteristic to give a sense of reality. We see harsh images appearing of skin hanging of the hands of people, images like this give the audience a sense of sympathy yet extensively overwhelming. This text is disturbing as well as uplifting, very descriptive and emotional and is told from the perspective of the author a Hiroshima survivor, to emphasise the reality that it is trying to be portray. The text can be read again and again because not only does it tell the story of Hiroshima but also the culture in Japan and what it was like to be a young child in Japan at that time. Morimoto uses small text to provide information aimed at older audiences in this way adds an extra dimension and layer to the text. Layering can also be seen in the illustrations which at the beginning of the book depict life in Japan, but later become of the horrifying mushroom cloud. This picture of the mushroom cloud, at first seems to be of shapes of the bombed Hiroshima but on closer inspection the shapes can be seen to be people and body parts.

The best books are dependent on entertainment, experiences gained, containing substance layering and depth, holding up to multiple readings and being able to take something new away each time. Merely it is not essential for texts to be warm or humorous as demonstrated in my three chosen texts.