Memorial

This week, I again looked at a book which deals with the subject of war.  I chose to read ‘Memorial’ written by Gary Crew and illustrated by Shaun Tan.

It was Shaun Tan’s name which drew me to the book – as I have really enjoyed other examples of his work. I was also interested to see how Crew and Tan would deal with the tricky subject of war. Having read ‘In Flanders Fields’ last week – I wondered if this text would handle the subject differently, and what role Shaun Tan’s spectacular illustrations would play in the meaning making.

This book is set in a country town and focusses on a conversation between a young boy, his parents, grandparents and great grandfather.  The story woven through the conversation is about an old fig tree which was planted when the Australian soldiers returned from World War I . The tree; growing next to a war memorial, holds many memories for the family, and each generation reminisces about just what it means to them.  Eventually it is revealed to readers that the council plans to remove the tree, as its roots are lifting concrete on the sidewalk. The young boy at the centre of the story is upset by this news and suggests that the tree is a memorial in its own right. The book ends on a bitter sweet note as readers discover that the tree has been removed, but are left with an optimistic thought from the small boy about the human spirit fighting on.

Accompanying this narrative, are full page multimedia artworks by Tan, which complement the text in a beautiful way – adding layers of meaning which are not evident in the text alone. Tan’s illustrations include pencil drawings, paint and even collage (including fabric, leaves and stitching). These elements come together to give the book a ‘textured’ and almost ‘scrapbooked’ feel. The eclectic style of Tan’s imagery ties in well with the style of writing adopted by Crew- which tends to be in the form of memory ‘snippets’ ; not necessarily connected and in a way almost dream-like.  

I very much enjoyed this book and I believe it definitely has a place in the classroom.  While the story is more about memories than it is about war, it could definitely be used as a gentle introduction to a topic like ANZAC Day. I also think there is great value in what the book has to say about family, the environment and the concept of remembrance.

I think ‘Memorial’ could be used with students at any stage of primary school and may even be appropriate for use in higher grades (within the area of art particularly).  Teachers can look into the text in as much or as little detail as they choose- as there are a multitude of layers of meaning waiting to be unpacked.