New edition of The Bird King described as treasure trove

Scholastic/Levine

Shaun Tan’s blog is a good source of information for interesting reading about his works or his participation in public programmes and lectures.  Following the blog, we found out that a new edition of The Bird King was released last week in the US. The Publishers Weekly describe the book as a treasure trove: The sharing of unfinished work is a generous gesture, and the collection is a treasure trove for any young artist who wants to know more about how ideas are captured on paper. (full review here.)

Shaun Tan’s (more modest) own words describing the book: For those unfamiliar with the earlier Australian edition, this is a 128 page collection of various drawings, doodles and preliminary sketches: no finished artwork, and each piece created in a single, relatively short sitting without any intention of publication. Presenting such under-the-desk material casts a little light on a working process that’s often just as interesting as finished results. I also wanted to remind young artists that even the most unlikely chook-scratchings (casual drawings) can sometimes turn good. You just have to go with it.

In 2011 Shaun had a major exhibition of his work at the Illustration Cupboard in London – The Birdking and other artwork:

Tags: Astrid Lindgren, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, birdking, Illustration Cupboard, publishers weekly, Shaun Tan