The Viewer

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If a teacher wanted to use it in a lesson with older students there is potential for a thought exercise about whether they would do what Tristan did. My key contribution at the conceptual level was probably the suggestion that this dangerous device was not from outer space, but ‘home-grown’ terrestrial spookiness. One interesting thing to notice is that there are two images of Tristan’s room through the idle lens of the viewer or the box (which also has an eye in it). The story is one of those creepy, horror stories that never comes right out and names the threat, or gives exact details about how the threat is eventually carried out. It feels like Crew’s narrative and Tan’ visualization run on two separate rails that occasionally fuse.

In 2011 I redesigned the book, given it was still in print, and the text was edited to accompany reproductions of illustrations closer to my original intentions in 1997. War, Destruction, Progress, Science have led us to new discoveries and yet, equally, have led to our downfall. Gary’s illustrated book, Memorial (with Shaun Tan) was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2000 and short listed for the Queensland Premier’s Awards.

The story is short enough to read in 10 minutes, but has always, in my experience, gripped the children’s attention and produced some brilliant pieces of writing.

The use of circles, spirals and other cyclical patterns through the illustrations emphasis the idea of life and death revolutions, that things are on one hand mortal and immortal in their patterns. From this I felt that the "Viewmaster" represented the never ending cycle of destruction and death, that no matter what the one constant is that people/animals (all aspects of life) will die.

I can imagine that the story and outcome are a reflection on the readers attitude to life, or perhaps their experiences. Perhaps however, the story which shows lots of images of death and pain over time is implying that too much curiousity can lead to our down fall. There is an intended cinematic feel to everything also, from the gradual ‘zoom-in’ from the strange dump landscape to tiny mechanisms in the viewer, and one image actually leads into the next at the edges. One flaw of the book is that it’s perhaps too visually inventive for it’s own good, a common mistake of new picture book illustrators (I was 22 at the time).

In retrospect, I’m not sure if many of these ideas actually work or are even noticeably to readers, as there’s always the danger that a work becomes far more meaningful to the creator than the receiver. However, the version of the book that I've got doesn't have all the text that you've referred to in your planning. A snail and beetle appear from time to time, as these are often symbols of death and renewal, the slow-moving spiral of the snail and a possible reference to ancient Egyptian scarabs.So, I don't think this is a great story to have "pictures" of things that should be left to the reader's imagination. The discussion we had at the end of the story was so lively because there are so many possible interpretations.

To browse photos within a folder, open a photo from the Folders view or File Explorer, then swipe right or use the arrow keys to see the next item. A Gary Crew – Shaun Tan collaboration which promises a delightful blend of creepy storytelling and rich illustrations. It does at least succeed to some extent in its purpose - to intrigue the reader rather than enlighten them. Read the book and give pupils time to look carefully at the pictures – there’s a lot to be discussed.It proves to be an ancient chest full of optical devices, one of which captures his interest; an intricate mechanism that contains cryptic scenes of destruction, violence and the collapse throughout history. Gary also suggested that there was an extra-terrestrial element driving a mysterious narrative, and that it would have an unclear ending where the main character simply disappears, somehow zapped into oblivion. We also share a similar sense of humour, and an attraction to dark and disturbing themes, as evidenced by The Viewer, which was published a couple of years later. These conditions of Tristan are, ultimately, what cause his problem at the story's end and, within each viewer, what is illustrated about man's progress in history. However, if you have found it useful and would consider chucking a book my way (I’m trying to collect class sets for my class), I’d really appreciate it!