Shaun Tan

The Singing Bones

Jen Estrella

My mother, she killed me.
My father, he ate me. 
My sister, Marlene, she made sure to see
my bones were all gathered together,
bound nicely in silk, as neat as can be,
and laid beneath the juniper tree.
Tweet, tweet! What a lovely bird I am!

I loved this book. I want it on my shelf. Shaun Tan's sculptures are amazing. I can't say anything profound, because well, I'm not an art expert, but I like looking at them and thinking of them as sort of like a visual summary (in sculpture form, that is) of the Grimms' stories. Here are some of my favorites -



Oh, here's what it looks like irl:

Selection and adaptation of seventy-five Grimm's fairy tales, as translated by Jack Zipes, and newly illustrated by Shaun Tan.

Destiny J Tamayo

Personally I enjoyed the summaries included in the back more than the snippets of stories provided.

A unique and alluring art book showcasing Shaun Tan's extraordinary sculptures based on the timeless and compelling fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

The Singing Bones

Reviews