Memorial

By Gary Crew and Shaun Tan, Lothian Books, 1999.

A story to help us remember…a message we should never forget.

On a backdrop of old photographs, scraps of torn fabric and exquisitely textured paintings, we hear the story of Old Pa’s first world war memories. Journey down memory lane with Old Pa as he reminisces about his wife who was a nurse during the war, the Memorial tree they planted in town, and 

We then hear from Ma, who was in the second world war and also remembers coming home the big town tree back in 1946. The tree stands next to a statue of the unknown soldier.

Audrey, their great-granddaughter, and her father listen intently to the stories of her great-grandparents after the wars they served in. Special focus is the memorial tree in town.

Memorial introduces environmental concerns when we learn that the council want to remove either the tree or the statue of the unknown soldier.

Teacher’s Notes are available for this book for free from the publisher.

Awards

• Picture Book of the Year,  Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2000.