The Red Tree

Written by: Shaun Tan

First line: sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to

Why you should read this book: A great of deal of what's going on here seems to transcend children's literature: there is a pervasive sense of sorrow on every page but the last two, and all manner of mildly disturbing illustration, in a story that suggest that the world is painful and pointless and frustrating. The pictures are fascinating, though, a surprising and beautiful melange of collage and paint, rendering a hyper-realistic dark fantasy environment in which anything can happen without explanation or apology. But then we end with a ray of hope--it's sort of an Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on acid, with a brighter ending.

Why you should read this book: You're already in the grips of depression and hopelessness.