Overview and Outcomes:

Using the film and text of Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing, children initially engage with the themes of the story and make predictions about its content.  They then engage with the story through writing diary entries in role and writing formal letters of advice to Pete about what he should do.  They go on to create guides for how to look after it along with completing official paperwork and adverts for the Department of Odds and Ends.  Children will then go on to design their own lost thing and describe it in order to incorporate it into their own version of a ‘lost thing’ narrative.

Synopsis of Text:

A humorous story about a boy who discovers a bizarre-looking creature whilst out collecting bottle-tops at the beach. Having guessed that it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but the problem is met with indifference by everyone else, who barely notice its presence.  Each is unhelpful in their own way; strangers, friends, parents all unwilling to entertain this uninvited interruption to day-to-day life. In spite of his better judgement, the boy feels sorry for this hapless creature, and attempts to find out where it belongs. From internationally and critically acclaimed Kate Greenaway Medal, Astrid Lindgren prize and Academy Award winner, Shaun Tan. He creates intricate collages filled with whimsical images, bright colors, and meaningful prose. He invites his readers to look at the world in a different way.

Text rationale:

This book is an important commentary on what it means to belong and what happens if we see things differently. Shaun Tan is a significant author-illustrator famous for his books which explore social, political and historical subjects. Dealing with a quest for belonging, this text shares similar themes with some of his other titles which children may be familiar with, including Eric, and will set them up for studying The Arrival in Year 6. There is also an Academy Award-winning short film (narrated by Tim Minchin) to accompany the book which will support children’s learning and lead to discussion about belonging, identity and acceptance.

Links and themes:

Belonging, acceptance, dystopia, difference, friendship, equality

Date written: February 2019

Updated: December 2022, May 2025