The Tower to the Sun

By Colin Thompson

1996

First Published

4.05

Average Rating

Number of Pages

0H58M

Audio Length

One hundred years in the future, when the earth is so polluted that the sun can't be seen, the richest man in the world wants his grandson to experience the blue sky and orange sun he remembers from his childhood. So he spends 20 years and all of his money to build a tower to the sun. Using the largest rock in the world as the foundation, workers pile stone upon stone, beam over beam, building atop building, until the old man sits on top of the tower with his great grandson and feels the warmth of the sun shine on his face. Though now penniless, he is indeed, a rich man. Lush with the intricate detail that has become his hallmark, Colin Thompson's art invites repeated examination and yields its secrets subtly. His tower is an extraordinary pastiche of architectural prototypes from Stonehenge, Greek temples and the leaning tower of Pisa to the Chrysler Building and the Guggenheim Museum. This is Thompson's most provocative pictorial fantasy to date—and a moving fable for the environmentally conscious of all ages.

Avg Rating

4.05

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

45%

4 STARS

28%

3 STARS

18%

2 STARS

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Colin Thompson

Author · 52 books

Since he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 50 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel HOW TO LIVE FOREVER and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for THE SHORT AND INCREDIBLY HAPPY LIFE OF RILEY. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.