We believe that the front and back cover of "The Rabbits" by John Marsden and Shaun Tan position the reader to see the Aboriginals point of view. European discovery and settlement of Australia is shown in the book as being destructive to the Aboriginals and the land.
Colour is used effectively on the cover but unlike other picture books the colours are very dark gloomy and sad also it doesn't catch your eye as much as other children picture books. The colours represent the aboriginals feelings of fear and depressing emotions when the europeans took over australia. E.g The dark greens, blacks and reds are all very strong over powering colours. Also in the background there are yellow clouds maybe suggesting a storm. The picture also has an element of light to it say that there is light at the end of the tunnel, even after the europeans took over. Shaun Tan stated that there is an element of happiness in the yellow colours used suggesting a better life for the Aboriginals with better technology-A European view.
The choice of images are very dull but very detailed. The bow of the ship and the rabbits and their hats are very over powering because the picture is unrealistically blown out of proportion because the pictures are not representing what the characters are actually like in real life e.g the rabbits look abnormal and square. The pictures appear to be stretched to emphasise them there abnormal appearance of power of the europeans.
The vectors have created an image of movement. It leads the reader from back sails of the ship to the front of the ship and down to the pointing rabbits indicating they are about to take over the land. The proportions of the ship make it appear bigger then it actually is and the size and structure of the rabbits makes them appear more aggressive and powerful.
The positioning of the pictures in this book show that the rabbits are the more dominant and have asserted authority over the native animals. The height and the build of the rabbits and the ship emphasise the power of their new technology e.g guns compared to the small spears held by the native animals that appear to be like ring-tail possums. It also shows that the possums are vulnerable because they are hiding in the background behind a hill, showing how defenceless the indigenous people.
The British flag is shown on the cover a number of times to inform us that the book might have something to do with the Europeans taking over Australia. There is also a lot of arrows pointing towards the native animals eg. on the top of the boat and on the lead-rabbits' hat. The red symbol above the rabbits title, we believe is the coming together of the new and old technologies. The clocks located around the cover also display a sense of new technology. The clocks are also a symbol of Europeans their sense of a time. On all the rabbits clothes there are symbols representing what they believe in, E.g on his sleeve there is little pictures also representing the way they record details about nature scientifically. There are a lot of wheels and other old parts suggesting that there are influences of old Victorian Engl!
and.
The title 'The Rabbits' has been written in a simple and straight-forward manner. Even though the letters appear to have extra editions, eg. lines to them it still makes the reader intrigued by the style of the text and by the size. Picture book writing is usually bigger for the younger generation of readers so it can attract their attention to the cover. The title 'The Rabbits' is very original because the book uses rabbits as symbols of the Europeans taking over Australia. The author has used rabbit because they brought rabbit with them when they invaded Australia and because rabbits are known to destroy natural habitats.
-Glen Innes High
