The Tin Forest

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Although we are focusing on English, it would be remiss not to mention the artistic potential of The Tin Forest. The book could be used as a trigger for some fantastic artwork, exploring contrasts in tone and texture, exploring mixed media or responding emotionally to the story. Maybe your class will be inspired to create a forest of their own! The Tin Forest will provide a starting point for a wealth of writing. Children can devise stories set in wild places (see plan link below); contrast settings of the wasteland and the forest; empathise with the character and write in role; and write persuasively about caring for the environment or explain how plant lifecycles work. Role play together: children could imagine they are a reporter (a cardboard tube microphone would help them get in role) and you could pretend to be the old man answering questions, for example about why he made a tin forest. Older children may like to write a newspaper report about the interview with a caption, headline and picture. Make a poster

The Tin Forest was once a Reading Rainbow book. (Can you hear the theme song in your head? If not, listen now! Don’t you feel happier?) Unless you count the animals. The man’s connection with nature in the midst of his desolation and how nature grows from dreamt to constructed to lived is, I think, why the book endures. After all, I have often, on a hopeless day, taken a walk down a country lane and instantly felt a bit more hopeful.I also love the story’s real forest, illustrated first in a book the old man reads, then in his dream, then in isolated patches, then in full color. The primary color is yellow, and it stands in stark contrast to the metallic gray of the tin forest. For me, the art of this book works better than the text. I think I would prefer it as a wordless picture book. The old man made animals beginning with‘t’ for his forest. Can you think of any more (eg tortoise, tapir). Suppose the old man was making a forest with animals beg with b? How many can you think of? You could try other letters too. Make a soundscape English Year 1: Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by being encouraged to link what they read or hear to their own experiences One day, he finally started to create a forest that's made of these things and soon, a bird happened to visit his place. Such was the joy the old man felt, but also got disappointed and sad when the bird went away.

Written by Helen Ward and illustrated by Wayne Anderson, The Tin Forest is a beautifully crafted modern fable. It tells the story of an old man who dreams of living in a wild forest bursting with life, but lives in a grey and barren scrap-metal wasteland. From a moment of inspiration and under the care of the old man, a forest made of tin emerges, and from this springs life and beauty. Children could draw their own picture of a forest, ‘… near nowhere and close to forgotten filled with all the things no one wanted’ Make a model or collage tin forest

Teaching Approach B: Questions in this section are the same as in Teaching Approach A, but are organised into several smaller groups. Each group of questions is focused on a smaller part of the text to allow the text to be covered in sections over time. English Year 2: Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary. The colourful and detailed illustrations by Wayne Anderson compliment the text and convey a powerful message to both children and adults: no matter what your circumstances and no matter where you live - there is always hope. Such vibrant pictures are a great way to encourage imagination and creativity. You could use our supporting resources in a number of ways: This Reading Skills resource contains a range of questions about ‘The Tin Forest’ by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. The questions are organised into content domains to allow a focus on one or more specific skills. The Tin Forest reads like a fable, telling the story of an old man living in a desolate jungle of cast away rubbish, trying to make good of unwanted, forgotten objects. With no nature around him, the man dreams of a colourful forest alive with life, something that seemingly could not be further from the metal wasteland where he spends his days. That is, until an idea sparks, and a new type of forest begins to form.