''The Boy in the Oak'' is a 2010 Canadian

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

written and illustrated by Jessica Albarn. It is a fantasy about a boy who discovers an oak tree in his family's back garden. The book contains detailed pencil drawings of

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

, insects, and children. It also contains

translucent In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale (one in which the dimensions a ...

pages with close-up photographs of insects, tree bark, flowers, and other images from nature. Albarn showcased the book as part of the

Port Eliot Festival The Port Eliot Lit Fest is an annual celebration of all things literary taking place at Port Eliot in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was founded by the late Jago Eliot. Guests who have attended the festival in past years are Hanif Kureishi, ...

in 2010.

Plot

A boy who lived in a house with a garden did not appreciate nature; he trampled on flowers and carved his initials into trees. The fairies that lived in the forest decided to stop him from destroying everything by trapping him inside the large oak tree in the garden. His parent searched and searched, but eventually gave up on finding him and moved away. After several years, a new family moved into the house. They spoke of cutting down the oak tree, which angered the fairies. They choose to try to steal the little girl, but the boy forces her back through the portal between the fairy and human worlds. This kindness allows the boy to break the spell that trapped him.

Development history

Albarn was inspired to begin this novel when a friend showed her a tree in her garden that appeared to have a face in the

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

. The garden reminded Albarn of a cottage in the woods that she and her family would visit as a child.

Film

The book was adapted into a short film, with a release date set to spring 2011 to select theaters in the United Kingdom. It was directed by

Luke Losey Luke Losey is a film director and lighting designer from London. Background and early life Losey is the son of the film producer Gavrik Losey and the former British ballerina Sally Chesterton, and the grandson of the film director Joseph Losey ...

, written by Glen Laker and produced by

Alcove Entertainment Alcove Entertainment is an independent film production and finance company, based in the UK and the UAE. Alcove Entertainment has occasionally acted as a distributor for its own films. The company was founded by Amina Dasmal and Robin Fox in 2005 ...

. It is narrated by

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

. The film's score was composed by Jessica Albarn's brother

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual ...

, who is known as the singer for Blur and frontman and songwriter for the

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

. The film combines

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

, animation, and illustration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy In The Oak 2010 children's books Canadian children's books Canadian picture books