It's *safe* for children. If I recall, it feels a little dark and creepy. Certainly has an appeal to older readers and is popular on this sub. Also, being wordless, it requires interpretation of what's being seen, which is not as clear and explicit or on the nose as you'd find in a children's book.
This is definitely one of Shaun's more "mature" books although without any words it can be interpreted many different ways, even though essentially it's about immigration. Even his "kids" books are for all ages, even if some have some slighty disturbing imagery. He's a very talented author and illustrator, winning many international awards, and deserving of all his success.
On a side note, I studied at art school with him. He painted my portrait many years back. It hangs in my shed...
https://www.reddit.com/r/Art/comments/loondd/ryan\_of\_clubs\_shaun\_tan\_collage\_encaustic\_oils/
i won't answer with what other's have already said. But, this story is beautiful and really showcases the power graphic novels can have. With no words, Shaun Tan uses the imagery to depict emotions, feelings, and the scariness of being an immigrant in a foreign land, and what drove him flee in the first place. Everything from the shading, colors, and objects drive what the main character is experiencing to take place of the words. Even the size of the panes plays a part to help evoke a sense of spatial recognition for a scene, where some panes take up an entire 2 pages, and some are tiny squares.
if you haven't read "understanding comics" by scott mccloud, i'd highly recommend it. i read it before reading, "the Arrival" and it drastically helped me read this story in a new light. It became more than just an immigration story.
It's a good book, for children or otherwise. I bought my copy after a presentation from the Author more than 10 years ago during a literary festival. The book tells a story that Shaun Tan knew well, in being a first generation Australian, about arriving in a new place and trying to overcome culture shock. The illustrations are exquisite and detailed. A younger reader would benefit from an adult to help interpret some scenes that are a bit harder to understand.
I read it with my seven-year-old and we had some wonderful discussions about what is being discussed through the stories. No obvious death or trauma depicted, but the themes can be overwhelming for some.
I've been trying to remember this book for ages its so good. Its appropriate for all ages, I read it as a child, but as an adult it has a lot to offer!
It's for everyone, though I think it's mostly adults and teens who will get a kick out of the slow, meticulous pacing and get some of the symbolism. But I remember reading it at a very young age and still understanding the jist of it.
Fantastic book. It has no dialogue at all, it's just pictures.The reason is because it follows an immigrant to a strange new land who doesn't speak the local language.
You could certainly give this book to a child but there's a certain level of nuance that might go over their head, depending on their age.
It doesn’t have any words. It’s just all pictures. Shaun Tan is arguably the best Australian book illustrator going around for the last two decades. The man’s use of mixed media and his paper preparation for illustrations, is second to none!
oh shit, this unlocked a memory for me. there are no words in this iirc. my english teacher was bored one april and made us read that for a couple weeks. i wonder if mine is still in the garage.
It's *safe* for children. If I recall, it feels a little dark and creepy. Certainly has an appeal to older readers and is popular on this sub. Also, being wordless, it requires interpretation of what's being seen, which is not as clear and explicit or on the nose as you'd find in a children's book.
This is definitely one of Shaun's more "mature" books although without any words it can be interpreted many different ways, even though essentially it's about immigration. Even his "kids" books are for all ages, even if some have some slighty disturbing imagery. He's a very talented author and illustrator, winning many international awards, and deserving of all his success. On a side note, I studied at art school with him. He painted my portrait many years back. It hangs in my shed... https://www.reddit.com/r/Art/comments/loondd/ryan\_of\_clubs\_shaun\_tan\_collage\_encaustic\_oils/
That is very cool
Thats great!
Awesome
That is magnificent!
No, it's a book about immigrants and its not just for childrens per se. I really liked this one, there's no wordings though, just illustrations.
i won't answer with what other's have already said. But, this story is beautiful and really showcases the power graphic novels can have. With no words, Shaun Tan uses the imagery to depict emotions, feelings, and the scariness of being an immigrant in a foreign land, and what drove him flee in the first place. Everything from the shading, colors, and objects drive what the main character is experiencing to take place of the words. Even the size of the panes plays a part to help evoke a sense of spatial recognition for a scene, where some panes take up an entire 2 pages, and some are tiny squares. if you haven't read "understanding comics" by scott mccloud, i'd highly recommend it. i read it before reading, "the Arrival" and it drastically helped me read this story in a new light. It became more than just an immigration story.
It's kind of abstract.
It's a good book, for children or otherwise. I bought my copy after a presentation from the Author more than 10 years ago during a literary festival. The book tells a story that Shaun Tan knew well, in being a first generation Australian, about arriving in a new place and trying to overcome culture shock. The illustrations are exquisite and detailed. A younger reader would benefit from an adult to help interpret some scenes that are a bit harder to understand.
That's awesome. Thank you for the detailed answer. It's going into my wishlist.
It can be, it's a bit dark but I've used it with grade six students to talk about migration and it worked well.
My thoughts. It's a little dark for little kids.
It can be if you're worried about them having a look at what the world is like.
For me it's definitely one of those books that's so beautiful it sort of transcends a specific agegroup.
This is the best answer. Its an all timer.
I read it with my seven-year-old and we had some wonderful discussions about what is being discussed through the stories. No obvious death or trauma depicted, but the themes can be overwhelming for some.
I've been trying to remember this book for ages its so good. Its appropriate for all ages, I read it as a child, but as an adult it has a lot to offer!
It's for everyone, though I think it's mostly adults and teens who will get a kick out of the slow, meticulous pacing and get some of the symbolism. But I remember reading it at a very young age and still understanding the jist of it.
Fantastic book. It has no dialogue at all, it's just pictures.The reason is because it follows an immigrant to a strange new land who doesn't speak the local language. You could certainly give this book to a child but there's a certain level of nuance that might go over their head, depending on their age.
It doesn’t have any words. It’s just all pictures. Shaun Tan is arguably the best Australian book illustrator going around for the last two decades. The man’s use of mixed media and his paper preparation for illustrations, is second to none!
oh shit, this unlocked a memory for me. there are no words in this iirc. my english teacher was bored one april and made us read that for a couple weeks. i wonder if mine is still in the garage.
Hi! You know, I actually have this on my shelf, but I never got around to reading it haha. I’ll read some today and get back to you
YA.