Synopses & Reviews
In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He's embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life he's leaving home to build a better future for his family.
Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can't communicate in words, the book forgoes them too. But while the reader experiences the main character's isolation, he also shares his ultimate joy.
Review
"A shockingly imaginative graphic novel that captures the sense of adventure and wonder that surrounds a new arrival on the shores of a shining new city. Wordless, but with perfect narrative flow, Tan gives us a story filled with cityscapes worthy of Winsor McCay." Jeff Smith, author of Bone
Review
"A magical river of strangers and their stories!" Craig Thompson, author of Blankets
Review
"Filled with both subtlety and grandeur, the book is a unique work that not only fulfills but also expands the potential of its form." Booklist, starred review
Review
"An astonishing wordless graphic novel blends historical imagery with science-fiction elements to depict — brilliantly — the journey of an immigrant man from his terror-beset land of origin to a new, more peaceful home....It's an unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"Considering the terror that fuels debates about immigration throughout the western world, Tan's message is pointed and utterly relevant, not just to teens struggling with their own feelings of alienation, but to all humankind. It is an absolutely marvelous book." Voice of Youth Advocates
Review
"One of Australia's premier artists explores the immigrant experience in a wordless graphic novel. Along with the protagonist, readers enter a new country — with everything appearing bizarre and surreal. It's one of those rare books that speak on different levels to readers ages 9 to 90." Boston Globe, Pick of the Week
Review
"A wordless tour de force" Time Out New York Kids
Review
"Don't mistake this astonishing work by Australia's Shaun Tan for a picture book, even though it consists of nothing but pictures....Hundreds of sepia-toned drawings, some tiny, some panoramic, all pulsing with detail, combine to produce an effect reminiscent of silent movies or mime, the absence of words forcing the eye and the brain to work harder. The Arrival is neck-and-neck with Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret for most original children's book of 2007, but unlike that uneven effort, it's definitely not just for the young." The Washington Post
Review
"Tan's fictional newfound land is overwhelmingly glamorous, alien, and plausible, conveying culture shock in a way that straightforward historical chronicles simply can't manage. This could electrify a curriculum, provoke conversation if shared within a family, or simply bring a reader a startling new way of seeing a familiar story." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
About the Author
Shaun Tan is the author and illustrator of the award-winning, bestselling graphic novel The Arrival, and also Tales from Outer Suburbia, a collection of illustrated short stories. Both books were named to the New York Times list of Best Illustrated Children's Books. He won an Oscar for his short film "The Lost Thing" based on a story in the book Lost & Found: Three by Shaun Tan, and he is also the recipient of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Shaun Tan lives in Melbourne, Australia.