What's it like to be plunked down in a world of general weirdness? That's the question that drives the Australian author-illustrator [Shaun] Tan, who…asks the question soberly, laconically, in Tales from the Inner City …The prose isn't why you're here. What you came for are the pictures. Each story gets at least one, a wordless, full-bleed double-page spread that illustrates, extravagantly, either a large motif or an offhand moment from its story in richly textured paint…What pictures they are, each one in this book—horses at the end of the freeway, an orca plane-high above the sprawling city lights—an invitation to tell a story to yourself.
The New York Times Book Review - Roger Sutton
★ 08/27/2018Tales from Outer Suburbia , these short stories by Tan imagine a collection of alternate worlds; here, they chronicle the lives of animals who dwell cheek by jowl with humans amid urban sprawl. Tan’s skill as a writer provides sturdy scaffolding for a seemingly endless stream of startling ideas. Crocodiles live on the 87th floor of an office building. Lungfish assemble in subway stations. Massive snails make love on city streets. Bears sue humans, not just for murder and genocide, but for crimes under the bear legal code: “Spiritual Exclusion, Groaking, and Ungungunurumunre .” Sometimes, the animals face extinction; almost always—and especially in the gorgeous, haunting paintings—they display dignity and power that the book’s humans lack. In one series of images, a snowy owl superintends a hospital patient, its magnificent golden eyes gleaming impassively from the bed railing. Elsewhere, a fox hangs poised in midair above a sleeping man, ready to pounce: “Your four-digit codes and firewalls.... None of it can keep me out!” In these uneasy, strange visions, moments of beauty, and even a bleak, futurological kind of joy, abides. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)
Praise for Tales from the Inner City * "The paintings . . . are characterized by layers of glorious color, shadowy corners, dazzling luminosity, surreal situations, and ethereal beauty . They invite lingering . . . Read and reread slowly, savoring every nugget." — Kirkus Reviews , starred reviewPraise for The Arrival A New York Times Best Illustrated Book* "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* "An unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect." — Kirkus Reviews , starred review* "Few will remain unaffected by this timeless stunner ." — Publishers Weekly , starred reviewPraise for Tales from Outer Suburbia A New York Times Best Illustrated Book* "The thoughtful and engaged reader will take from these stories an experience as deep and profound as with anything he has ever read." — Booklist , starred review* "Graphic-novel and text enthusiasts alike will be drawn to this breathtaking combination of words and images ." — Kirkus Reviews , starred review"Tan's work overflows with human warmth and childlike wonder." — New York Times Praise for Lost & Found: Three by Shaun Tan * "These stories representing the visionary work of a master storyteller, illustrator, and designer who cares deeply about his message deserve a place in almost every collection." — Booklist , starred review"Shaun Tan rocks my retinas... The book is gorgeously designed, the stories are evocative and mysterious, and every page of Tan's paintings — I can't bring myself to call them mere illustrations — commands long moments of study." — Cleveland Plain Dealer Praise for The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook * "The sharing of unfinished work is a generous gesture, and the collection is a treasure trove for any young artist who wants to know more about how ideas are captured on paper." — Publishers Weekly , starred review* "Unmistakable are his flawless craftsmanship , his organically industrial yet timeless aesthetic, and his lyrically haunting style and tone... A powerful springboard for the imagination ." — Booklist , starred reviewPraise for Rules of Summer * "As always, the swirl of emotion that Tan's artwork kicks up lingers long after the book is closed." — Publishers Weekly , starred review* "Sumptuous and sincere — this title is a winner." — School Library Journal , starred reviewPraise for The Singing Bones "[Tan's] starkly lit sculptures... have a look reminiscent of Inuit art; they appear simplified and smoothed by many hands. Their scale is hard to gauge. They seem simultaneously monumental and small enough to tuck in a pocket, like Japanese netsuke." — New York Times Book Review * "Although readers can only see Tan's remarkable artistry in two dimensions, the figures exert an almost primal force. Rather than simply represent what happens in these stories, these pieces embody their power." — Publishers Weekly , starred reviewPraise for The Arrival New York Times Best Illustrated BookBooklist , starred reviewperfectly crafted for maximum effect." — Kirkus Reviews , starred reviewtimeless stunner ." — Publishers Weekly , starred reviewPraise for Tales from Outer Suburbia New York Times Best Illustrated BookBooklist , starred reviewbreathtaking combination of words and images ." — Kirkus Reviews , starred reviewNew York Times Praise for Lost & Found: Three by Shaun Tan the visionary work of a master storyteller, illustrator, and designer who cares deeply about his message deserve a place in almost every collection." — Booklist , starred reviewShaun Tan rocks my retinas... The book is gorgeously designed, the stories are evocative and mysterious, and every page of Tan's paintings — I can't bring myself to call them mere illustrations — commands long moments of study." — Cleveland Plain Dealer Praise for The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook a treasure trove for any young artist who wants to know more about how ideas are captured on paper." — Publishers Weekly , starred review flawless craftsmanship , his organically industrial yet timeless aesthetic, and his lyrically haunting style and tone... A powerful springboard for the imagination ." — Booklist , starred reviewPraise for Rules of Summer Publishers Weekly , starred reviewSumptuous and sincere — this title is a winner." — School Library Journal , starred reviewPraise for The Singing Bones New York Times Book Review remarkable artistry in two dimensions, the figures exert an almost primal force. Rather than simply represent what happens in these stories, these pieces embody their power." — Publishers Weekly , starred review
★ 10/01/2018Gr 7 Up— As with most of Tan's books, this wonderfully eclectic and insightful follow-up to Tales of Outer Suburbia defies categorization. It is at once an art book, a collection of short stories, and an allegorical treatise on modern urban life, using various wild and domestic animals and their relationships with humankind as their focal point. The book opens with a spread of 25 silhouettes of various creatures highlighted within. The individual selections range from a couple of paragraphs to 10 pages or so, and each includes at least one glorious, two-page painting. The captivating stories are by turns smart, funny, tragic, wry, and often wise, if a bit trippy. Whether it's frogs in a board room, rhinos on the freeway, bears heavily lawyered-up for days in court, or orcas in the sky, these seemingly surreal scenarios allow readers to explore the behaviors of humankind and speculate about its possible future in the grand scheme of things. The 7 x 9–inch hardcover trim size may limit the audience of middle schoolers, but this is a volume to hold onto, dip into, reflect on, and interact with, providing limitless writing, art, and discussion prompts. VERDICT This is a thoughtful and inviting examination of some big questions, without professing to have all the answers. A distinctive artistic achievement that will be welcome in most libraries.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal
★ 2018-08-20
In contrast to the neighborhood settings of Tales from Outer Suburbia (2009), this collection of 25 illustrated poems and stories explores the dynamics between animals and humans amid breathtakingly imaginative scenes in skyscrapers and gutters.
Evocative openings compel continued reading: "One afternoon the members of the board all turned into frogs." Exploiting the double meaning of the titular "inner," Tan's (The Singing Bones , 2016, etc.) ideas are dressed in elegant language that creates the particular within cosmic constructs varying in length, voice, and mood. A horror story about a monster shark finally thwarted—only to keep reproducing—is less terrifying in the first-person plural. The intimate second-person transforms the reader into a toddler communing with wondrous spirit horses in a car's back seat. His consistent ability to delight the mind with fresh theater yields both provocation and restoration. When dead waterways bring about fishing in sky currents, an elusive catch leads a group of boys to experience the relationship between quick decay and fleeting value; yet, as the discovered roe are released heavenward, "here it was, the third great gift of the moonfish: an upward shower of golden sparks, a benediction of transcendental caviar, and remorse." The paintings within or concluding each tale are characterized by layers of glorious color, shadowy corners, dazzling luminosity, surreal situations, and ethereal beauty. They invite lingering, wondering: Ultimately, who will have the last word—or is there another question?
Read and reread slowly, savoring every nugget. (Fiction. 12-adult)
