Bibliographic Information

Tan, S. (2007). The arrival. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.

ISBN: 0439895294

 

Plot Summary

The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel about a young man and his family’s immigration journey. He leaves his family behind in order to find them a better life in a new country. After traveling by boat to this new country, he arrives in a foreign city. Here he encounters language barriers, magical creatures and meets many foreigners. The young man at first finds everything difficult; he can’t speak their language and doesn’t understand their customs. The people, buildings, and transportation all look strange to him.  He travels this new city alone, trying to make sense of his new life. He eventually finds work at a factory working in an assembly line. Here he begins to find his place in this foreign city and forms new friendships. All the while still working towards a better life, so he may bring his family over to live in this new city.

 

Critical Evaluation

This was an incredibly beautiful and enchanting story told solely with images. The graphic novel felt like a vintage photo album with wrinkled pages and faded visuals. Every page had a sepia filter, which gave a surreal feeling to the story. Some pages were filled with sequential art, while others were filled with images that took up entire pages. Every image was flowing and moving as the foreigner’s journey progressed. There was no text throughout the entire story, which required readers to use their imagination and infer meaning. As a wordless graphic novel readers had to think critically about each image and find visual cues in order to decipher the story. By not using text, readers were also able to see how difficult it was for the foreigner to communicate in a foreign land. There were so many things that he did not recognize and through his eyes readers saw what he saw. He saw magical creatures that were both welcoming and frightening. The author also drew a world that was unrecognizable to readers as a way to show what the foreigner saw and felt. You could feel his culture shock with every page as he struggled to communicate with others and navigate his new home. The way the story was illustrated projected feelings of sadness, loss, and confusion for the foreigner. While the story is about immigrating to a new land, there are elements in the story that most people can relate to. Such as missing your family, being homesick, and the fear and joy of the unknown.

 

Reader’s Annotation

I am an immigrant in a new country. I left my family behind for a better life, but will this strange land with strange monsters really provide for a better life?

 

Author Information

The following information was taken from the author’s website, http://www.shauntan.net/.

 

“Shaun Tan grew up in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. In school he became known as the 'good drawer' which partly compensated for always being the shortest kid in every class. He graduated from the University of WA in 1995 with joint honors in Fine Arts and English Literature, and currently works as an artist and author in Melbourne.

​

Shaun began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small-press magazines as a teenager, and has since become best known for illustrated books that deal with social, political and historical subjects through surreal, dream-like imagery. The Rabbits, The Red Tree, Tales from Outer Suburbia, Rules of Summer and the acclaimed wordless novel The Arrival have been widely translated and enjoyed by readers of all ages. Shaun has also worked as a theatre designer, a concept artist for animated films including Pixar's WALL-E, and directed the Academy Award-winning short film The Lost Thing with Passion Pictures Australia. In 2011 he received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, honoring his contribution to international children's literature.”

 

Genre

Fictional Graphic Novel, Fantasy

 

Curriculum Ties

Could be used for lessons on immigration and American history.

 

Booktalking Ideas

• What kinds of experiences have you had that were similar to the young man’s story?

• Do you know anyone that immigrated to another country? Could you share their story?

• What could you infer from the pictures and why do you think the author didn’t use text?

 

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Grades 6-12

 

Challenge Issues

N/A

​

Challenge Issue Resources (for usage in a challenge situation)

• Active Listening

• Explanation of why it was chosen for the collection (Rational)

• Awards

• Reader Advisory Reviews (Students, Parents, Educators)

• Positive and Negative Reviews

• National Council of Teachers “Right to Read”

• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials

• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Library Selection Policy & Library District Reconsideration Form 

 

Why I choose it

I choose this book, because I heard from co-workers that the story was very touching. I was curious how a story with only pictures could be emotionally moving to readers and also educational.