The Arrival
Tan, Shaun. The Arrival. New York, NY: Arthur A.
Levine Books, 2006. ISBN 9780439895293
Summary:
The Arrival is an intricate, detailed account of immigration told completely in
graphics. The main character, a father, must leave his family and travel to a
distant, unfamiliar land. As he travels and makes new friends, he learns their
immigration stories, too. These additional stories are incorporated throughout
the book showing the various trials, struggles, emotions, and feelings of
relief immigrants’ experience. Will any of these immigrants find their new home?
Analysis:
Tan tells this important story
of immigration through the use of sepia colored graphics. The cover immediately
offers appeal, as it appears as an old, worn book. The reader initially
encounters the characters in the end pages of the book. The reader will find
him/herself studying each person carefully wondering about his or her story.
Tan’s main characters are very believable despite the fact that the story is
set in a fantasy world with make believe animals, larger than life people, a
strange language, odd buildings, and bizarre looking food. These elements make
this a work of high fantasy.
The unique lettering and
language offers the reader the real experience of immigrants coming to a
foreign land. Often times, immigrants find themselves in unfamiliar places with
language that is difficult and troubling to read and speak. This is how the
reader finds him or herself. Shaun Tan submerges the reader in his created
world.
The storyline of the book
is the same as most immigration stories – people leaving or fleeing their
homeland in search of a safer, more promising home. Each character tells a
similar story. Repeatedly, the reader encounters the same emotions and feelings
felt by the immigrants.
Tan’s quadrilateral
outlined illustrations vary from pages with many square images to full-page
illustrations. Each small illustration builds on the knowledge of the previous
image. The reader will find him or herself lost in Tan’s world as they
carefully study each intricate graphic over and over.
Shaun Tan’s The Arrival is a beautiful, wordless
work of art. The author’s note found at the end of the book offers a unique
insight to many of Tan’s illustrations. Keen readers will pick up on the
historical similarities of events and places of the past, such as the Titanic
and Ellis Island. This is certainly a piece that should accompany any unit on
immigration. It is truly fascinating! My seven-year-old daughter even made me
promise that I’d let her read The Arrival
next!
Awards and Review Excerpts:
- 2008 Boston Globe – Horn Book Award Winner
- New York Magazine’s Best Comics of 2007
- New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2007
- New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2007
- Publishers Weekly’s Best Comics of 2007
- Washington Posts Best Books for Young People of 2007
From Kirkus 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.”
From School Library Journal: “Young readers will be fascinated by the
strange new world the artist creates, complete with floating elevators and
unusual creatures, but may not realize the depth of meaning or understand what
the man's journey symbolizes. More sophisticated readers, however, will grasp
the sense of strangeness and find themselves participating in the man's
experiences. They will linger over the details in the beautiful sepia pictures
and will likely pick up the book to pore over it again and again.”
From Children’s Literature: “The pictures are drawn with a sepia
overtone, giving them the feel of ancient photographs. Small and large pictures
are intermingled skillfully, giving the reader details as well as close up
views of important events or people.”
From The Washington Post: “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.” – Elizabeth Ward
From The New York Times: “The effect is mesmerizing. Reading The
Arrival feels like paging through a family treasure newly discovered up in
the attic.” – Gene Luen Yang
Connections:
Collect and share other
works created by Shaun Tan, such as:
- Lost and Found ISBN 9780545229241
- Tales from Outer Suburbia ISBN 9780545055871
- Rules for Summer ISBN 9780545639125
Collect other wordless
fantasy books, such as:
- Journey by Aaron Becker ISBN
9780763660536
- Quest by Aaron Becker ISBN 9780763665951
Share the “Author’s Note”
found at the end of The Arrival. Research
and share important information regarding Tan’s historical research, such as:
- The Titanic and its sinking
(1912)
- Ellis Island, New York – 1892 and 1953 – Ellis Island Immigration Museum
- The Bicycle Thief film (1948)
- Gustave Dore’s engraving Over
London by Rail (1870)
- Tom Roberts’ painting Going South (1886)
Compare Shaun Tan’s story
of immigration to those found in other historical accounts or school textbooks.
Encourage students to
create their own graphic novel with an element(s) of fantasy. Watch this video
of Shaun Tan sharing his studio at Inside Shaun Tan's Studio
Watch and listen as Shaun
Tan talks about his work, The Arrival at
Scholastic Interview with Shaun Tan
Learn more about Shaun Tan
and visit his website - http://www.shauntan.net
Enjoy the journey!
~ Mandy :)
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