The+Arrival

Synopsis/Review
The Arrival is a 2006 picture book written by Author/Illustrator Shaun Tan. This science fiction tale follows an immigrant who leaves his family behind and travels to a city in a new land in order to find work. He encounters many obstacles including language barriers in the new country and has difficulty finding a job which fits his abilities. Along the way he meets fellow immigrants who have similar tales of escaping their pasts in far away lands. The illustrations were done entirely in black and white and are used to tell the story, with no accompaniment of captions or the written word. The artistic choice by Tan is well fitting, as the style of dress and industrial look of the city is reminiscent of the silent film era in which many immigrants escaped their pasts in Europe, coming through Ellis Island, in an attempt to start a new life. Although there is no mention of this in Shaun Tan’s bios, the book looks heavily influenced by the Fritz Lang silent film, Metropolis. While many sites recommend the book for children above the age of 12, this book could be understood by children much younger than this. It is a perfect book for not only introducing the concept of immigration but for introducing the genre of science fiction.

Author Bio
Shaun Tan was born in 1974 in Fremantle, Western Australia. He grew up in the suburbs of Perth, Australia with his Mom, Dad, and Brother. While in school, he was greatly influenced by the science fiction series the Twilight Zone, and the work of science fiction author Ray Bradbury. It was during this period that he began to write short stories and illustrating. While in school, he began illustrating for a Perth-based magazine called Eidelon and he would continue to do so for ten years. His first illustrations were published in 1990 in Aurealis magazine. He originally wanted to study science in college but after winning a science fiction illustration award in the United States, instead, changed his major to the arts and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Australia in 1995. He started out as a freelance artist, illustrating other people’s work, but had his first book, The Playground, published in 1997. His illustrations are often first done in pencil and usually always begin in black and white. His work is very detailed, as his 2006 book, The Arrival, took 5 years to complete. The Arrival won Book of the Year New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award and has been very successful worldwide. He won the 2010 and 2011 Hugo award for Best Professional Artist. He has done concept work for the films Horton hears a Who and Wall E. He directed a short film adaptation of his 1999 work, The Lost Thing, and won an Oscar in 2011.

Historical Context
Since it’s 2006 release, The Arrival has garnered almost universal praise. Some of the awards include a 2008 Hugo award for Best Related Book, The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards: Picture Book of the Year, and a World Fantasy Award for Best Artist.

Other Children’s Literature
Tales from Outer Suburbia, The Red Tree , The Lost Thing  , The Playground  , The Lost Thing(film adaptation), Horton Hears a Who, Wall E

Themes
Immigration, Science Fiction, Family, City Life.