The Arrival

Author: Shaun Tan

Illustrator: Shaun Tan

Peach's Picks Rating:

Year of publication: 2006

City of publication:  New York

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine

ISBN: 9780439895294

Author website: http://www.shauntan.net/

Illustrator website: http://www.shauntan.net/

Media used for illustrations: Sepia-colored and black and white drawings laid out in linear panels reminiscent of a photo album. The artwork was inspired by old photographs of immigrants.

“Artist’s Notes. The drawing of migrants on a ship pays homage to a painting by Tom Roberts, Going South, 1886, at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Other visual  references and inspirations include a 1912 photograph of a newsboy  announcing the Titanic sinking, picture postcards of New York form the turn of the century, photographs of street scene from post-war Europe, Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 film The Bicycle Thief, and Gustave Doré’s engraving Over London by Rail circa 1870. Several drawings of immigrant processing, passport pictures, and the “arrival hall” are based on photographs taken at Ellis Island, New York, from 182 to 1954, many of which can be found in the collection of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (Tan).”

Reference:

Tan, S. (2006). Artist’s notes. Arrival (unpaged). New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Annotation: This wordless graphic novel tells the story of a man who leaves his family seeking a better life in a foreign country. Eventually they are reunited and established in their new homeland.

Personal reaction to the book: I have looked at this book and tried to read it many times. I never finished it until now. I did not understand it, could not follow the story, and found it frightening. Since it was selected as a favorite pick from the previous class, I decided I was missing something. To prepare myself I read the reviews on the back cover. Art Spiegelman and Jeff Smith’s words offered a framework. But, that was not enough. Next I read professional reviews. Armed with insights, I began the book again, finished it, and enjoyed it. Spiegelman likened the book to a silent movie. Immediately, that brought images of the movie “Modern Times” written and directed by Charlie Chaplin to my mind. Now that I thought of the book as a silent movie I was able to progress through the story. The book is poignant, universally reflecting the experiences of immigrants. I identified with the main character as he attempted to use public transportation in his new homeland. I felt the same way the first time I used BART in San Francisco. The author/illustrator cleverly invented an unknown language effectively showing the reader how it feels to be illiterate. The surreal landscape is at once familiar and unfamiliar. The man seeks comfort food, but only finds unfamiliar odd-looking food. The reader watches his assimilation and his joy when his wife and daughter eventually join him. He meets and befriends other immigrants, learning the stories that brought them to this world of safety and personal freedom. The final page shows the circle of immigration with the daughter helping a new immigrant. The photo-realistic illustrations are sepia colored drawings designed to look like old pictures in a scrapbook with the book cover looking like tattered old leather. The end pages show the faces of immigrants from all over the world who are seeking a new life. The book is so dense with information that it begs to be read again and again. It works well when viewed individually. It could be used as a selection in secondary literary circles.

General curricular connections:

• Social studies
• Immigration
• “The New Colossus” poem by Emma Lazarus

Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends the book for grades 4 and up

Booklist recommends the book for grades 6-12

Peach’s Picks recommends the book recommends the book for grades 6 and up

Awards/Recognitions:
Junior Library Guild Selection
Booklist starred review

School Library Journal starred review

Horn Book starred review

Library Media Connection starred review

ALA Notable Children’s Books / Older Readers, 2008

Hugo Award nominee for Best Related Book, 2008

Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Album 2008, Là où vont nos pères (The Arrival)

Notes: This book was selected from "The Top Ten Favorites List / Summer Session 2009", San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science, LIBR 271A, Genres & Topics in Youth Literature, Professor Partington. This entry meets the assignment criteria to review graphic novels/fiction.

Metaphor: Chapter 1; the shadow of the spiked dragon tail snaking through the town in an ominous and threatening manner

Book cover picture retrieved from: http://www.shauntan.net/books.html