Saturday, January 2, 2021

Shaun Tan's The Arrival

Shaun Tan is an Australian illustrator/author who has received numerous awards including an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the biggest prize in children's literature.  I own almost all of his books.

Most recently I've been studying the illustrations in The Arrival, a wordless, pictographic portrayal of immigration. Shaun's pencil drawings in this book, done only in varying values of sepia, are magical in their ability to convey the experiences and emotions of being in an unfamiliar, foreign land, and reminds me of maybe how my grandparents might've felt upon arriving here in Hawaii.

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There are several videos on YouTube about his books.  Here is one review on The Arrival.

3 comments:

Honolulu Aunty said...

Looks good! I put my order in for his books at the library. I try not to collect books anymore - too much stuff in the house. Thanks for the intro!

Susan said...

This has intrigued me and I think I’ve found the perfect gift for someone! Tks for sharing!

jalna said...

Aunty, I know what you mean about book collection. Mines are stacked all over the place. I order from online used bookstores and get carried away.

Susan, Shaun Tan intrigues me.