A riveting wordless book follows a young man as he journeys from home to a new land. In a place where he is the outsider and everything is strange to him, he struggles to communicate, to make a living, and to connect with others. He does this while missing the family he left behind and longing for the day they can be reunited. Artist Shaun Tan’s story of the immigrant experience may not sound either unusual or extraordinary, but it is both. The new land in which the young man arrives is otherworldly—full of flying airships, strange buildings, and odd creatures, in addition to many, many people with customs and language he can’t understand. Whom can he trust? How will he survive? With his strange new world, Tan has created a powerful yet wholly accessible visual metaphor that conveys the complete sense of displacement and confusion that is part of the immigrant experience. His images—black-and-white and sepia-toned—are marvelous at setting tone and mood, whether conveying the sense of threat and urgency that led the young man, and others with whom he finally makes friends, to flee their homes; the chaos and sensory overload that comes with arrival in the new world; or the lightness—and even moments of levity—when friendships are formed and reunions take place. The Arrival has appeal for fans of graphic novels and fantasy alike, while offering rich possibilities for classroom use. (Age 11 and older)

Great Graphic Novels for Teens–2008, Horn Book Fanfare Book 2007, An IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, 2008, 2008 Locus Award, Best Art Book, 2008 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, special citation for excellence in graphic storytelling, CCBC Choices 2008. lmp

Originally published by Lothian Books Australia, in 2006.

A truly remarkable work of art that is already one of the most talked-about books of the season.

"A masterpiece." -- Jeff Kinney, author of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

"Tan's lovingly laid out and masterfully rendered tale about the immigrant experience is a documentary magically told." -- Art Spiegelman, author of Maus

"An absolute wonder." -- Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis

"A magical river of strangers and their stories!" -- Craig Thompson, author of Blankets

"A shockingly imaginative graphic novel that captures the sense of adventure and wonder that surrounds a new arrival on the shores of a shining new city. Wordless, but with perfect narrative flow, Tan gives us a story filled with cityscapes worthy of Winsor McCay." -- Jeff Smith, author of Bone

"Shaun Tan's artwork creates a fantastical, hauntingly familiar atmosphere... Strange, moving, and beautiful." -- Jon J. Muth, Caldecott Medal-winning author of Zen Shorts

"Bravo." -- Brian Selznick, Caldecott Medal-winning author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret

"Magnificent." -- David Small, Caldecott Medalist