Tales From Outer Suburbia

In a mix of illustrations and text, we fall right into a strange but beautiful world where water buffalos who live in the vacant lot down the street knows just what you are looking for right at that moment; and where sometimes roads ends just like it ends on the edge of the map even though you have made a bet with your brother that it can't possibly just end.

In most reviews I've read, people seem to bring up the question if this book is meant for kids or adults. To be quite honest, there's hardly anyone of any age I wouldn't recommend it to. Except perhaps babies and toddlers. But maybe I would because the illustrations are fantastic and truly brings the short stories to life.

A lot of the stories doesn't make sense, or you only show more vaguely understand the meaning behind them. But what I do understand is how they fill you with such an lust for adventure but at the same some sort of peace only a good but strange story can do. It's mysterious, it's funny and it's brilliant. The illustrations and the texts create something that is too captivating to resist. I wish it'd been at least one hundred pages longer; I reached the end far too quickly. show less

Fifteen little tales -- vignettes, really -- in which the Australian suburbs are home to the odd and the fantastic. Here we meet, among others, a wandering figure in an old-fashioned diving suit, an exchange student who lives in a cupboard, and a dugong stranded on a lawn miles from the sea, as well learning what happens when every home is equipped with an inter-continental missile and what really becomes of discarded poems. It's wonderfully strange, frequently charming, and surprisingly evocative. It's also gorgeously illustrated, although calling it "illustrated" is really misleading, as the visual elements are often intrinsic parts of the stories. Highly recommended for adults and kids.

Amazing illustrations and fanciful stories that make you look at what you think you know but with everything skewed. Gentle digs at what we take for granted and how it gets incorporated into the "new" normal so we no longer think about it as being strange or frightening. Makes me think of how we accept the terrible shootings at schools and how we seem to accept them as the new normal. But also stories of hope and grace which are available to us if we really look at things in a in a new way, and if we don't lose our sense of wonder at the beauty of the world.

Thanks to Jen Campbell over on BookTube I was turned onto the magic that is Shaun Tan. Thus far, I've only read one of his books but I already know I'm going to have to READ ALL THE THINGS. (Note: I've just picked up two more and put another one on hold.) Until that day, however, here's a review of Tales from Outer Suburbia. :-)

You guys know how much I love all things creepy and dark. You also know that 2016 has turned out to be the year of the graphic novel for me. So it's no wonder that Shaun Tan is right up my alley. Tales from Outer Suburbia is a collection of short stories and illustrations of a typical suburban neighborhood turned on its head. Think The Burbs meets Home and you're in the right neighborhood. (Didn't even plan that show more little pun out. You're welcome.) It was his art style that caught my attention but his writing is really haunting and beautiful. It's also super snarky with political undertones. His "style" is a mixture of fine line drawing in pencil, bold paints, watercolor, and just plain unique which is why I feel like he can't really be pigeonholed into one genre. From the inside cover to the very last page this book is full to bursting with creepy, weird, and beautiful art with short stories to match. Some of the pages have no words at all which I've learned is one of his fortes so get excited for that in the near future. XD If you're a fan of Grimm's Fairy Tales or Neil Gaiman then this would very likely appeal to you. This was a definite 10/10 for me. show less

Shaun Tan just breaks my heart with all of his works. They're beautiful and life affirming and unsettling and hilarious and strange and truthful.

My favourite story in this "commonplace book" might be that of the two young brothers who set off across the wilds of suburbia to find where their street directory ends. Or it might be that of the strange little foreign exchange student, the size of a salt shaker, and the "cultural differences" his temporary family learn to appreciate.

Just one of many of Tan's little pieces of magic for all ages.

Late last year, finishing up my challenge, I picked up “The arrival” at the library on a whim, and it ended up being one of my top reads for the year. This year it’s happened again. It’s clear I need more Shaun Tan in my life.

This book ever so gently explores a both utterly strange and strangely familiar middle class suburban landscape. It’s absurd. It’s poetic. It’s stylistically marvelous and artistically gorgeous. It’s also, for lack of a better word, friendly. A man in a diver’s suit gets help to get where he’s going. Two brothers set out on an expedition to the missing page of the city map. Lost scraps of bad poetry starts to bundle together. A blind reindeer lands on your roof, ready to steal your most precious show more things. Stick figures watch you from behind the bus stops.

As if this isn’t enough: my two year old daughter loves the art of this book too. And Shaun Tan also illustrates all books by the marvelous Kelly Link. I need to own this and read a thousand times. show less

What a gorgeous book! The physical package of this book is wonderful: an embossed case with an appealing varnish, fascinating endpapers, and delightful front and back matters. I was hooked before I had read a word of the text.

And then there's the text itself: smart, funny, playful, slightly absurd, engagingly thoughtful — and complemented by beautiful artwork and clean, readable type. The stories and poems are intelligent and relatable, emotionally deft and keenly balanced. I enjoyed this book so much (I've already re-read several of the stories) and would definitely recommend it to YA readers looking for a quick, off-kilter, non-series-based read.

The only trouble with this book is that it doesn't announce itself well to its intended show more audience. Because of its trim size, I don't see many YA readers picking it up voluntarily; this is a book another reader would have to recommend. However, it would make a welcome addition to classroom libraries and teen sections. Don't let the presentation fool you: these are sly, sophisticated stories, nicely supported by attractive, often richly detailed, images. Adults will like this collection, too. show less