Praise for The Arrival:
"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
"Astonishing." — The Washington Post
"A wordless tour de force." — Time Out New York Kids
"Mesmerizing." — The New York Times Book Review
* "An unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "A silent, fantastical masterpiece." — Booklist, starred review
* "Few will remain unaffected by this timeless stunner." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book
An ALA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for Teens
A Publishers Weekly Best Book
New York Magazine's Top Comic Book
Hundreds of sepia-toned drawings, some tiny, some panoramic, all pulsing with detail, combine to produce an effect reminiscent of silent movies or mime, the absence of words forcing the eye and the brain to work harder. The Arrival is neck-and-neck with Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret for most original children's book of 2007, but unlike that uneven effort, it's definitely not just for the young.
—The Washington Post
The cover of The Arrival, made to look like old, worn leather, establishes a family photo album motif that Tan faithfully carries through the entire book. Inside, borderless sepia panels are arranged in careful grids. Creases and unidentifiable splotches elegantly blemish many of the pages. Tan completely eschews motion lines, sound effects and any other comics storytelling devices that would not be found in photographs. Even the spaces between the panels suggest a photo album: instead of the pencil-thin gutters found in most graphic novels, he uses generous half-inch strips of yellowed paper. The effect is mesmerizing. Reading The Arrival feels like paging through a family treasure newly discovered up in the attic.
—The New York Times
An astonishing wordless graphic novel blends historical imagery with science-fiction elements to depict-brilliantly-the journey of an immigrant man from his terror-beset land of origin to a new, more peaceful home. Sepia-toned panels and turn-of-the-last-century dress and architecture seem to place readers in familiar territory-but fantastical images, including monumental cities, various bizarre forms of air transport and distinctly alien animals serve to unsettle both protagonist and readers, plunging the latter into the unsettling and often terrifying experience of being alone in a new land. Perhaps the most ingenious touch is the use of a newly created alien alphabet printed everywhere-on signs, official papers, maps, etc.-which renders the literate entirely helpless. Frightening this new land may be, but there are friends everywhere, from the other immigrants who help the protagonist and tell their own tales of escape from oppression, war and fear to the whimsical beastie who attaches itself to him as his pet. Small panels move the story along; full- and double-page spreads provide dazzling panoramas. It's an unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect. (Graphic novel. 10+)
