Rules of Summer …is visually fascinating. The book's endpapers are of a gray-toned industrial street, where one boy, standing in the middle of a strangely empty road, whispers into a smaller boy's ear. There's a sense of foreboding to the scene, but the whisper looks like an invitation to play…Throughout, Tan maintains that tension between fun and danger and the real and the imaginary. To say that the effect is unsettling and unfamiliar in the picture-book format is not to condemn it. This is a book that will scare some readers and excite others; it is probably best suited to older children who welcome a frisson of real-world fear.
The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith
★ 02/17/2014 In a book that reads like an homage to The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, Lindgren award-winner Tan (The Arrival) offers a sequence of paintings that represent a boy’s cumulative summer knowledge, framed as rules and populated by Tan’s now-familiar menagerie of one-eyed robots, malevolent rabbits, and windup dinosaurs. The rules appear on the left, while lavish, brilliant paintings of the accompanying disasters light up the opposite pages. An older boy yanks his younger brother away from a platter at a soiree full of glaring raptors (“Never eat the last olive at a party”); frowns when bats, lizards, and sea anemones move into the living room (“Never leave the back door open overnight”); and, after a fistfight, bundles the younger boy into a locomotive and sends him off through Siberian wastes (“Never lose a fight”). At last, the older brother relents and rescues the younger boy (“Always know the way home”); they arrive in a lush, Wayne Thiebaud–style paradise of gigantic fruits and puddings through which they parade with drum and horn. As always, the swirl of emotion that Tan’s artwork kicks up lingers long after the book is closed. All ages. (May)
Praise for Rules of Summer An NPR Greatest ReadA Publishers Weekly Best BookA School Library Journal Best BookA Kirkus Reviews Best BookA Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book"Visually fascinating ." New York Times * "As always, the swirl of emotion that Tan's artwork kicks up lingers long after the book is closed." Publishers Weekly , starred review* "Sumptuous and sincere this title is a winner." School Library Journal , starred reviewPraise for The Arrival A New York Times Best Illustrated BookAn ALA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for TeensA Publishers Weekly Best Book"Mesmerizing... Such visual eloquence can only motivate readers to seek out any future graphic novels from Shaun Tan, regardless of where they might be shelved." New York Times Book Review "Astonishing." The Washington Post * "Filled with both subtlety and grandeur, the book is a unique work that not only fulfills but also expands the potential of its form." Booklist , starred review* "An unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect." Kirkus Reviews , starred review* "Few will remain unaffected by this timeless stunner ." Publishers Weekly , starred reviewPraise for Tales from Outer Suburbia A New York Times Best Illustrated BookA Publishers Weekly Best Book"You almost can't stop yourself from saying 'Wow...' Tan's work overflows with human warmth and childlike wonder." New York Times Book Review * "The thoughtful and engaged reader will take from these stories an experience as deep and profound as with anything he has ever read." Booklist , starred review* "Graphic-novel and text enthusiasts alike will be drawn to this breathtaking combination of words and images ." Kirkus Reviews , starred reviewPraise for Lost & Found: Three by Shaun Tan * "These stories representing the visionary work of a master storyteller, illustrator, and designer who cares deeply about his message deserve a place in almost every collection." Booklist , starred review"Shaun Tan rocks my retinas ... The book is gorgeously designed, the stories are evocative and mysterious, and every page of Tan's paintings I can't bring myself to call them mere illustrations commands long moments of study." Cleveland Plain Dealer Praise for The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook * "The sharing of unfinished work is a generous gesture, and the collection is a treasure trove for any young artist who wants to know more about how ideas are captured on paper." Publishers Weekly , starred review* "Unmistakable are his flawless craftsmanship , his organically industrial yet timeless aesthetic, and his lyrically haunting style and tone... A powerful springboard for the imagination ." Booklist , starred reviewPublishers Weekly Starred Review In a book that reads like an homage to The Mysteries of Harris Burdick , Lindgren award-winner Tan (The Arrival ) offers a sequence of paintings that represent a boy’s cumulative summer knowledge, framed as rules and populated by Tan’s now-familiar menagerie of one-eyed robots, malevolent rabbits, and windup dinosaurs. The rules appear on the left, while lavish, brilliant paintings of the accompanying disasters light up the opposite pages. An older boy yanks his younger brother away from a platter at a soiree full of glaring raptors (“Never eat the last olive at a party”); frowns when bats, lizards, and sea anemones move into the living room (“Never leave the back door open overnight”); and, after a fistfight, bundles the younger boy into a locomotive and sends him off through Siberian wastes (“Never lose a fight”). At last, the older brother relents and rescues the younger boy (“Always know the way home”); they arrive in a lush, Wayne Thiebaud–style paradise of gigantic fruits and puddings through which they parade with drum and horn. As always, the swirl of emotion that Tan’s artwork kicks up lingers long after the book is closed. *"The effect is an externalization of the deeply felt emotions of childhood, and it is heightened by the smallness of the single lines of text centered on mostly blank verso pages that feature only accidental scribbles, as if to indicate that so much of what happens can’t be put into words, and words themselves tell less than half the story" -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
★ 05/01/2014 Gr 1–4—Right from the endpapers featuring an ominously shadowed street on which two boys stand in silhouette—one clearly older whispering into the younger child's ear—readers are clued into a familiar sibling dynamic: big brother sets the rules; little brother is always one step behind, doing his best to follow along. It's too bad for little brother that the rules are nearly impossible to anticipate: "Never leave a red sock on the clothesline" is accompanied by the image of the terrified boys hiding from a house-sized red rabbit on the hunt for the crimson article. Some rules seem designed to teach ("Never eat the last olive at a party"), while others simply reinforce the power dynamic ("Never ask for a reason"). Tan's oil paintings, with their masterful layering of color and impressionistic plays on light and shadow, toy with the ordinary and the surreal. At its heart, this is a story about sibling relationships, and Tan artfully captures the frustration, sadness, and joy of what it means to be brothers. The sophistication of the visual narrative paired with the simplicity of the text invites multiple readings and opportunities for discussion. Sumptuous and sincere—this title is a winner.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal
★ 2014-02-26 One summer, two brothers live by mysteriously dire rules laid down by the older of the pair. The little one lists what he learned: "Never leave a red sock on the clothesline"; "Never eat the last olive at a party"; "Never ruin a perfect plan"—and so on. What if you break a rule? You risk facing monstrous red rabbits, crow armies, teetering robots, lumbering metal dinosaurs, large lizards, overgrown fungus and more. You'll miss a chance to ride on that whizzing red rocket, to catch a shooting star, to visit that glowing, golden kingdom inside the gate. Vivid acrylics and oil paints depict a pretend world so surreal, so specific (and sometimes so downright disturbing) readers will spend hours poring over its subtleties and subtexts. They'll puzzle over the brother's urgent directives too, which vacillate between painfully obscure injunctions and specific commandments quick as a thunderclap. The attachment and tensions between the boys stream clear throughout, however, with the younger racing to catch up and worrying over trespasses he never knew to avoid. Amid the murky peril and bizarre cast of reappearing characters, the brothers' relationship and its powerful emotional undertow remains the centrifugal force, holding each image—and the entire book—together. Evocative, enthralling and with absolutely astounding artwork so good readers will wish that, like summer, it would last forever. (Picture book. 4 & up)