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mlaaker's review against another edition
4.0
There were some surprisingly (to me) thoughtful illustrated stories in here that came up in conversation several times in the week after reading. Very clever.
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
Slim book of pencil-illustrated, surreal short stories, most just a few pages.
ineffablebooks's review against another edition
5.0
If you haven't read any of Shaun Tan's books, get onto it ASAP.
lavoiture's review against another edition
5.0
WOW! This book is amazing. I wish I had bought it instead of checking it out of the library--and that's saying a lot for me. The illustrations are absolutely amazing...the stories are a 3, but put them together with everything and this book is definitely worth a read.
ngreader's review against another edition
5.0
SOOO good! I especially loved the poem story. I mean, everything about this story was amazing and well done and everyone should read this book.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
I love Tan's artwork. This is an eclectic collection of short stories that take place in the suburbs. You have orignal stories that are accompanied by beautiful artwork.
My favorites are the stories pieced together with pieces of text.
All of it is observing how much we are connected even though we believe we are so dramatically different.
I love the surprise endings to some of the stories.
My favorites are the stories pieced together with pieces of text.
All of it is observing how much we are connected even though we believe we are so dramatically different.
I love the surprise endings to some of the stories.
barbtrek's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, the first story had me a bit confused. I was checking to see if maybe some pages fell out! But once I got going this book just got better & better. I bought this last year for my son but some of the stories seemed based on recent events--it was almost eerie. Very good & thought provoking!
pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
I have now finished all the books my library has by Shaun Tan. They have been so much fun. His words and illustrations make up young adult books that stand out. They stand out because some of the subject matter does not appear in other ya fiction, because the illustrations are marvelous and because Tan seems to see the world from a slant. His viewpoint is not typical.
In this book all fifteen stories were wonderful, but I especially liked the tale about Eric and the one titled Our Expedition. The style of Tan's illustrations are always appropriate for the story he is telling.
Like the other Shaun Tan books, I believe everyone should read these. They don't take long, but are lots of fun and always leave you with something to think about.
In this book all fifteen stories were wonderful, but I especially liked the tale about Eric and the one titled Our Expedition. The style of Tan's illustrations are always appropriate for the story he is telling.
Like the other Shaun Tan books, I believe everyone should read these. They don't take long, but are lots of fun and always leave you with something to think about.
davygibbs's review against another edition
4.0
A gorgeous and moving picture book for adults, or young adults, I suppose. I'm not sure I would've gotten much from it when I was a teen, but then, I had patience only for hobbits and hyperspace at that age.
The tendency these days is to assume that when a writer or musician or filmmaker creates a work of art about the suburbs, he or she does so primarily to disparage them. I don't think that's the case here. Tan uses the suburbs not to praise them or curse them, really, but as a familiar backdrop against which these odd fables may leap out with colors and characters shining all the brighter. Tales from Outer Suburbia is not really about the suburbs at all; it's about magic and fantasy, and how extraordinary things can happy to ordinary people. In "The Inner Courtyard," a struggling family glimpses an exotic secret garden through a hole in the attic floor. "Alert but Not Alarmed" introduces us to a neighborhood full of budding artists, transforming ballistic missiles into colorfully painted birdhouses and pizza ovens. Shaun Tan doesn't bristle at the mundane; these stories would be nothing without it.
There's a push and pull at work in these stories, a series of comfortable contradiction--restless characters with endless reserves of patience, stubborn kids with open minds, mute houseguests filled with gratitude, neighbors who want to fit in by standing out. Maybe this book IS about the suburbs as we know them--maybe there is some social commentary mixed in somewhere--but to me, it's about what's waiting just under the surface, waiting for that first tentative scratch.
The tendency these days is to assume that when a writer or musician or filmmaker creates a work of art about the suburbs, he or she does so primarily to disparage them. I don't think that's the case here. Tan uses the suburbs not to praise them or curse them, really, but as a familiar backdrop against which these odd fables may leap out with colors and characters shining all the brighter. Tales from Outer Suburbia is not really about the suburbs at all; it's about magic and fantasy, and how extraordinary things can happy to ordinary people. In "The Inner Courtyard," a struggling family glimpses an exotic secret garden through a hole in the attic floor. "Alert but Not Alarmed" introduces us to a neighborhood full of budding artists, transforming ballistic missiles into colorfully painted birdhouses and pizza ovens. Shaun Tan doesn't bristle at the mundane; these stories would be nothing without it.
There's a push and pull at work in these stories, a series of comfortable contradiction--restless characters with endless reserves of patience, stubborn kids with open minds, mute houseguests filled with gratitude, neighbors who want to fit in by standing out. Maybe this book IS about the suburbs as we know them--maybe there is some social commentary mixed in somewhere--but to me, it's about what's waiting just under the surface, waiting for that first tentative scratch.