Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Tales From Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan, 2009, New York, Arthur A. Levine Books( 9780545055871)

Awards: Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Young Adult category winner

Author/Illustrator Website: http://www.shauntan.net

Media Used: unknown (author frequently uses pencils)

Annotation: This book features many short stories, most of which are told with the aid of pictures.  The stories range from tales of stick figures that inhabit neighborhoods, to a government who arms citizens with missiles that are turned into practical items.

Personal Reaction:

To put it bluntly, I think Shaun Tan is on a completely different plain of existence as far as his higher thought abilities go.  His books, this once included, feature tons of symbolism, and make my brain hurt.  When you look at the book on a flat level, you see pictures of stick figures and are perplexed.  When you begin to analyze the stories, you can place many different attributes to these stick figures.  They can represent anything that was here before humans, and was concurred.  The story about missiles that people turn into useful items can be interpreted as a wishful thought of people choosing a peaceful life style.

2009 Class Top Ten List