Common Sense Media Review
Wordless immigrant story is a visual masterpiece.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In a country beset with shadows and fear, a man leaves his wife and daughter behind to travel to a new country. Everything there is alien to him, even the language and alphabet. But, with the help of kind strangers and new friends, he's eventually able to find an apartment, make food, and get a job. And, finally, he's able to send for his wife and daughter.
Is It Any Good?
THE ARRIVAL has been called a graphic novel, but it bears little resemblance to others of that genre. It's completely wordless, and the pictures are a cross between scrapbook photos and storyboards for a silent movie. Done, incredibly, entirely in pencil and tinted in sepia tones, it's visually almost entirely metaphorical -- only the people, an array of nationalities and ethnicities, are recognizable. Everything else is designed to engender in the reader the same kind of awe and confusion that an immigrant might feel upon first arriving in a strange new country.
The Arrival is aimed at older children and adults, and kids will need some help from parents if they're to get anything out of it. It assumes a high degree of visual literacy, as well as familiarity with the immigrant experience. Even for older readers, it rewards repeat viewing and careful poring over and pondering of each frame. This brilliant and gorgeous book is in the vanguard of an evolution in literary and artistic forms. With the success of this book and others like it, we are likely to see a blossoming of new shoots and branches on the literary tree. If this is an example of the new directions they will take, long may they grow.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the visual metaphors throughout the book. What do the origami birds represent? What are all those monstrous shadows of tails hanging over the city?
How is this book different from a typical graphic novel?
How do the colors in the book contribute to the mood and emotional tone?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Shaun Tan
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Arthur A. Levine
- Publication date : October 1, 2007
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 122
- Last updated : July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate