Breathtakingly illustrated and hauntingly written, Tales from Outer Suburbia is by turns hilarious and poignant, perceptive and goofy. Throu...
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reviews
Jan 08, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it: 
On the face of it, I’m an inadequate reviewer for Shaun Tan. When you review a book for kids, what do you do? You take that little book, you pick apart its layers (if you’re lucky enough to find any), then you box up each and every one of those layers, a paragraph apiece, and voila! Instant review. Having a format to follow makes everything so simple. It’s as if you’re simply filling in the blanks on a Mad Libs sheet. "Pronoun has written an adjective book that will adverb verb you ea
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(13 people liked it)
Dec 24, 2008
S.
rated it:
To say that Shaun Tan has switched gears with his newest book is an understatement. Tales from Outer Suburbia differs from The Arrival as greatly as Maus differs from Mars Needs Moms. Tan has shifted from a silent and captivating depiction of the displacement and wonder felt by a family of immigrants, to a collection of endearing short stories about the bizarre happenings in a quaint little town. The good news is that neither the art nor storytelling has suffered from the transition. The art is
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(6 people liked it)
Mar 01, 2010
Christine
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Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Junior High/High School
Format: Combination Chapter/Picture Book
Awards: Australian Children's Book of the Year Awards (2009), ALA Notable Books for Children (2010), ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010), New York Times Best Illustrated (2009), Outstanding International Book List (2010)
It is very difficult to find the right words to describe this book. In a nut shell, it is a collection of short stories and illustrat More...
Format: Combination Chapter/Picture Book
Awards: Australian Children's Book of the Year Awards (2009), ALA Notable Books for Children (2010), ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010), New York Times Best Illustrated (2009), Outstanding International Book List (2010)
It is very difficult to find the right words to describe this book. In a nut shell, it is a collection of short stories and illustrat More...
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(2 people liked it)
Apr 20, 2011
Jeannette
rated it:
I just love this author! Some of the stories are sad, some are whimsical, and the drawings run to the surreal; but they will all make you think.
My favorite stories are: Eric, No Other Country, Grandpa's Story, and Distant Rain.
The Amnesia Machine contains this quote: "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep." -- Saul Bellow
Alert but not Alarmed opens with: "It's funny how these days, when every hou More...
My favorite stories are: Eric, No Other Country, Grandpa's Story, and Distant Rain.
The Amnesia Machine contains this quote: "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep." -- Saul Bellow
Alert but not Alarmed opens with: "It's funny how these days, when every hou More...
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 29, 2010
Erin
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Tales from Outer Suburbia is appropriate for students in grades 7-12. This book won a plethora of awards some of which include: the Australian Book Industry Award for Illustrated Book of the Year (2009), the World Fantasy Award, Best Artist (2009) and the Aurealis Award for Best Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel (2008).
This book is a collection of fifteen fantasy short stories about living on the fringes of suburbia. The textbook describes fantasy as, "extending reality into th More...
This book is a collection of fifteen fantasy short stories about living on the fringes of suburbia. The textbook describes fantasy as, "extending reality into th More...
May 25, 2010
Chandra
rated it:
What does it all mean??? I don’t know and I don’t care, but I still love it! I love the way Shaun Tan’s work makes me feel – puzzled and a little unsettled, but also comforted and understood. I’ve been feeling annoyed by pretentious and purposely obscure literature lately, but this feels less like intentional obfuscation and like something much more honest. It’s strange that I was immediately reminded of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg Ohio. Strange because, besides being short stories, the co
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18 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Apr 29, 2009
bistra
rated it:
wow, it arrived today and i totally fell in love and i think it's the best book ever! we'll see how the writing is
~~~
i read it as slowly as possible because i didn't want it to end
it official - that's the best book i have and -- well, i have some really nice books
i'm looking forward for more shaun tan because he's great!
~~~
i read it as slowly as possible because i didn't want it to end
it official - that's the best book i have and -- well, i have some really nice books
i'm looking forward for more shaun tan because he's great!
6 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 25, 2009
Icats
rated it:
t was the layout, design, and surreal imagery that attracted me to this book. What a bonus that the 15 short illustrated stories also created a unique and pleasing journey through the extremely cool eye candy. I thought Mr. Tan did an excellent job capturing the voice and imagination of seeing suburbia through a young eyes. As stated in the description the stories are “...about a strange situation or event that occurs in an otherwise familiar suburban world.” My favorites were Eric and Alert but
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(1 person liked it)
Aug 30, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I loved all of the stories in the book and even read a number of them more than once- to myself and out loud to my younger brother. Personally, my favorite stories were Eric, Distant Rain, Alarmed but not Alarmed, and Stick Figures.
My brother (Cameron) is 10 years old, and while I consider this book to be more for adult or young adult readers. There were some stories in this book even he enjoyed. He loved The Water Buffalo, Undertow, and Night of the Turtle Rescue. Granted, all of th More...
My brother (Cameron) is 10 years old, and while I consider this book to be more for adult or young adult readers. There were some stories in this book even he enjoyed. He loved The Water Buffalo, Undertow, and Night of the Turtle Rescue. Granted, all of th More...
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 20, 2008
Jennifer
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Apr 12, 2010
Raina
rated it:
I really like Australian media. Something about their quirky sensibility just hits me in a profound way.
This is the first prose work I've read by Shaun Tan, creator of The Arrival, a wordless gn which puts a whole new face on immigration. I liked The Arrival, but I LOVED this.
It's part short story collection, part gn, part wordless picture book, part friend of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. All the stories are set in a slightly melting clocks version of Australian suburbia. I More...
This is the first prose work I've read by Shaun Tan, creator of The Arrival, a wordless gn which puts a whole new face on immigration. I liked The Arrival, but I LOVED this.
It's part short story collection, part gn, part wordless picture book, part friend of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. All the stories are set in a slightly melting clocks version of Australian suburbia. I More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 13, 2009
Abby
rated it:
Beautiful, otherworldly illustrated stories that are funny, melancholy, and pretty much perfect. These are brief -- some are only a page long -- but you can spend hours studying Tan's intricate, captivating drawings. My favorites are "Eric" (about an alien exchange student who lives in the pantry), "Stick Figures" (the haunting illustrations really tell this story), and the one about the poetry ball, I can't remember its title but it is the best use of cut-and-paste collage t
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Feb 08, 2009
karen
rated it:
is this really for children?? are children really this sad and dark and complicated emotionally?? i dont know, but i know that this book is outstanding. i think in a way it is harder to tell a story without words, like the arrival, but this shows that he is also an exceptional word-story-teller. and i am an exceptional word-hyphen-stringer.
Apr 01, 2009
Anina
rated it: 
I enjoyed this though it's hard to say why. Very odd. I like the writing style.
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Mar 30, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
This book reeks of Shirley Jackson on an "up" day. I just wanted to say that because, hey, it's a fun sentence-don't think shirley jackson dark or you'll be disappointed-Shaun Tan leaves more soft edges and quirk. However, I DID think of the Lottery a little as a I read Tan's stories of "outer suburbia". Told in both pictures and text, the book is a collection of short stories with a fresh tone...I found myself wanting to read more. It's possible some people may think hi
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Feb 18, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Strip malls, track housing, and white picket fences jump into my mind when I think of suburbia. Everything’s the same, people are happy and stability and routine are the norm.
Shaun Tan has thrown this stereotypical image in the garbage. This quirky collection of 15 concise graphic stories has uprooted every notion I held about suburban life.
Magical surrealism surrounds the story Eric, when an unexpected exchange studen More...
Strip malls, track housing, and white picket fences jump into my mind when I think of suburbia. Everything’s the same, people are happy and stability and routine are the norm.
Shaun Tan has thrown this stereotypical image in the garbage. This quirky collection of 15 concise graphic stories has uprooted every notion I held about suburban life.
Magical surrealism surrounds the story Eric, when an unexpected exchange studen More...
Jan 31, 2009
edh
rated it:
Tan leaves the reader breathless with these short pieces from the intimate, inner lives of those who live in the suburbs. Using a different style/technique to illustrate each story, the magical realism of Outer Suburbia merges in a disquietude that makes you doubt what may really be happening beyond the borders of urban life. An otherworldly foreign exchange student leaves behind an everlasting garden for his host family, neighborhood dogs exact revenge on a evil man, and a lost undersea diver
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Jan 26, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Welcome to the suburbs of Australia as seen through the eyes of author Shaun Tan. This collection of fifteen stories is creatively written and illustrated. A comment on the last page mentions that the book was created with the assistance of "the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body."
Not only are readers presented with tales inspired by hu More...
Welcome to the suburbs of Australia as seen through the eyes of author Shaun Tan. This collection of fifteen stories is creatively written and illustrated. A comment on the last page mentions that the book was created with the assistance of "the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body."
Not only are readers presented with tales inspired by hu More...
Dec 11, 2011
Dena
rated it:
Summary: This work is a collection of seemingly unrelated vignettes, each illustrated with detail that is both realistic and surreal.
Personal Reaction: The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing! I actually went through the book more than once, and each time, I’d find something I’d missed the first couple of times through the book. While each of these vignettes is a full and complete story in itself, the piece that stood out most for me was “Wake.” As an animal lover, espec More...
Personal Reaction: The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing! I actually went through the book more than once, and each time, I’d find something I’d missed the first couple of times through the book. While each of these vignettes is a full and complete story in itself, the piece that stood out most for me was “Wake.” As an animal lover, espec More...
Nov 04, 2011
Lori
rated it:
Summary:
This graphic novel is a compilation of several short stories that represent a part of suburban life that we never knew existed. The stories only connection is that in which they take place, suburbia. Each story lets you enter through a new world of suburbia. The mesmerizing illustrations tell the story alongside the text.
Personal Reaction:
First of all, I don't think I have ever seen a more beautifully illustrated book. The colors and styles of the illust More...
This graphic novel is a compilation of several short stories that represent a part of suburban life that we never knew existed. The stories only connection is that in which they take place, suburbia. Each story lets you enter through a new world of suburbia. The mesmerizing illustrations tell the story alongside the text.
Personal Reaction:
First of all, I don't think I have ever seen a more beautifully illustrated book. The colors and styles of the illust More...
Oct 23, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
I liked this book. I kept wondering if it was a novel, since that is what I have been reading lately, and when was I going to see the connection between the chapters. Silly me!! I knew I was going to like the book when I saw the author had used and envelope and stamps (for the stories) on the content page. Very clever. I liked how the Grandpa story was really about how hard married life is, with its ups and downs, that it is not always as easy as it seems. The author writes very good sto
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Jun 05, 2011
Karen
rated it:
One of the most artistic and interesting books I've seen yet! A collection of 15 stories and poems, all illustrated and loosely set in a generic, unnamed suburb. Each story comes from Shaun Tan's sketchbook, and he has a way of twisting a story or an idea slightly off-kilter. There's a silent water buffalo that lives in an abandoned lot, and always points you in the general direction of the answer to your question, a discovery of a magical inner courtyard in an impoverished home (my favorite)
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Apr 07, 2011
Leslie
rated it:
"Tales from Outer Suburbia is a picture book that houses 15 short, illustrated stories. And it is achingly well-done."
[...]
"With Tan’s talent as an artist, his ability to render lush and evocative images, it is an added insult that he be such a fantastic word-weaver as well. I could just stare at his illustrations all day long, slowly flipping through the pages of the book for the sake of the pictures alone, but his worded stories are also quite compelling.
"I l More...
[...]
"With Tan’s talent as an artist, his ability to render lush and evocative images, it is an added insult that he be such a fantastic word-weaver as well. I could just stare at his illustrations all day long, slowly flipping through the pages of the book for the sake of the pictures alone, but his worded stories are also quite compelling.
"I l More...
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Oct 05, 2010
Jacki
rated it:
If you're reading this review, STOP AND GO FIND THIS BOOK AND READ IT RIGHT NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOWNOWNOWNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book is incredible.
The art is beautiful. I want every single page in poster size. I will FIND the space to hang them all, even if some have to go on my back yard fence.
The stories are beyond strange. Each is a seemingly pointless surrealist jaunt that will leave you with a message. This book has something to say abou More...
This book is incredible.
The art is beautiful. I want every single page in poster size. I will FIND the space to hang them all, even if some have to go on my back yard fence.
The stories are beyond strange. Each is a seemingly pointless surrealist jaunt that will leave you with a message. This book has something to say abou More...
Aug 29, 2010
Nick
rated it:
An illustrated book usually shelved in bookstores with the children's books. NOT A CHILDREN'S BOOK. A book about children and families, neighborhoods and the unreality of the world. A wonderful book, a wonderous book, a wondering book. The illustrations are funky yet endearing, imaginative and literal. For instance, "The Water Buffalo", my favorite, shows a water buffalo dominating a vacant lot and giving directions to a young girl. Literal, believable fantasy. Didn't your neighborhood
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Mar 29, 2010
Miki
rated it:
In the 48 hours after receiving this book, not only did I devour it myself and share it with two friends, I even showed it to random people on the bus. Every single one was blown away by how amazing this book is -- regardless of the fact that it is "technically" being marketed to youth and teens, adults were every bit as in love with this book of short stories, illustrations, and all sorts of cool bits in between. I don't know that there's any single "genre" you could label
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Mar 05, 2010
Carolynne
rated it:
A must-read filled with complex, fascinating collage and mixed media illustrations, _Tales from Outer Suburbia_ is far more rewarding than its science fiction cover suggests (it is actually an old fashioned diving helmet, but I thought it was a space suit until I read the relevant story). The writing is sophisticated but sweet (if you are like me you will want to save the second story, "Eric," for last). First published in Australia, it won several Australian awards, but is also one
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Dec 30, 2009
The Loft
rated it:
Suburbia has never been so interesting as in Shaun Tan’s "Tales From Outer Suburbia;" painted missiles dot the landscape in one story (every household has its own intercontinental ballistic missile supplied by the government in support of national security), and a large, endangered marine mammal is found stranded on a front lawn in another. When you open up Tan’s collection of 14 extraordinary tales, you immediately come face-to-face with an ominous water buffalo living in the tall gra
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Nov 12, 2009
Parka
rated it:
More pictures at parkablogs.com
I bought this book thinking it was an art book, but it's not. Tales From Outer Suburbia is more of an illustrated story book containing 15 short fantasy stories. And it's a children's book, but more for those above 12 year old because some of the stories are, well, very surreal. It's the surrealism of the illustrations that really caught my attention.
Shaun Tan has a knack of storytelling mixing illustrations and words. He would sometim More...
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Sep 15, 2009
Roxanne Hsu
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This book reminds of a third grade project that my daughter did: to write a short story that accompanies one picture from Chris Van Allsburg's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. In fact, on Allsburg's site, there is an entire section dedicated to stories from "readers" of the book inspired by the images in the book.
Outer Suburbia has that same absurdity, the same eeriness and outlandish qualities that constantly surprise and delight the reader, even when we feel slightly u More...
Outer Suburbia has that same absurdity, the same eeriness and outlandish qualities that constantly surprise and delight the reader, even when we feel slightly u More...
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