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Shaun Tan

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Cicada Hardcover – 26 June 2018

by Shaun Tan (Author)

501 ratings

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WINNER OF THE CBCA PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019

Cicada work in tall building.

Data entry clerk. Seventeen year.

No sick day. No mistake.

Tok Tok Tok!

Cicada works in an office, dutifully toiling day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his coworkers. But one day, cicada goes to the roof of the building, and something truly extraordinary happens ...

A story for anyone who has ever felt unappreciated, overlooked or overworked, from Australia's most acclaimed picture book creator. This is Shaun Tan's first author-illustrator book in five years, and his most important and moving fable since The Arrival.

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Product description

Review

quite simply a stunning work of art - Better Reading

The illustrations are sublime, in detail, composition and texture, making CICADA an illustrated appreciation of the under appreciated, a book to be appreciated and cherished.

A must for any child's library, CICADA transcends category and deserves a place in any library where the social, political and the surreal are celebrated. - Sydney Arts Guide

Cicada is a work that packs a punch regardless of your age. - The Garrett Podcast

Shaun Tan has done it again. Cicada is excellent. Although more distinctly a narrative picture book than some of his others, Cicada's darkness breeds a rich subtext that will serve well in classrooms and resonate with older children and adults. The journey of the eponymous cicada-an unappreciated, abused office worker-reimagines the peculiar life cycle of these extraordinary creatures in a stark, bleak, near-monochromatic human office environment, where all but the besuited insect are faceless, and the maze of cubicles look like Escher's might have if he'd had the joy stamped out of him. The concrete, minimalist illustrations Tan uses here contrast with his earlier work, and the seemingly simple story is multilayered, lending itself to various readings. Told in Cicada's broken English, the short narrative also conjures metaphors with the refugee experience. The mood of the story shifts at the end though it retains some ambiguity (the cathartic change in colour palette recalls the uplifting end of The Red Tree). Cicada's strangely addictive little refrain of 'Tok Tok Tok!', which echoes the insect's call as well as a mindless, keyboard-tapping corporate world, will stay with you, as will this beautiful book. - Books and Publishing

Review

quite simply a stunning work of art - Better Reading

The illustrations are sublime, in detail, composition and texture, making CICADA an illustrated appreciation of the under appreciated, a book to be appreciated and cherished.

A must for any child's library, CICADA transcends category and deserves a place in any library where the social, political and the surreal are celebrated. - Sydney Arts Guide

Cicada is a work that packs a punch regardless of your age. - The Garrett Podcast

Shaun Tan has done it again. Cicada is excellent. Although more distinctly a narrative picture book than some of his others, Cicada's darkness breeds a rich subtext that will serve well in classrooms and resonate with older children and adults. The journey of the eponymous cicada-an unappreciated, abused office worker-reimagines the peculiar life cycle of these extraordinary creatures in a stark, bleak, near-monochromatic human office environment, where all but the besuited insect are faceless, and the maze of cubicles look like Escher's might have if he'd had the joy stamped out of him. The concrete, minimalist illustrations Tan uses here contrast with his earlier work, and the seemingly simple story is multilayered, lending itself to various readings. Told in Cicada's broken English, the short narrative also conjures metaphors with the refugee experience. The mood of the story shifts at the end though it retains some ambiguity (the cathartic change in colour palette recalls the uplifting end of The Red Tree). Cicada's strangely addictive little refrain of 'Tok Tok Tok!', which echoes the insect's call as well as a mindless, keyboard-tapping corporate world, will stay with you, as will this beautiful book. - Books and Publishing

From the Publisher

Shaun Tan grew up in Perth and graduated from the University of Western Australia with joint honours in Fine Arts and English Literature. He began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small-press magazines as a teenager, and has since become best known for illustrated books that deal with social, political and historical subjects through surreal, dream-like imagery. His works include The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, Rules of Summer and the acclaimed wordless novel The Arrival. All have been widely translated throughout Europe, Asia and South America, and are enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Shaun has also worked as a theatre designer and a concept artist for the films Horton Hears a Who and Pixar's WALL-E and in 2011, he shared an Academy Award for his work on the animated short film based on his book, The Lost Thing. In that same year, he won the Dromkeen Medal for services to children's literature and the Astrid Lindgren prize, the world's richest children's literature award.

For more information visit shauntan.net

About the Author

Shaun Tan grew up in Perth and graduated from the University of Western Australia with joint honours in Fine Arts and English Literature. He began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small-press magazines as a teenager, and has since become best known for illustrated books that deal with social, political and historical subjects through surreal, dream-like imagery. His works include The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, Rules of Summer and the acclaimed wordless novel The Arrival. All have been widely translated throughout Europe, Asia and South America, and are enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Shaun has also worked as a theatre designer and a concept artist for the films Horton Hears a Who and Pixar's WALL-E and in 2011, he shared an Academy Award for his work on the animated short film based on his book, The Lost Thing. In that same year, he won the Dromkeen Medal for services to children's literature and the Astrid Lindgren prize, the world's richest children's literature award.

For more information visit shauntan.net

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lothian Children's Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 26 June 2018
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0734418639
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0734418630
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 422 g
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 years and up
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.3 x 0.9 x 28.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 79,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,349 in Fantasy & Magic for Children
- 4,326 in Action & Adventure for Children (Books)
- 4,539 in Literature & Fiction for Children (Books)

Customer Reviews:
501 ratings

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Shaun Tan

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Shaun Tan grew up in Perth, Western Australia and works as an artist, writer and film-maker in Melbourne. He is best known for illustrated books that deal with social and historical subjects through dream-like imagery, widely translated throughout the world and enjoyed by readers of all ages. Shaun is the recipient of an Academy Award for short animation, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in Sweden and the Kate Greenaway Medal in the UK. He lives with his wife, two children, a dog, a parrot, some fish and stick insects.

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Robyn Whitney
Thought provoking book
Reviewed in Australia on 16 August 2019
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

I chose the five-star rating because there's a twist at the end which I like. I resonate with the cicada is because at times I feel overworked and unappreciated. I finally made the break and soared free!

Also I admire Shaun Tan's whimsical art too.

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Mabel Mudlark
Beautiful, poignant illustrations
Reviewed in Australia on 2 August 2018
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This is a short, beautiful illustrated book.

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Tim Lukeman
A mordant little fable about modern working life, or, Kafka for kids
Reviewed in the United States on 19 June 2019
Verified Purchase

While this is officially marketed as a children's book, I speak as someone who worked too many years in a cubicle & finally made his escape from it. And any adult who ever did the same will find that this all-too-accurate story strikes home with a vengeance! It certainly did with me.

Of course, the art is darkly beautiful, as might be expected from the gift Shaun Tan. And the minimalist text works quite effectively, leading the protagonist (and the reader) into darker & darker territory … and then to a moving conclusion, with Cicada having achieved … well, I'll leave that to the reader to discover, as I don't want to spoil the surprising ending.

Let me touch on the negative reviews, which find the story too grim & depressing for younger readers. I'd say that it's no different than the original fairy tales of yore, which were darker & more honest about life than what Disney & others have made of them since. And in any case, even if some of this goes over the heads of younger readers, many of their parents are actually living the same story; kids are perceptive enough to see & understand more than many adults are willing to admit. Finally, I can't see any of those younger readers being upset or depressed by the ending, particularly with Cicada's closing words. (Again, you'll have to see for yourself.)

As my subject line notes, this almost reads like a Kafka story for kids. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. If anything, the story will evoke empathy & compassion in its younger readers. But worried parents might want to read it first & decide for themselves. As far as I'm concerned, highly recommended!

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Wicho Toño
Me encanta la ilustración.
Reviewed in Mexico on 22 August 2024
Verified Purchase
Es un libro bonito.

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Priyanka
Good product
Reviewed in India on 20 March 2024
Verified Purchase
I got it delivered on time with no damages.

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Cassie
Another beautifully conceptualised and illustrated book by this author.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
As with all the other books of this author, this one is a work of art in every sense, visually and conceptually. The way the character is presented is both specific and universal, and expresses beautifully the sense of being an outsider, the need to belong, but also the ability to transcend our difficulties and to find meaning in life.

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Sissi
Uma fábula da cigarra
Reviewed in Brazil on 15 September 2021
Verified Purchase
Uma fábula maravilhosa sobre a cigarra, remetendo ao conto da formiga e a cigarra de um ponto de vista diferente e encantador. Uma revisão sobre a servidão e o "trabalho" da vida.

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