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Cicada Hardcover – 26 June 2018

by Shaun Tan (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 454 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.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 years and up
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    22.3 x 0.9 x 28.5 cm
  5. Publisher
    Lothian Children's Books
  6. Publication date
    26 June 2018
  7. ISBN-10
    0734418639
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0734418630
  9. See all details
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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

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lothian Children's Books; 1st edition (26 June 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0734418639
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0734418630
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.3 x 0.9 x 28.5 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 454 ratings

About the author

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Shaun Tan

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.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
454 global ratings

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Top reviews from Australia

Robyn Whitney
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking book
Reviewed in Australia on 16 August 2019
Verified 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
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, poignant illustrations
Reviewed in Australia on 2 August 2018
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This is a short, beautiful illustrated book.
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on 5 January 2024
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This was a gift for a friend and was such good quality and a really great book. She loved it!
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Mario Ochoa
5.0 out of 5 stars Maravillosa historia
Reviewed in Mexico on 7 November 2023
Verified Purchase
Conocí a este autor (Shaun Tan) de pura casualidad al ver algunas imágenes de su obra en Facebook y quedé fascinado pensando que no se trataba de un libro como tal, pero al descubrirlo no dudé en adquirirlo! Una breve historia de lo que muchos hemos pasado y una buena enseñanza para decidir ser libre y moverte sino te sientes cómodo en un lugar tok tok…
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Mario Ochoa
5.0 out of 5 stars Maravillosa historia
Reviewed in Mexico on 7 November 2023
Conocí a este autor (Shaun Tan) de pura casualidad al ver algunas imágenes de su obra en Facebook y quedé fascinado pensando que no se trataba de un libro como tal, pero al descubrirlo no dudé en adquirirlo! Una breve historia de lo que muchos hemos pasado y una buena enseñanza para decidir ser libre y moverte sino te sientes cómodo en un lugar tok tok…
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carol wiggins
5.0 out of 5 stars PERFECT!
Reviewed in Canada on 13 March 2023
Verified Purchase
Shaun Tan is amazing, to say the least!
This is a beautiful book ...hard cover and printed on excellent paper... AND WHAT A STORY!!!
Get it!
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Sissi
5.0 out of 5 stars 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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Priyanka
5.0 out of 5 stars Good product
Reviewed in India on 20 March 2024
Verified Purchase
I got it delivered on time with no damages.
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