Tok Tok Tok Cicada works in an office, dutifully working day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his co-workers. Maybe our little cicada’s day will come.ĭiscover also Shaun Tan’s brilliant backlist including The Arrival, a story of displaced people, and my personal favourite, The Red Tree, an exploration of our heart’s dark moments.Ĭicada by Shaun Tan is published by Hodder Children’s Books, 32 pages. A stunning new picture book for anyone who has ever felt unappreciated, from Academy Award winner Shaun Tan. In reality, their life cycle is simply remarkable. In folklore and tradition, the cicada represents rebirth and immortality. This brilliantly illustrated dystopian tale also provides the setting for great transformation. The story of a cicada who works in an office, and all the people who dont appreciate him. Children aged 7+ will certainly understand that it is about those people in our lives who remain ignored and overlooked, and the themes of worker exploitation, bullying, and human rights are ripe for a challenging discussion with older kids. In Cicada, the text is minimalist, every sentence carefully weighted. Although you will find his books in the children’s section of a bookshop, they really transcend classification, and that is his intention. Shaun Tan’s award-winning work consistently challenges the picture book norm. Until the day of his retirement, when life as he knows it changes forever.

No one comes to his aid, and ever the stoic, Cicada toils on.

Shockingly he is bullied, both verbally and physically. He takes us on an emotional journey, and then, right there in those final pages BAM he takes us on a twist that was so unexpected and so delightful.Pure genius. In rhythmic speech, echoing the call of the real-life insect, he relates the events of his days. Cicada is the stunning new picture book from the master of storytelling, Shaun Tan. Here, with Cicada, he illuminates the world of the unappreciated, bullied and ignored.Ĭicada gazes out from the page meekly, his drab suit blending into the illustrator’s expansive palette of greys. An acclaimed author-illustrator, he has redefined the picture book. His working day is so bleak, can there be any hope for his future? A new book by Shaun Tan is always a cause for celebration. He is a quiet, conscientious insect who has toiled away in a dreary office for many thankless years.

Cicada shaun tan book