Small Things

Small Things written and illustrated by Mel Tregonning (Allen & Unwin)

HC RRP $29.99

ISBN: 9781742379791

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This wordless graphic novel for all ages is one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read. Because the story depends on examining the illustrations/artwork carefully, the messages it carries are accentuated many times over.

The themes that make up the book are connected to loneliness: depression, loss, helplessness, anxiety, aloneness and fear. These collective feelings begin as small things that gradually evolve into a voracious appetite that consumes the sufferer.

The boy is sad. He feels like an outsider, and no-one includes him in their circle because he is quiet and withdrawn. An insidious darkness has crept over him. It is absorbed by his skin therefore he carries it with him everywhere. Others can’t see it. That makes it worse.

This darkness assumes many identities: exclusion, inferiority, sadness, fear, and heartache. These are bricks in a wall that builds around him. He feels parts of him are breaking away as he becomes more isolated and increasingly hopeless.

He has stopped thinking clearly. All he can hear is his emptiness so he prefers silence. An effort made to reach the boy can’t get past the darkness which is now a relentless force.

The boy feels like a failure. He has retreated from the world. His body is there but it’s just a shell. He feels cracked all over, feels he is falling apart, and tries to keep himself together.

He is approached by a family member who persists. She knows how the boy is feeling. She exposes her damaged self to the child – the cracks, the pieces missing. That is when he realizes he is not alone in the way he feels. Other family members assure him that it’s common for people to feel anxious, have imperfections and fears. He begins to recognize something of what he feels in almost everyone around him and feels comfort in the sameness. He finds the courage to reach out to others.

In 2008, Mel Tregonning began illustrating this graphic novel. In 2014, she took her own life. ‘Illustrator Shaun Tan completed the final three illustrations in Mel’s book in 2016’. My wish is that this review pays homage to Mel’s work.

The Arrival

The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Lothian/Hachette)
PB RRP $19.99
ISBN 978 0 7344 1586 8
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

Shaun Tan's stunning 128-page wordless picture book, first published in hardback in 2006 with sales of over 500,000 copies worldwide including 60,000 in Australia, is now available in paperback. The imaginative and haunting pictures will no doubt attract the attention of art lovers and readers alike, for in this book, the old adage, "A picture paints a thousand words" is truly confirmed.

The Arrival is the story all refugees and immigrants will relate to, especially those travelling to a country whose language and lifestyle is completely foreign to them. The differences have been demonstrated by surreal images of strange creatures and modes of transport. The black, white and sepia tones of the illustrations add to the atmospheric effect, and readers will no doubt be stirred emotionally in various ways as they study the pictures and the meaning behind them. The story is broken into 6 chapters which relate to each step the man who has made the journey takes.

Glimpses into the man's fears and loneliness and memories of the beloved wife and daughter he has left behind; the kindness of others towards him and the stories of their own lives; the friendships he slowly forms; the correspondence written and then the opportunity to return home and tell his family of the new country which is their future are a few of the impressions I gathered as I studied this amazing artist's work.

The Arrival has won many awards including the WA Premier's Prize 2006, CBCA Picture Book of the Year and Australian Children's Book of the Year for Older Children in 2007. Shaun Tan himself was awarded in 2011 the Dromkeen Medal for services to children's literature and the Astrid Lindgren prize, the world's richest children's literature award.

This fascinating and moving picture book is worthy of a place on both adult's and children's book shelves, a book to which a reader will be drawn time and time again.

Rules of Summer

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan (Lothian/Hachette)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 9780734410672
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

Shaun Tan's magnificently illustrated picture books are in a class of their own.

In Rules of Summer, Tan shows the interaction between two young boys, one older, one younger, possibly brothers, in his illustrations rather than a storyline. Each picture is preceded by a rule, e.g., Never leave a red sock on the clothesline, and it is up to the reader to imagine what is reflected or meant in the artwork. Tan suggests each illustration is a particular kind of childhood experience which centres around the activities of these two boys. In his own words, "It is a relationship that is both friendly and caring but also antagonistic, and towards the end of the book begins to disintegrate before finding some kind of redemption and coming together again."

Tan is obviously excited about the concept of the readers using their own imagination to decide upon what is happening, and his enthusiasm is contagious. The book can be opened at any page as there is no actual linear plot, and the reader can ponder and interpret the meaning for as long or short a time as is found to be necessary to enjoy each experience.

The richly painted illustrations are indeed a mysterious puzzle, some offering more clues than others. When the rule is Never step on a snail, the older boy's fear of retribution as the younger ones prepares to carry out this action is mirrored by the looming tornado. Does the reader empathise with the older boy or enjoy a little black humour? The freedom to make one's own judgement is refreshing.

Shaun Tan drew upon his own personal experiences such as fishing with his older brother, and buildings inspired by Brunswick and greater Melbourne to create this evocative picture book which will be appreciated by the thoughtful, both adult and young.