(2) YA With these twenty-five works of beguiling short fiction set in other realities, Tan explores the tenuous relationship between humans and animals within urban landscapes. Most stories are three to five pages of evocative prose capped by an illustration in Tan's uniquely earthy and luminescent color palette. The connotations behind individual tales range from fairly overt to rather oblique; regardless, Tan's painterly illustrations consistently enhance each narrative.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 4-6 Adapted by Jack Zipes. Translated by Jack Zipes. Sculptures and photographs by Shaun Tan. In a book-lover's book with riveting art and tantalizing story-bites, each of seventy-five double-page spreads includes, on the verso, a quote from one of the Grimms' tales, translated by Zipes; and, on the recto, a full-page photograph by Tan of a sculpture he has created to power-drive the story. An afterword on Tan's medium and process completes this thoughtful compendium. Reading list.

Reviewer: Betsy Hearne | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) K-3 On left-hand pages the narrator enumerates a series of "rules" ("Never eat the last olive at a party"). The right-hand pages depict, in thickly textured paintings, a young boy (presumably the narrator) and an older boy (perhaps his brother) in a variety of enigmatically surreal situations. The book delivers superb artwork that elicits both a cerebral and emotional response.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(3) 4-6 This collection of unpublished sketches is a treasure trove filled with fantastic, slightly creepy--yet endearing--creatures and provides a fascinating look into Tan's artistic processes. After Tan's introduction, the sketches, paintings, and dummy pages are organized into four sections: "untold stories," "book, theater, and film," "drawings from life," and "notebooks." A list of works included gives further information on each piece. Bib.

Reviewer: Devon Johnson

(2) K-3 In "The Red Tree," a girl moves through her day with a sense of escalating ennui. In "The Lost Thing," a boy discovers a most peculiar object. "The Rabbits" (text by John Marsden) is a colonization fable. In this compilation of previously published picture books, Tan's superb art--paradoxically inviting and alienating--is tailored to each story without any loss of his signature style.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(2) YA Tan follows his wordless epic The Arrival with a collection of--stories? fables? dreams? His prose is low-key and expository; the real story here is the pictures. Some display the somber polish of the Arrival vignettes; others are full-color, full-page fantasies. Each one has more than enough power to seduce the browser into looking closely into its mysteries.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2009