Tan, Shaun. 2006. The Arrival. Ill. by Shaun Tan. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 0439895294

This wordless graphic novel tells the story of an immigrant who leaves his wife and child and goes to a new land to build a better life for his family. He meets many other immigrants and hears their stories as well, creating a collection of stories about leaving the past behind and starting over.

The pictures in this graphic novel are amazing. The sepia tones evoke the feeling of turn-of-the-century photographs, while the symbolism in the illustrations are powerful and make the immigrant experience of the protagonist more universal because it is less specific in place and time. The story is told through pictures that often seems like stop-motion photography in succession on the page, and portray powerfully the confusion and loneliness that immigrants face as they try to build a life in a place with a new culture, new language, and new customs (my favorite is the scene where the protagonist finds a job pasting up posters, but pastes them all upside down because the writing is unfamiliar). This setting of the novel feels like New York, but a more fantastical, chaotic, confusing New York, with buildings that jut sideways, circular streets that lead nowhere, and buildings shaped like teapots, teepees, and plates. The immigrant (and the reader!) find the animals strange, the maps impossible to navigate, and the way of doing things much different from his homeland. But his hope for a better future pushes him forward, and with the help of other immigrants (who each have their own story of why they had to leave their homeland) he begins to carve a place for himself in his new homeland, eventually sending for his family to join him. The reunion of the family (whom the reader can't help but love!) provides for a satisfying ending, but even more satisfying is the final scene of the protagonist's daughter helping a new immigrant navigate through this strange, new world.

While this novel is accessible to everyone, and would be a beautiful resource for any classroom whose students are studying turn-of-the-century immigration, it is particularly relevant and current during the heated debate about immigration that is raging in this country, especially in border states like Texas and Arizona.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS:

"The cover of The Arrival, made to look like old, worn leather, establishes a family photo album motif that Tan faithfully carries through the entire book. Inside, borderless sepia panels are arranged in careful grids. Creases and unidentifiable splotches elegantly blemish many of the pages. Tan completely eschews motion lines, sound effects and any other comics storytelling devices that would not be found in photographs. Even the spaces between the panels suggest a photo album: instead of the pencil-thin gutters found in most graphic novels, he uses generous half-inch strips of yellowed paper. The effect is mesmerizing. Reading The Arrival feels like paging through a family treasure newly discovered up in the attic."--The New York Times

"Stunning, powerful, gripping, moving-Tan's book is meticulously thought out and perfectly wrought, making use of both high-brow surrealism and extensive research into photographic records of immigrant stories. The story alternately displays Tan's heartfelt understanding of the dislocated existence of immigrants and his robustly imagined fantasy setting." --VOYA

"Frightening this new land may be, but there are friends everywhere, from the other immigrants who help the protagonist and tell their own tales of escape from oppression, war and fear to the whimsical beastie who attaches itself to him as his pet. Small panels move the story along; full- and double-page spreads provide dazzling panoramas. It's an unashamed paean to the immigrant's spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect." --Kirkus Reviews

CONNECTIONS:

Another graphic novel that deals with some of the same social issues is American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

Students could use this book as a jumping off point for their own family history, to discover stories of immigration or emigration.

For writing, students could take a few pages and work on writing their own captions for the pictures inside this "photo album". This would allow students to try to capture the emotion of the pictures and give their own interpretations of the symbols and strangeness that permeate through this story.