The first thought I had after reading The Arrival was how amazing it was able to effectively tell a story through only illustrations. A fairly complex and involved story at that. The craftsmanship is what really drew me into the story more than anything. Each page is beautifully drawn and the world that he creates is one that I wanted to explore. That might be intentional based on the subject matter of the immigrant story, and if so it helped me feel what I thought the characters were feeling and engaged me in their journeys. I also enjoyed the stylized world he created that evoked certain qualities of familiar places in our world which made that story relatable. I think this work can appeal to anyone because of the human nature of the story even though on the surface the world seems fantastical and unrealistic, it is quite the opposite. I believe the lack of any text makes the story even stronger and also highlights the fact that this is a story that anyone can relate to. It does not need the worlds, the story stands strong on the illustrations alone and I believe make a stronger impact because of it. Shaun Tan's work is inspirational for me as an illustrator.
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