Book Review: The Arrival

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tan, Shaun. 2007. THE ARRIVAL. Singapore: Scholastic. ISBN 0439895293

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this wordless graphic novel, a man threatened by dark shadows, leaves his homeland to make a better life for himself and his family. He sails away on a vessel reminiscent of the old early twentieth century voyages to America from Europe. When he arrives at the harbor of his new country, however, the reader realizes that this is not America at all. The country to which the immigrant has come is a fanciful world created by Tan. Everything depicted seems just as foreign to the reader as it must to the immigrant, which helps the reader feel the loneliness and confusion of the immigrant experience. Everything looks strange, from the flying boats to the alien like animals and foods. Tan even creates a written language unlike any of this world. As the immigrant goes through the steps of finding a place to live, food to eat and a job to allow him to send home money to his family, the immigrant connects with other people who welcome him into their lives and share their own immigration stories. After some passage of time, the immigrant's family is finally able to join him. Upon arrival, his wife and daughter feel the same way he did, but they eventually feel right at home. The book ends with an image of the immigrant's daughter helping a new immigrant woman find her way.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The illustrations in this book are marvelous. They are beautiful to look at, but also carry emotion and interest. Everything depicted seems just as foreign to the reader as it must to the immigrant, which helps the reader feel the loneliness and confusion of the immigrant experience. Even without words, the reader falls for the main character right away and empathizes with him in every situation.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL "sense of warmth and caring for others, regardless of race, age, or background, is present on nearly every page"
BOOKLIST "a unique work that not only fulfills but also expands the potential of its form"

5. CONNECTIONS
*Have students illustrate their own experience of their first day at a new school. Give them full creative license to leave realistic depictions behind in favor of elements that will help the viewer feel the way they did.
*Read a regular novel about the immigrant experience and compare and contrast the effectiveness of the two styles.