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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'do you remember the water buffalo at the end of our street?
or the deep-sea diver we found near the underpass?
do you know why dogs bark in the middle of the night?
Shaun Tan, creator of The Arrival, The Lost Thing and The Red Tree, reveals the quiet mysteries of everyday life: homemade pets, dangerous weddings, stranded sea mammals, tiny exchange students and secret rooms filled with darkness and delight.'
Source: Back cover.
Adaptations
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Tales from Outer Suburbia
2013
single work
drama
children's
'Tales from Outer Suburbia is a curiously fun celebration of the magic that happens in the most familiar places.
Be taken on a journey of discovery through your own backyard where you might just see a peanut-sized, pantry-dwelling creature, a massive wise buffalo on a vacant block or a row-boat floating magically through the streets.
With a lively and imaginative mix of real-time animation, projection, miniature marionettes, gigantic rod puppets and playful performers this world premiere season will capture hearts, minds and imaginations across generations.
Presented in partnership with Mandurah Performing Arts Centre.'
Source: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.
- form y Tales from Outer Suburbia ( dir. Noel Cleary ) Australia : Highly Spirited Flying Bark Productions , 2024 27313720 2024 series - publisher film/TV
Notes
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Dedication: To Paul (who always enjoys a good expedition) Perth, W.A.
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Selected as one of the New York Times's Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2009.
Affiliation Notes
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This work is affiliated with the AustLit subset Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing because it has some Japanese-related content, and has been translated into Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
Contents
-
The Water Buffalo,
single work
short story
(p. 6)
Note: illus.
-
Eric,
single work
short story
young adult
'Eric is eternally curious and effortlessly charming - a house guest whose approach to the world will capture your heart.' (From the publisher's website.)Note: illus.
-
Broken Toys,
single work
short story
A Japanese man in an old-fashioned deep-sea diving suit mysteriously appears, still dripping, in a suburban street.Note: illus.
- Distant Rain, single work short story (p. 28-35)
-
Undertow,
single work
short story
(p. 36-39)
Note: illus.
-
Grandpa's Story,
single work
short story
(p. 40-55)
Note: illus.
-
No Other Country,
single work
short story
(p. 56-63)
Note: illus.
-
Stick Figures,
single work
short story
(p. 64-69)
Note: illus.
-
The Nameless Holiday,
single work
short story
(p. 70-73)
Note: illus.
-
The Amnesia Machine,
single work
short story
(p. 74-75)
Note: illus.
-
Alert but Not Alarmed,
single work
short story
(p. 76-79)
Note: illus.
-
Wake,
single work
short story
(p. 80-81)
Note: illus.
-
Why Not Make Your Own Pet,
single work
short story
(p. 82-83)
Note: illus.
-
Our Expedition,
single work
short story
(p. 84-91)
Note: illus.
-
Night of the Turtle Rescue,
single work
short story
(p. 92-93)
Note: illus.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Aesthetic Entanglements in the Age of the Anthropocene : A Posthuman Reading of Shaun Tan's Tales from the Inner City
2022
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Bookbird , vol. 60 no. 4 2022; (p. 38-47)'This article examines Shaun Tan's evocative Tales from the Inner City (2018) and explores how, through word and image, Tan questions the effects of the Anthropocene and the possible synergies and tensions between the human and more-than-human in his work, inviting us to look at human and animal relationships in new and challenging ways. To do so, I draw on concepts such as empathy and an ethics of care to question the privileged anthropocentrism of Western society and human exceptionalism over animals.' (Introduction)
-
The Association for Children's & Youth Literature (AKJ) : Arbieitskreis Fur Jugendliteratur
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 32 no. 2 2017; (p. 4-9)'One of the many benefits of attending biennial International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY) Congresses in different countries, hosted by national sections, is meeting and befriending those engaged in book promotion all over the world and discovering how similar we are, despite our cultural differences. Doris Breitmoser has worked for The Association for Children's and Youth Literature (AKJ) Arbeitkreis fur Jugenliteratur for twenty years and has been its director since 2002. We met at the IBBY Congress in Santiago, Spain in 2010, again in 2014 in Mexico City, and most recently in 2016 in Auckland , NZ. Doris's work with AKJ is truly inspiring and so I share it with you here.' (Introduction)
-
Books That Changed Me : Meg McKinlay
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 4 December 2016; (p. 12) The Sunday Age , 4 December 2016; (p. 15) -
Emotions as Landscapes : Specters of Asian American Racialization in Shaun Tan's Graphic Narratives
2015
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Drawing New Color Lines : Transnational Asian American Graphic Narratives 2015; (p. 145-164) -
Into the Frame : Graphic Novels
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking about Books for Children , July vol. 27 no. 3 2012; (p. 10-13)
-
Strange Days, Clear Ways
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 30 May 2008; (p. 27)
— Review of Tales from Outer Suburbia 2008 selected work single work short story art work -
Book of the Week
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 8 June 2008; (p. 26)
— Review of Tales from Outer Suburbia 2008 selected work single work short story art work -
Suburban Reality Check
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 7 June 2008; (p. 18)
— Review of Tales from Outer Suburbia 2008 selected work single work short story art work -
Suburban Surreal Estate
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14-15 June 2008; (p. 36)
— Review of Tales from Outer Suburbia 2008 selected work single work short story art work -
On My Bedside Table
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 28 June 2008; (p. 28)
— Review of Tales from Outer Suburbia 2008 selected work single work short story art work -
Suburban Dreaming
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 24-25 May 2008; (p. 7) -
Books that Blur the Lines
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 7 June 2008; (p. 6-7) -
Know the Author Illustrator : Shaun Tan
Linnet Hunter
(interviewer),
2008
single work
interview
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , September vol. 23 no. 4 2008; (p. 10-13) Linnet Hunter interviews Shaun Tan about his compelling artwork and the 'imaginative universes' he continues to create, showcased in his latest book Tales from Outer Suburbia. Tan discusses the interplay between the words and pictures that produce his 'style' of illustration and some of the reasons his latest picture book is also formatted as a collection of short stories. -
Telling Tales with Shaun Tan
Clare Kennedy
(interviewer),
2008
single work
interview
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Summer vol. 16 no. 4 2008; (p. 6-7) Kennedy shares, and comments on, some of Tan's reflections on the imagery within his work. -
Children Are the Winners
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 22-23 August 2009; (p. 33)
Awards
- 2016 winner Tähtifantasia Award
- 2011 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — International Success Award
- 2010 winner Festival Awards for Literature (SA) Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature South Australian Literary Awards — Premier's Award
- 2010 winner Festival Awards for Literature (SA) Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature South Australian Literary Awards — Children's Literature Award
- 2009 winner German Youth Literature Award — Picture book Geschichten aus der Vorstadt des Universums