AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Cicada work in tall building.
'Data entry clerk. Seventeen year.
'No sick day. No mistake.
'Tok Tok Tok!
'Cicada works in an office, dutifully toiling day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his coworkers. But one day, Cicada goes to the roof of the building, and something truly extraordinary happens ...'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Adaptations
-
Cicada
2024
single work
drama
'A moving tale of self-discovery for all the family
'“Cicada tell story. Story good. Story simple. Story even human can understand. Tok! Tok! Tok!”
'Cicada spends his days dutifully working away in a grey office. Overlooked by his superiors and overworked by his colleagues, he is getting very close to the end of his tether. But one day, looking out over the city from the rooftop of his office building, Cicada has an epiphany.
'Winner of the Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book in 2019, this new adaptation brings master-storyteller Shaun Tan’s much-loved CICADA to life in a stunning puppet show, presented by Sydney Theatre Company and created by one of Australia’s premier children’s theatre companies – Barking Gecko Theatre.
'A small story of epic proportions, Cicada is an allegory of difference, resilience and the light we all have inside ourselves. Children and adults will love this enchanting tale about finding one’s place in the world.' (Production summary)
Notes
-
Chosen for the 2019 White Ravens list.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Reading and Viewing
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 55 no. 1 2020; (p. 78-82)
— Review of Love Is Strong as Death 2019 anthology poetry ; Changing Gear 2018 single work novel ; Tales from the Inner City 2018 selected work single work short story poetry prose art work ; Cicada 2018 single work picture book -
Reading and Viewing
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 54 no. 3 2019; (p. 70-76)
— Review of Cicada 2018 single work picture book ; Tales from the Inner City 2018 selected work single work short story poetry prose art work ; The Final Quarter 2019 single work film/TV biography ; Between the Flags 2007 single work film/TV -
Cicada : Shaun Tan Answers Questions About His Latest Book
2018
single work
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , July vol. 33 no. 3 2018; (p. 10-11) -
y
[Review] Cicada
Melbourne
:
Bad Producer Productions
,
2018
14402566
2018
single work
review
— Review of Cicada 2018 single work picture book'Cicada is a work that packs a punch regardless of your age. Shaun Tan had my family – my 62 year old mother and 46 year old partner, as well as my 7 and 4 year old nieces – quiet, contemplative and on the edge of their seats.' (Introduction)
-
Shaun Tan's New Picture Book Cicada Captures the Life Cycle of Office Drudgery
2018
single work
essay
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2018;'An unappreciated green cicada sits behind a computer every day, doing data entry for a nameless organisation.'
-
y
[Review] Cicada
Melbourne
:
Bad Producer Productions
,
2018
14402566
2018
single work
review
— Review of Cicada 2018 single work picture book'Cicada is a work that packs a punch regardless of your age. Shaun Tan had my family – my 62 year old mother and 46 year old partner, as well as my 7 and 4 year old nieces – quiet, contemplative and on the edge of their seats.' (Introduction)
-
Reading and Viewing
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 54 no. 3 2019; (p. 70-76)
— Review of Cicada 2018 single work picture book ; Tales from the Inner City 2018 selected work single work short story poetry prose art work ; The Final Quarter 2019 single work film/TV biography ; Between the Flags 2007 single work film/TV -
Reading and Viewing
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 55 no. 1 2020; (p. 78-82)
— Review of Love Is Strong as Death 2019 anthology poetry ; Changing Gear 2018 single work novel ; Tales from the Inner City 2018 selected work single work short story poetry prose art work ; Cicada 2018 single work picture book -
Shaun Tan's Cicada : A Meditation on Belonging and Bullying – in Pictures
2018
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 29 June 2018;'In his latest picture book, acclaimed Australian illustrator, writer and film-maker Shaun Tan explores the ponderous themes of migrant workers and workplace bullying through the voice of a hardworking insect who has toiled away, unappreciated and without promotion, alongside humans in a grey office block for 17 years.
'The author of award-winning books including The Rabbits, The Red Tree and The Arrival, as well as Oscar-winning short film The Lost Thing, reveals behind the scenes of the horrifying and humorous story, showing us the sketches and moveable sculptures that ultimately allowed Cicada to fly. ' (Introduction)
-
Shaun Tan's New Picture Book Cicada Captures the Life Cycle of Office Drudgery
2018
single work
essay
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2018;'An unappreciated green cicada sits behind a computer every day, doing data entry for a nameless organisation.'
-
Cicada : Shaun Tan Answers Questions About His Latest Book
2018
single work
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , July vol. 33 no. 3 2018; (p. 10-11)
Awards
- 2019 selected White Ravens
- 2019 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Young Adults' Fiction
- 2019 finalist Locus Awards — Art Book
- 2019 shortlisted APA Book Design Awards — Best Designed Children's Illustrated Book
- 2019 winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Picture Book of the Year