The Arrival

"The Arrival" is a master piece. A gem among graphic novels. No words were needed to create it. No words exist to describe it. It must be felt in order to embrace it.

This book is amazing! It pulled at emotions from younger immigrant children, as well as mixed adolescents, teens, and adults we shared the book with. Though it is untraditional and doesn't use written language, the pictures tell the story better than words ever could!

How does one best capture the experience of stepping into a new land? Of leaving everything behind? Of stepping into a new life? Of hopes? Fears? Dreams? Encounters? Especially when one has had to leave their family behind? The Arrival does just that. This is brilliantly crafted to tell a story which works on many levels (my children enjoyed this as much as I did - though we took very different things from the novel).

I first found this book in a comic/anime/video game art gallery. It was so amazing that I had to buy it. I don't regret it at all. The story is so powerful, and the style in which it is told is so innovative!!! What's so cool is that anyone of any language can get through the entire book and understand it just as much as the last person. And just as the book itself says, it can be a more mature book for younger people, or it can be a more imaginative book for older ones; either way, it fits all ages.

The Arrival
In this wordless graphic novel, through magnificent illustrations, Tan captures the disorientation immigrants may feel toward their new surroundings. It depicts the journey of one man who seems both accepted and rejected by his new country. The only writing is in an invented alphabet, which motivates the viewer to feel confused just like the immigrants must feel when they encounter a strange new language and way of life. A feeling of tolerance and acceptance is presented throughout the story and transcends race and ethnicity. The youngest readers and the most sophisticated will find this book interesting. This book is an excellent conversation starter in any mainstream or ESL classroom.