Children's Book review

Tales From Outer Suburbia

By Shaun Tan

Published by Templar

This beautifully illustrated book of short stories, explores  unexpected and fantastical situations that occur behind an average suburban façade.

A water buffalo is resident at the end of one girl’s street. A small alien-like exchange student comes to stay with a family and his unique and surprising parting gift is illustrated by a stunning double page spread.

Another family discover a secret inner courtyard at the top of their house, where the seasons are reversed.

These often thought -provoking stories look at the reactions ordinary people have to the unusual situations they find themselves in and feature a host of different illustrative styles ranging from collage to painterly Edward Hopper-esque scenes.

This is a book to treasure, with more to discover on each re-reading

Reading age: 10+
Interest level: 10+