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I absolutely adored this book. The gorgeous artwork and the story together made it a fun read! The story is about a cicada who does nothing but work and gets treated very badly. The ending is superb and wonderful.

This. Is. Genius. Shaun Tan is a brilliant illustrator and storyteller. Cicada works as a tiny cog in an uncaring bureaucracy and is coldly pushed out after 17 years. Much like Kurosawa‘s To Live, I was brought to tears, then uplifted. Incredible and indelible ending. Amazing.

A dark and insightful story about alienation at work… with a glorious, heartlifting ending. Shaun Tan‘s artwork is moody. His text is clipped. The tale is Kafkaesque. Don‘t let the #picturebook format fool you into thinking this is kid stuff. I read it to a group of adults and everyone was blown away. “Cicada tell story. Story good. Story simple. Story even human can understand. Tok Tok Tok!” #OzFiction

Seventeen year. Cicada retire.
No party. No handshake.
Boss say clean desk.
Tok Tok Tok!

#endpapers front and back (inset) build on the story: a character moves from drab existence to lush freedom. So clever!

OH MY GOD. This book, a small little read, is something else. Impossible to describe the feelings. Ten thumbs up.

Every once in a while, I like to read children‘s picture books. These were both great.

The tagged book turned out to be a little darker than what I was expecting

Um? Did I miss something? I was expecting more. Don't ask me what exactly but definitely more than I read. My score is actually 2.5 stars but I gifted half a star for the artwork.

This feature reinforces why I‘m here, but the best part is the teen ambassadors‘ reflection on Cicada. Listen to the podcast for mood & then read the article for a fuller picture.

https://kjzz.org/content/855481/untold-arizona-how-countrys-largest-collection-g...

I love this (adultish) picture book. Shaun Tan defies genres and just does what he wants and does it well. This book is actually quite dark, but has a solid happy ending. Definitely worth checking out.

A powerful fable of conformity and corporate culture. Tan's artwork, as usual, is stunning and the story will resonate with many readers, especially older ones. Highly recommended.

Shaun Tan has a way of breaking your heart and putting it back together in his beautifully illustrated books. Cicada is no exception.

For fans of picture books, this is a gem. On the penultimate page I burst out laughing and then directly to tears. Wow. If you don‘t know the author Shaun Tan, as I did not, look him up!!!

Tan squeezes my brain! What even with this book? You think you know, BUT YOU DON‘T! #picturebook

All of my library holds came in at once!