Weirdly, though the other ones from Tan are wordless picture stories—what I’d think are more accessible for kids—this one reads like a pre-K children’s picture book with its word->picture structure, and yet its content is probably only meaningful/accessible for adults. Would’ve liked a much longer and more detailed world from Cicada’s point-of-view, which Tan has proven himself very good at developing visually. Something in the vein of the video game INSIDE would’ve been interesting. ( )

Based on the other Shuan Tan books I'd read, I made assumptions about this one (I requested it at the library just because it was by him). Those assumptions were wrong. It did have words, and it was very short. I liked the ending, but I did not enjoy the book. Personally, I enjoyed [b:The Arrival|920607|The Arrival|Shaun Tan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312827620l/920607._SX50_.jpg|905641] much more. ( )

Cicale tutte a foresta tornano.
A volte pensano a Umani.
A smettere di ridere non riescono.

Silenzio:
graffia la pietra
la voce delle cicale
(Matsuo Basho)

( )

This was such a sad little book! It really made me feel bad for Cicada. ( )

Wow! The illustrations are incredible! The story is told simply but masterfully. ( )