By Maureen Tai, 12 March 2021

One animal is featured in each of the twenty-five Tales from the Inner City, (ages 12+) a collection of pleasantly surreal and hauntingly philosophical short stories by celebrated Australian artist, illustrator and writer, Shaun Tan. Complemented by stunning and evocative artwork, Tan explores the troubled relationship between humans and animals. In deeply meaningful prose, he exposes the banality and pollutive effects of urban existence and suggests that nature – whilst fragile – is infinitely wiser and more resilient than humankind will ever be. This thought-provoking book will appeal to older children seeking to understand their place on this miraculous planet.

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!