At the recent CBCA conference, Shaun Tan remarked in his keynote address that what we perceive as normality is an illusion, and when you read these illustrated short stories you recognise that they are universal themes depicted in a surreal context. Welcome to Tan’s world, where reality is skewed and you wonder – if you looked more carefully, you too might find meaning in places you wouldn’t expect to.

Tales From Outer Suburbia displays Tan’s masterful use of various media to enhance his unique stories. I loved quaint ‘Eric’, the evocative richness of ‘No Other Country’, the wisdom of ‘Grandpa’s Story’ … oh really, I loved them all and I would need two pages at least to do justice to this book, so buy it and find out for yourself: you won’t be disappointed.