Rules of Summer

Winner of the 2014 CBCA for best Picture Book

By: Shaun Tan

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Hardcover | 8 October 2013 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
48 Pages

Age
5 - 8

Grade
1 - 2

Dimensions(cm)
31 x 27.5 x 2

Hardcover

RRP $24.99

$23.75

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The much anticipated new book from Australia's most acclaimed picture-book creator.

Shaun Tan's books have won world acclaim, the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, as well as an Academy Award for the animated short film adaptation of his book The Lost Thing.

Tan's new book, Rules of Summer, is a deceptively simple story about two boys, one older and one younger, and the kind of rules that might govern any relationship between close friends or siblings. Rules that are often so strange or arbitrary, they seem impossible to understand from the outside. Yet through each exquisite illustration of this nearly wordless narrative, we can enjoy wandering around an emotional landscape that is oddly familiar to us all.

Shaun Tan draws upon his own personal experiences with a surreal snapshot of fishing adventures with his older brother, leaving a sock on the clothes line, and buildings inspired by Brunswick and greater Melbourne.

As you venture deep into the story, these poetic images become darker, more mysterious and unsettling, drawing towards a redemptive ending that affirms the depth of true friendship, a bond that is equally wonderful and inexplicable.

Moments of humour, surreal fantasy, and the sometimes devastating ways we interact with the people we love the most, are presented in Shaun Tan's typical thought-provoking style.

Industry Reviews

John Purcell's Review

How do you review a Shaun Tan book? Each time I open Rules of Summer I find a different book. I remember my excitement on being offered a sneak peek a few months ago. I was left feeling a little bewildered. Did I like it? I don't think I did on that first look. Then a few months later I was given an advance copy. I flicked through the pages and found a completely new book. Or so I thought. But no, the preview was exactly the same as the finished copy. Had I changed? I read through it time and time again. The book bewitched me. I then stood it on my desk in the office so that I could look at it during the day.

Rules of Summer is dark comedy. Or tragedy. It is a self-help book. It is a graphic novel. A child's picture book. A nightmare. A warning. A guide. A fun way to pass half an hour. Ten minutes. A minute. It is art. It is entertainment. What the hell is it? It's a bizarre thing. I love it. Shaun Tan's Rules of Summer is something you must own.

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