Cicada, written by Shaun Tan, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Riccardo S.
Summary: The story begins with a green cicada. He is working at an office and seems to be bullied by his many co-workers. Throughout the entire story, he complains about the harsh working conditions and how he works harder but gets less than the rest of the workers. He is the target of prejudice as his colleagues do not understand him because he is not like them. Towards the end, the reader will see cicada start the climb the stairs to the top of his office building. Before jumping off the building, he instead gets his wings, flies away and escapes the business. The book looks to analyze the situation of the common person in the workforce. Many people work hard and do not get what they deserve. It seems as though cicada does not have much to live for and readers might jump to the conclusion that he is about to commit suicide. Instead, cicada goes through metamorphosis and it seems as though he is liberated from his drab existence and his next step in life is joyful. He flies to a place where he is most happy: the forest. He gets the last laugh on the human race.

Straight Talk for Librarians: The art showed a grey hue throughout the entire book except for the end when redness erupts from the cicada depicting growth.The art seems deceptively simple, but at the same time, when you take the time to study it, it is very detailed. There are many layers of meaning throughout this book. Although, each page only holds about 10 words, they all bring a great amount of emotion. Many of the phrases seem sad. This book seems to be a commentary on how we let our lives become caught up in society's expectations and we just live with it. If we have the courage to change, then we may change the direction of our happiness. This is definitely a picture book aimed at older teens and adults as it is a bit dark, but it will make the reader ponder their existence and what is being accomplished.