D, who is 11, is very easily distracted and has a short concentration span. I read one to one with Looked After Children in Liverpool and it is amazing to see how the young people respond to it. Tales from Outer Suburbia captures the imagination and interest of even the most reluctant readers. He leaves a message, “Thank you for a wonderful time”, which resolves the lingering doubts and “uncomfortable feeling” Eric’s hosts had about his visit and sudden departure (“Did Eric seem upset? Did he enjoy his visit?”). However, the final picture explains what Eric had been doing and had been interested in: in the darkness of the pantry, from small grey objects (bottle lids, wrappers, a pencil sharpener), Eric has grown bright, glowing plants and flowers. It is explained away as “a cultural thing”, yet this phrase never enables one to gain a better understanding of Eric. This accompanies the overwhelming sense of misunderstanding between Eric and his hosts. All the other pictures in the story are small and black and white, creating a dreary tone. ‘Eric’ is concluded with one such picture. In one, Eric holds a drawing of a flower with a question mark beside a plug. For example in ‘Eric’, a story about a foreign exchange student, pictures show the strange questions he asks (“Eric was very curious and always had plenty of questions”). Some are small images, illustrating a part of the story. They are highly expressive, with rich colours and lots of detail. The book is beautifully illustrated with pictures that form part of the stories. Each story is intriguing and unusual, telling tales of strange visitors or happenings in otherwise ordinary suburban neighbourhoods. Tales from Outer Suburbia is a collection of short stories written and illustrated by Shaun Tan. Young people across Merseyside are really enjoying reading the book. The Reader Organisation was lucky enough to be sent 10 free copies of Tales From Outer Suburbia from Templar Publishing. Published on behalf of Anna Fleming, Young Person's Project Worker

Eric tales from outer suburbia