130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 | Visit our Auckland bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Cicada

By Shaun Tan
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.25 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 6,019 ratings, 1,138 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Cicada by Shaun Tan is a poignant tale about a diligent insect working in a high-rise office building. Overlooked and underappreciated, the cicada finds solace in its daily rituals and dreams of freedom. This beautifully illustrated children's book uses minimal text to convey a touching message about resilience and transformation.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$2999
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you appreciate tales with beautiful illustrations and profound messages. It's a poignant story about finding hope and freedom, cleverly exploring themes of resilience, transformation, and the human condition. The artwork enhances the storytelling, making it a thought-provoking read for all ages.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

WINNER OF THE CBCA PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019

Cicada work in tall building.

Data entry clerk. Seventeen year.

No sick day. No mistake.

Tok Tok Tok!

Cicada works in an office, dutifully toiling day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his coworkers. But one day, cicada goes to the roof of the building, and something truly extraordinary happens...

A story for anyone who has ever felt unappreciated, overlooked or overworked, from Australia's most acclaimed picture book creator. This is Shaun Tan's first author-illustrator book in five years, and his most important and moving fable since The Arrival.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Cicada by Shaun Tan is celebrated for its exquisite illustrations and the poignant narrative of an underappreciated insect office worker. The book is praised for its artistic beauty and ability to resonate with both children and adults, offering a narrative rich with social and political undertones. The story's dark yet uplifting journey is highlighted by its minimalist art style and evocative themes, often drawing parallels to the refugee experience.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780734418630

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 26 June 2018

Country: Australia

Imprint: Lothian Children's Books

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 9.0mm

Width: 223.0mm

Height: 285.0mm

Weight: 410g

Pages: 32

Collections

Children's Books Children's Fiction Children's Picture Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Shaun Tan

About the Author

Shaun Tan grew up in Perth and graduated from the University of Western Australia with joint honours in Fine Arts and English Literature. He began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small-press magazines as a teenager, and has since become best known for illustrated books that deal with social, political and historical subjects through surreal, dream-like imagery. His works include The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, Rules of Summer and the acclaimed wordless novel The Arrival. All have been widely translated throughout Europe, Asia and South America, and are enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Shaun has also worked as a theatre designer and a concept artist for the films Horton Hears a Who and Pixar's WALL-E and in 2011, he shared an Academy Award for his work on the animated short film based on his book, The Lost Thing. In that same year, he won the Dromkeen Medal for services to children's literature and the Astrid Lindgren prize, the world's richest children's literature award.

For more information visit shauntan.net

Also by Shaun Tan

View all
  • The Singing Bones
    In this beautifully presented volume, the essence of seventy-five fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm is wonderfully evoked by Shaun Tan's extraordinary sculptures. Nameless princes, wicked stepsisters, greedy kings, honourable peasants and ruthless witches, tales of love, betrayal, adventure and magical transformation: all inspiration for this stunning gallery of sculptural works. Introduced by Grimm Tales author Philip Pullman and leading...
    By Shaun Tan
    Hardback
    $4100
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Eric
    Eric is eternally curious and effortlessly charming – a house guest whose approach to the world will capture your heart.
    By Shaun Tan
    Hardback
    $2299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Arrival
    What drives so many to leave everything behind and journey alone to a mysterious country, a place without family or friends, where everything is nameless and the future is unknown? This silent graphic novel is the story of every migrant, every refugee, every displaced person, and a tribute to all those who have made the journey. The Arrival has become...
    By Shaun Tan
    Paperback
    $2199
    Backorder
    Ships late October
  • Tales from the Inner City
    Where can we live if not in each other's shadow? World-renowned artist Shaun Tan applies his unique imagination to a reflection on the nature of humans and animals, and our urban coexistence. From crocodile to frog, tiger to bee, this is a dark and surreal exploration of the perennial love and destruction we feel and inflict—of how animals can save...
    By Shaun Tan
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Dog
    Once we were strangers,legs bent the wrong way,rough voices falling to the wind ...But in our hearts we wanted more than this. In our hearts, we knew there was more. A tour de force. - The New York Times
    By Shaun Tan
    Hardback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Cicada
    WINNER OF THE CBCA PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019 Cicada work in tall building. Data entry clerk. Seventeen year. No sick day. No mistake. Tok Tok Tok! Cicada works in an office, dutifully toiling day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his coworkers. But one day, cicada goes to the roof of the building, and...
    By Shaun Tan
    Paperback
    $1999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Lost Thing
    The Lost Thing is a humorous story about a boy who discovers a bizarre-looking creature whilst out collecting bottle-tops at the beach. Having guessed that it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but the problem is met with indifference by everyone else, who barely notice its presence. Each is unhelpful in their...
    By Shaun Tan
    Paperback
    $1999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Rules of Summer
    Academy Award and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Shaun Tan combines humour and surreal fantasy to picture a summer in the lives of two boys. The boys hide from a giant red rabbit and outwit a crowd of scary eagles, but when their games become ever darker and sinister, they learn that breaking the rules can be dangerous. Visually fascinating....
    By Shaun Tan
    Hardback
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Tales of Light and Dark: A Shaun Tan Collection
    Who is that exchange student living in our cupboard? Whatever happened to all those bears with lawyers? Why do dogs bark in the middle of the night?Collected together for the first time, forty illustrated tales of urban and suburban wonder, fear, humour and hope by the acclaimed creator of The Arrival, The Lost Thing and The Singing Bones.Tales from Outer...
    By Shaun Tan
    Book
    $4500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Rules of Summer
    A beautiful paperback edition of the future classic by Academy Award and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner - Shaun Tan. Combining humour and surreal fantasy, Rules of Summer pictures a summer in the lives of two boys. Never break the rules. Especially if you don't understand them. The boys hide from a giant red rabbit and outwit a crowd of...
    By Shaun Tan
    Paperback
    $2199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Rabbits
    The Rabbits offers a rich and immensely valuable perspective on the effect of man on his environment. Visually loaded and told with a passion for truth and understanding, The Rabbits aims to promote cultural awareness and a sense of caring for the natural world. A rich and haunting allegory for all ages, all cultures.
    By Shaun Tan
    Paperback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Arrival
    Haunting, original and told entirely through exquisitely imagined black, white and sepia pictures, The Arrival is the story of one man's encounter with life in a strange new world. It's a timeless, universal story that will resonate with anyone, anywhere who has struggled to start again in a place that is different to the one they have always known. Much...
    By Shaun Tan
    Hardback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Children's Books

View all
  • New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    By Julia Donaldson
    Hardback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas
    From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...
    By Katie Kirby
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    New Release
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    By Donovan Bixley
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster
    Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...
    By Sam Smith
    Paperback
    $1400
    Elsewhere:
    $1499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Neverfear
    A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...
    By Katherine Rundell
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Mari the Unwonderful Witch
    A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...
    By Asako Yuzuki
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Animalia 40th Anniversary Edition
    A beautiful, foiled collector's edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graeme Base's classic and bestselling Australian picture book, Animalia. Embark on a fantastical alphabetic adventure where each turn of the page unveils a rich tapestry of intricate illustrations tied to a unique letter of the alphabet. More than 5 million copies sold worldwide Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)...
    By Graeme Base
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Comeback Kid
    Charlie Boy might be just an ordinary kid, but he's about to get into some EXTRA-ordinary trouble... Get ready for this funny, fast-paced, friendship adventure with lots of kick. Meet Charlie Boy: skinny, small, looks like a strand of spaghetti. He and his best friend, Rocky the Lower Hutt Chief, are good at getting into trouble together. But when Charlie...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Millie from Milford
    New Release
    Millie from Milford
    Based on the true story of Ruth Shaw and her husband Lance looking after a baby seal that had been shot between the eyes. Millie from Milford lives in Milford Sound, the number one tourist destination in Aotearoa New Zealand. After Millie was checked by a vet, she was taken to Ruth and Lance's home to be looked after until...
    By Ruth Shaw
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    New Release
    The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    But disaster strikes when guitarist Jack breaks his wrist and can no longer play. On top of that, all their hard work fundraising has fallen short! When help comes from unexpected channels, the Velvets make it to the Big Apple just in time to compete against the best kid bands in the whole world, including their new rivals the Blazer...
    By Rachael King
    Paperback
    $1600
    Elsewhere:
    $1899
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...
    By Giselle Clarkson
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Backorder
    Ships Unknown - Contact Us

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Children's Books lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all