Michelle's corner

Cicada tell story.

Story good. Story simple.

Story even human can understand.

Tok Tok Tok!

This book has a moral to the story, plus a twist at the end. About thirty pages, most of the presentations are art on the right page, with a paragraph on the left.

The moral here is up to the minute, but it took some pondering for me to fully understand the journey... which I thought was going to be straightforward, but it contained a final message from Tan, to the reader, about life and self.

Human coworker no like cicada.

Say things. Do things.

Think cicada stupid.

Tok Tok Tok!

Obviously, my camera can't do justice to the art in this book. After seventeen years, the cicada retires from its low paid job working for a crummy, penny pinching company.

No work. No home. No money.

Cicada go to top of tall building.

Time to say goodbye.

Tok Tok Tok!

But I did say that there was a twist. And this is a children's book, if I understand the publisher correctly. Not knowing cicadas, I didn't see this coming. Or the particular cicada that this was referring to. A bit of DuckDuckGo and it all made sense. And then, after having all the pieces of the jigsaw, I was finally able to piece Tan's message together, and ponder over the deliberate colouring while letting the meaning swim around me.

Some might ponder paying £15 for a relatively short book, even if the art and production is of good standard. But I'm coming to terms with the realisation that these are not books, and not works of art like you would put on your wall. As such, it is difficult to review; as it has a few layers within the work. I can only compare it to a puzzle that is approached, and then the pleasure is in decoding it, and enjoying the process itself. If that makes sense.

It is the kind of work that should be discussed; it's meanings. It pricks the conscience on some levels, and lifts the heart in others. It serves as a reminder to the direction of life and the rat race.