Lost & Found

     Shaun Tan's The Arrival would certainly figure, with the oft-mentioned Set to Sea, on my list of top three graphic novels of all time.  In fact, his story Stick Figures from the collection Tales From Outer Suburbia may be my favorite short story ever (though the illustrations give it a big advantage in that area).  Before he perfected the art of the graphic novel, Tan brought his masterful design and narrative sensibility to picture books, three of which are collected in the forthcoming Lost & Found, including the extra-astonishing The Lost Thing.  I cannot possibly recommend this book highly enough, but a word of caution: these are not your standard children's picture books.  They are filled with deep melancholy and powerful wisdom.  Don't let that stop you, by any means, just look them over carefully before you go passing them along to anyone under twelve-ish.