Eric

Eric is a picture book written by the Australian author and illustrator Shaun Tan. The story follows Eric, who is an exchange student within a house which is presumably in Australia or a western country. He is a little odd looking creature(this symbolizes the fact he doesn’t fit it very well) and he doesn’t see or act in the way his temporary caring family do. This leads them to believe that he is not happy. It concludes by finding that he was just different to them and that he did appreciate the time he spent there.

The illustrations within the book often vary in size, sometimes make them like photographs, has some black and white, and also on some pages just has illustrations without any words at all. They are far simpler than in other Tan books, but still connect well with the storyline. The language is simple also adding to this connection. In saying this, even with its simplicity it is still quite emotive with the words which are used.

The book follows the normal narrative conventions by having an orientation (introducing Eric), a complication (trying to help him fit in and make him happy) and resolution (finding out that he was happy with his stay).

The theme in the book is one of its great assets with the way it portrays belonging and fitting in. Tan does this through showing what it is like for an exchange student, and ends the book by teaching the reader a lesson. For this reason the book would be excellent for high school students if a social studies teacher was talking about belonging as you could use this to introduce the topic as it is quite engaging, relatable and can capture the reader.