The Rules of Summer - Tapa dura

The multi-layered illustrations are glorious... this is a strange, thought-provoking and enlightening book. (Irish Independent)

Pure magic... told with minimal text and the beautiful surreal imagery of Tan's paintings. I would be quite happy to give this book ten stars out of five if that were allowed. Simply unmissable for readers who seek out unique and thought provoking books. When the children outgrow this, I will be keeping it for myself. * * * * * (Bookbag)

A mesmerising addition to Shaun Tan's eclectic array of thoughtful and surreal picture books... breathtaking. (WRD Magazine)

Shaun Tan has earned the reputation as the creator of picture books that defy easy interpretation... enigmatic verbal and visual clues to construct narratives... lovingly detailed painterly illustration... starkly realistic and elusively surreal. (Irish Times)

Shaun Tan continues to push out the boundaries of the picturebook medium... whichever way you look at it, this is an extraordinary picturebook, an aesthetic abject, with much to enjoy, respond to, think and talk about. (School Librarian)

Visually fascinating. (The New York Times)

Tan's mesmerizing, gorgeous art is as beautiful and entrancing as ever. (Booklist)

Superb artwork that elicits both a cerebral and emotional response and that, when coupled with the text, invites readers to plumb the mysterious depths of the human experience. (The Horn Book)

Thrilling... one startling image after another. (Wall Street Journal)

Evocative, enthralling and with absolutely astounding artwork so good readers will wish that ike summer, it would last forever. (Kirkus)

Sumptuous and sincere... this title is a winner. (School Library Journal)

Brilliant... as always, the swirl of emotion that Tan's artwork kicks up lingers long after the book is closed. (Publishers Weekly)

Magnificent. Big, confident and blazing with colour. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Beguiling, magical, vivid, sumptuous. Tan's open-ended tales invariably suggest possibilities beyond the frame, creating an imaginative space for readers to inhabit the stories. (The Australian)

Lavish, brilliant paintings...As always, the swirl of emotion that Tan's artwork kicks up lingers long after the book is closed. (Publisher's Weekly)

Magnificent...big, confident and blazing with colour (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Thrilling, disturbing and hard to shake...one startling image after another (Wall Street Journal)