If you loved

Books like The Arrival

A breathtaking, wordless journey through a surreal and strange new world that captures the universal heartache and hope of leaving home. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with The Arrival.

surreal
dreamlike
nostalgic
poignant

01
Tales From Outer Suburbia
Shaun Tan
A beautifully illustrated, surreal exploration of the quiet magic hiding just beneath the surface of ordinary life.
Shares:
- dreamlike
- nostalgic
- melancholic
02
The Red Tree
Shaun Tan
A visually intricate journey through the heavy fog of difficult emotions that ultimately blooms into a bright, hopeful possibility.
Shares:
- earnest
- empathetic
- melancholic
- hopeful
03
Illegal
Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
A harrowing yet deeply hopeful graphic journey that captures the perilous reality of the refugee experience through the eyes of a resilient child.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful
04
Anno's Journey
Mitsumasa Anno
A quiet, wordless stroll through a richly detailed European landscape where every page hides a new secret.
Shares:
- nostalgic
05
The snowman
Raymond Briggs
A silent, softly drawn journey through a winter's night that captures both the soaring joy of childhood magic and the quiet ache of its passing.
Shares:
- earnest
- melancholic
06
Journey
Aaron Becker
A breathtaking, wordless testament to the power of a single red marker and a boundless imagination.
Shares:
- earnest
- wondrous
- hopeful
07
Grandfather's journey
Allen Say · 1993
A quiet, beautifully illustrated meditation on the bittersweet reality of leaving one home to find another, only to forever miss the first.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- earnest
- the immigrant experience
08
Here we are
Oliver Jeffers
A warm, expansive welcome letter to the world, designed to introduce a new arrival to the wonders of their planet.
Shares:
- earnest
09
The Bone Sparrow
Zana Fraillon
A heartbreaking yet deeply hopeful exploration of how imagination and friendship can carve out light in the darkest of confinements.
Shares:
- poignant
- earnest
- empathetic
10
Hilda and the Midnight Giant
Luke Pearson
A cozy, bittersweet plunge into a folklore-rich wilderness where hidden magical creatures complicate the very real fear of moving away from home.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- earnest
- wondrous
- melancholic
11
The Wolves in the Walls
Neil Gaiman
A delightfully creepy, surreal romp about what happens when the things you fear most actually show up, and you have to be the brave one.
Shares:
- surreal
12
My diary from here to there
Amada Irma Pérez
An intimate, bilingual diary capturing a young girl's heartfelt journey through the uncertainties of leaving home.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful

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