Moments of humour, surreal fantasy, and the sometimes devastating ways we interact with the people we love the most, are presented in Shaun Tan’s typical thought-provoking style.

RULES OF SUMMER, is a deceptively simple story about two boys, one older and one younger, and the kind of ‘rules’ that might govern any relationship between close friends or siblings. Rules that are often so strange or arbitrary, they seem impossible to understand from the outside. Yet through each exquisite illustration of this nearly wordless narrative, we can enjoy wandering around an emotional landscape that is oddly familiar to us all.

Shaun Tan draws upon his own personal experiences with a surreal snapshot of fishing adventures with his older brother, leaving a sock on the clothes line, and buildings inspired by Brunswick and greater Melbourne.

As you venture deep into the story, these poetic images become darker, more mysterious and unsettling, drawing towards a redemptive ending that affirms the depth of true friendship, a bond that is equally wonderful and inexplicable.

Shaun Tan’s award-winning books include the highly acclaimed wordless novel THE ARRIVAL, THE LOST THING, THE RED TREE, THE RABBITS and TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA.

In 2011, Shaun won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, shared an Academy Award for his work on the animated short film version of his book THE LOST THING, and was presented with the Dromkeen Medal for services to children’s literature in Australia.

Shaun has also worked as a theatre designer, as a concept artist for the films ‘Horton Hears a Who’ and Pixar’s ‘WALL-E’ and as an animator on the Academy Award-winning short film adapted from his book THE LOST THING. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have won many prizes both in Australia and internationally.