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"Cicada work in tall building.
Data entry clerk. Seventeen year.
No sick day. No mistake.
Tok Tok Tok!"
Data entry clerk. Seventeen year.
No sick day. No mistake.
Tok Tok Tok!"
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This short picture book follows a hardworking cicada who is underappreciated at work, though he knows he works harder than any of his human co-workers. Mistreated, sad, and alone, the little cicada is ready to give up…when something amazing happens.
Sooooooooo yes, I know this is a picture book. If this wasn’t one of “our” books at work, I would never have read this book. I don’t read many children’s books anymore. But my co-workers and I were discussing why so many librarians were returning this book to us and requesting anything else. So, what was all the fuss about? I decided to go grab it off our shared shelf and check it out.
Cicada is a very, very short read. You can read it in under 5 minutes. There are very few words accompanying the illustrations, and many of the words are repeated. I’m not sure there’s anything to “spoil,” what with Cicada being a picture book and all, so I’m just going to go into detail about what the story is about. As mentioned above, the story follows a hardworking cicada, a data clerk who has worked in the same office building for seventeen years alongside his human co-workers. The humans are ruthless towards the cicada and treat him unfairly. For example, he’s denied any promotion by Human Resources because he’s “not human” and “need(s) no resources”—rude. He’s also forced to use the bathroom twelve blocks away rather than the office bathroom, and to make matters worse, the company docks his pay for this inconvenience.
Towards the end of the story, the cicada finally retires. Now he has no job, no home (he’s been living in the wall space at the office), no money, no one—nothing to live for. So he makes his way to the top of the office building, clearly about to attempt suicide, though all that’s said with words is “time to say goodbye.” But right as he’s about to throw himself of the building…well, you’ll just have to read and find out. It’s a happy ending.
Here at work, we categorize this book as a middle school book. I can see why librarians may not want their middle schoolers reading this… The suicide is only implied, but this may not be the best way to really introduce the topic of suicide to a 13-year-old. Also, can a middle schooler really relate to this text? They don’t yet understand the horrors of a 9 – 5 office job, the struggles of paying rent and affording basic needs… I would give this to someone in college, rather. Yes, it’s a picture book, but the themes aren’t really going to apply to middle schoolers, in my opinion.
That said, I did enjoy the book. Being in my twenties, I can relate. With the morosely beautiful illustrations and the simple text, Cicada is certainly the most…unique…book I’ve read this year.
Sooooooooo yes, I know this is a picture book. If this wasn’t one of “our” books at work, I would never have read this book. I don’t read many children’s books anymore. But my co-workers and I were discussing why so many librarians were returning this book to us and requesting anything else. So, what was all the fuss about? I decided to go grab it off our shared shelf and check it out.
Cicada is a very, very short read. You can read it in under 5 minutes. There are very few words accompanying the illustrations, and many of the words are repeated. I’m not sure there’s anything to “spoil,” what with Cicada being a picture book and all, so I’m just going to go into detail about what the story is about. As mentioned above, the story follows a hardworking cicada, a data clerk who has worked in the same office building for seventeen years alongside his human co-workers. The humans are ruthless towards the cicada and treat him unfairly. For example, he’s denied any promotion by Human Resources because he’s “not human” and “need(s) no resources”—rude. He’s also forced to use the bathroom twelve blocks away rather than the office bathroom, and to make matters worse, the company docks his pay for this inconvenience.
Towards the end of the story, the cicada finally retires. Now he has no job, no home (he’s been living in the wall space at the office), no money, no one—nothing to live for. So he makes his way to the top of the office building, clearly about to attempt suicide, though all that’s said with words is “time to say goodbye.” But right as he’s about to throw himself of the building…well, you’ll just have to read and find out. It’s a happy ending.
Here at work, we categorize this book as a middle school book. I can see why librarians may not want their middle schoolers reading this… The suicide is only implied, but this may not be the best way to really introduce the topic of suicide to a 13-year-old. Also, can a middle schooler really relate to this text? They don’t yet understand the horrors of a 9 – 5 office job, the struggles of paying rent and affording basic needs… I would give this to someone in college, rather. Yes, it’s a picture book, but the themes aren’t really going to apply to middle schoolers, in my opinion.
That said, I did enjoy the book. Being in my twenties, I can relate. With the morosely beautiful illustrations and the simple text, Cicada is certainly the most…unique…book I’ve read this year.
This was such a sad little book! It really made me feel bad for Cicada.
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A