You know by now that we love Shaun Tan's work, so if you're not prepared to sit through yet another gushing review, you'd better bail now.

Surrealism. How do you introduce the concept of surrealism to a child? The simple answer is - you don't have to. Children are already well equipped to deal with the fantastical. From an early age they have books read to them that feauture anthropomorphised animals, or bizarre fantasy worlds where the laws of physics don't apply.

For Charlotte this is the appeal of Shaun Tan books. Not because they introduce bizarre concepts that take a leap of faith to bend your brain around, but because they describe and visualise the world - or any world for that matter - in a way that children have already accepted.

Somewhere along the line though, in the transition between childhood and adulthood we lose that ability and seldom few of us claw it back.

One of our favourite images in the book. Haunting, beautiful, ghostly.

In "Tales of Outer Suburbia" Shaun Tan explores surrealistic worlds and concepts that have a jarring air of familiarity about them, but are deliciously painted in such original ways that the stories - such as they are - become magical.

For instance, take "Eric" which we've reviewed separately before as a well deserved "book of the week", but features in this anthology. On paper it sounds like the dullest story in the world. An exchange student comes to stay, is taken around by his host family, finds things a bit different and weird, and then abruptly leaves.

Now rewind to the start and put on your Shaun Tan spectacles. The exchange student becomes a magical little sprite-like creature, his fascination is not with the host family's culture but the mundane everyday objects we often completely ignore in our everyday lives. His babbled alien language and questions don't ask "where is the nearest bus station?" but he wants to know why the middle of a plughole is shaped like a flower, or what on earth a sink plunger is for.

The story ends so beautifully that it sticks in the memory, and is a stark contrast to Shaun Tan's usual fairly muted palettes and understated paintings, which echo throughout Tales of Outer Suburbia.

In fact perhaps that's it, perhaps Shaun Tan's greatest gift isn't his absolutely faultless ability to delve into the darkest corners of our imagination and dig out characters, scenes and stories that feel jarringly weird but eerily familiar. It's his gift as the grand hypnotist, an artist who can alter your mind while enjoying his works to such an extent that you can't help but yearn for more.

Beautiful, surreal, essential to your collection.

Charlotte's best bit: The Water Buffalo story.

Daddy's favourite bit: The creepy but wonderful "Man in a Diving Costume" story.

For an eternity we've coveted the lovely lovely Shaun Tan books and this year we made up our minds to make sure we picked up as many as possible. My lovely sister and her hubby (both devoted bookworms with awesome taste) gave us the tiny hardback version of "Eric" last weekend as a belated Christmas pressie (we both live at opposite ends of the country so don't meet up as much as we'd like to).

Eric is a story tweaked lovingly from Shaun Tan's excellent anthology "Tales of Suburbia" and tells the story of an exchange student, who comes to stay with a family.

Eric is quiet, unassuming and of great interest to the younger members of the family who find all his cultural differences absolutely fascinating. He eschews his comfortable bed in favour of sleeping in the larder. He shows very little interest in sightseeing, but picks up tiny bits of bric-a-brac as the family shows him around the town.

There's something about Eric, a character that is visually interesting but a mystery wrapped in an enigma. There's also something totally intoxicating about Shaun Tan's work, with his delicate use of light and shade giving everything he does an almost sombre feel.

But this book is celebratory, and it's also another book that had an electrifying effect on Charlotte - who has demanded it almost daily since we got it. She loves the questions it provokes, and she also rather fell in love with the end of the book when it's revealed that Eric's sudden disappearance did not go unmarked, and Eric left something for the family to treasure for years to come (we won't spoil it, but it's a delightful end to a brilliant brilliant book). The format (small hard back) is great too, as a collection of these tiny little masterpieces would look fantastic on a book shelf - better in a child's hands though, without a doubt!

Our quest to own everything this very talented man has put his hand to continues...!

(See also our review this week of Shaun Tan and Gary Crew's "The Viewer")

Charlotte's best bit: The reveal at the end, which is such a beautiful contrast to a fairly dark and monochrome book.

Daddy's favourite bit: The effect this book had on Charlotte. As addictive to her as the stickiest sugary treat we could possibly think of. A book in constant demand!