Chris Van Allsburg - 1949
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I. Background
Young Chris Van Allsburg didn't plan to be a best selling juvenile writer and illustrator. He loved to draw, but really enjoyed just being a normal kid growing up in an "idyllic and comfortable" Grand Rapids, Michigan neighborhood. "There were still places nearby where I could catch tadpoles, there were places to go sledding, there were fields where you could play baseball—not someplace surrounded by a fence, just open fields," he says, describing his upbringing. "And I rode my bike to school." 1
When he entered the University of Michigan, he took a course in drawing and rediscovered his talent. Following graduation he entered graduate school at Rhode Island School of Design. Although his sculpture and drawings would be shown at the Whitney Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, he continued to draw at home at night.
His wife Lisa, a local TV producer, showed his work to one of the TV program's guests—juvenile writer and illustrator, David Macaulay. Macaulay introduced him to his editor at Houghton Mifflin, Walter Lorraine, who recognized his artistic talent and ability to tell a story through pictures. It was a chance meeting that has resulted in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi , establishing Chris Van Allsburg as a premiere author and illustrator. But his books are not just for kids. "I think of the books as for everybody—for all ages," he says. 2
A master storyteller, he paints and weaves tales so dynamic that it is difficult to tell what is truth and what is imagination. The Polar Express leaves us wondering: could this really have happened? Do I hear a bell? As commentator Marion Long says, "Chris Van Allsburg conveys the magical and mystical." 3
He prefers to call his concept surrealist—"Something puzzling that happens in the context of...a recognizable reality." At first he sees pictures in his mind. Then he asks, "What if?" 4
Jumanji began as a single premise—two children find a box with an adventure board game—a game that resulted in mischievous animals out of control and filling every room of the house. Although the movie was more action-packed than his story, it "remains true to my original ideas." His own imagination follows the more mysterious. 5
Reading Chris Van Allsburg is a magical journey. Imagining is believing.
II. Works and Awards
Books (All published by Houghton Mifflin Company)
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick . (c 1979): Black and white drawings. Available in Spanish. Developed from a drawing "Under the Rug." See publishing date: 1984.
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi . (1979): Available on audiocassette with Jason Robards and saxophone accompaniment. Developed from an interest in topiary gardens. Caldecott Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, and Best Book of the year: New York Times, ALA Booklist, School Library Journal, and Horn Book. Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for illustration and the Irma Simonton Black Award of the Bank Street College. On a walk with his cousin's dog, Fritz, young Alan is stopped by a sign: ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO DOGS ALLOWED IN THIS GARDEN. But mischievous Fritz darts away and into a magician's garden, creating a ducky situation.
Jumanji (1981): Pencil drawings. Available on audio cassette, film and video, starring Robin Williams, score by Michael Moss filled with jungle sounds. Caldecott Award, and ALA Notable Book Award. American Book Award and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Graphic Design. Library of Congress Children's Books of the Year. "Beautiful simplicity...beyond the call of illustration," New York Times review. Two children play an adventure board game that quickly comes alive with jungle animals out of control.
Ben's Dream (1982): Pen and ink drawings. "…Lost art and subtle fine points of sculptural line drawing is nothing less than remarkable," Art Express magazine review. A careless boy escapes from geography study, dreams of living in the great landmarks of the world.
The Wreck of the Zephyr (1983): Color art. Available on audiocassette. The story of a boy, his boat, and the haunting call of the sea. Did it really happen? The old man smiled. "Well, there is another story."
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984):Based on Van Allsburg's first drawing conception (c. 1979) that launched his career as an author-illustrator. Fourteen black and white drawing, available in loose portfolio sheets. Update includes fifteenth drawing. An artist disappears, leaving a portfolio of pictures with mysterious captions that inspire the reader to become the storyteller.
The Polar Express (1985):Full Color. Available in Spanish. Available on audiocassette. Author's introduction written in Providence, 6-95. Caldecott Medal Book 1986. Story of children's mystical journey to the North Pole, majestically illustrated. "Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."
The Stranger (1986): Color. Had Mr. Bailey really hit a man or a deer? Is the world a dream come true of the truth of the seasons?
The Z was Zapped (1987): Black and white, pencil drawings. A playful romp in twenty-six acts. An alphabetical construction or destruction?
Just a Dream (1990): Tone drawings. A careless boy's dream of living in the future might just come true.
The Wretched Stone (1991): A sea Captain's journal. A stone has been found that emits a magical ray making the crew not only act, but look like monkeys. How can they escape the grip of its spell?
The Widow's Broom (1992): Available in Spanish. The legacy of a witch, a grateful traveler, who discards her aging broom at the home of a weary widow. The broom strives to serve the needs of the widow, becoming her best kept secret?
The Sweetest Fig (1993):Tone drawings. Available in Spanish. A selfish dentist is paid in figs by an old woman who promises each time a fig is eaten, his dreams will happen. Before he can eat the second fig, his dog devours it. Is it a dream come true, or the dentist's worst nightmare?
Bad Day at Riverbend (1995): A progressive color study. Nobody came and nobody left in the Wild West of Riverbend, but one day a stagecoach came, stayed, and flooded the town with color.
4 Strange Stories (1997): Information not available.
Two Bad Ants (1998):Two rebellious drones think keeping the spoils to themselves is crystal clear. But can it last forever?
Illustrations for other authors:
Mark Helprin: The Veil of Snows (1997); A City in Winter;
The Queen's Tale (1996); Swan Lake, (1989)
C.S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Awards:
In 1999, Van Allsburg was selected the Favorite children's author by readers of Children's Book Insider, a newsletter for children's writers.
III. Footnotes
1. Houghton Mifflin Company. "Chris Van Allsburg: Sculptor, Artist, Author." Eduplace.
(Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999) Available from
2. Loer, Stephanie. "Enter the World of Chris Van Allsburg." Eduplace.
(Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999) Available from
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/author/cva/question.html
3. Long, Marion. "Chris Van Allsburg: A Western Canon, Jr." HomeArts. (Women.com,
1999) Available from
http://homearts.com:80/depts/relat/allsbuf1.htm
4. Op Cit, Loer, p. 1 5. Ibid., p. 3 IV. Other Sources Microsoft Corporation. Encarta Encyclopedia 99. 1993-98.
V. From the Web Annotations and links to thirteen Van Allsburg books:
Listing and publishing information for most of Van Allsburg's books:
http://www.bugs.org/Images/Author-vanAllsburg.shtml
Science Fiction site review of The Veil of Snows by Mark Helprin; illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg:
http://www.sfsite.com/11a/veil20.htm
Also, try Internet searches (Van Allsburg, Chris; Van Allsburg, Chris + home page) to locate additional information. Here are some places to start: http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.lycos.com
http://search.msn.com
This essay was submitted by Susan Huetteman, a retired teacher in Rhode Island.