Chris Van Allsburg

'''Biographical Information

Chris Van Allsburg is an author and illustrator of children’s literature. He was born June 18th, 1949 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was the second child of Doris and Richard Van Allsburg. Chris and his family lived in a farm house next to East End Creamery. His grandfather owned the creamery. Chris’ father and uncles would later work there. When Chris was three, his family moved to another neighborhood in Grand Rapids. There were still fields and streams for Chris to explore. In sixth grade, Chris’ family (mom, dad, older sister Karen, and two cats) moved again to East Grand Rapids. It is said that Chris’ street closely resembles the illustration on the cover of The Polar Express.

In high school, Chris enjoyed math and science. His love for art did not develop until college, when he attended the University of Michigan. While speaking with an admissions officer, he chose to pursue studies in the college of Architecture and Design to “give that a try.”  He had not taken any art courses in high school, and fibbed to the admissions officer when he explained that he took private art classes on the weekends. He majored in sculpture and graduated in 1972. He later earned an M.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design, where he also studied the art of sculpture, graduating in 1975.

Chris met his wife Lisa Morrison, also an art student, while attending the University of Michigan. She became an art teacher and often used picture books in her classes. Although Chris enjoyed sculpting, he began drawing pictures at night and displayed then around their apartment. Lisa encourages Chris to become an illustrator for children’s books. She showed some of Chris’ illustrations to an editor at Houghton Mifflin Company. The editor, Walter Lorraine, encouraged Chris to write and illustrate his own stories…and so he did. In 1979, Chris published his first book The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. He has gone on to write and illustrate over 18 children’s books.

Themes

A major theme carried across Chris Van Allsburg’s books is the belief in magic. Many characters in his books (and readers) are left pondering if the events that occurred really happened, and if so, how? For example, Alan in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi is left wondering if Fritz was really turned into a duck. In The Polar Express, the main character takes a trip to the North Pole and meets Santa Clause. He is given, and then later loses, a bell from Santa’s sleigh, but later finds the bell wrapped in a box under the Christmas tree. He also uses dreams to help tell his stories, such as in Just a Dream and Ben’s Dream. Nature themes also appear in Van Allsburg’s book. Just a Dream, for example, illustrates an appreciation of the environment by highlighting the effects that some of our actions can take to destroy the environment. The Stranger addresses the changing of the seasons with a magical twist.

Style

Many illustrations in Van Allsburg’s books are in black and white. The Z was Zapped, Jumanji, and Ben’s Dream are a few examples. Chris does not have a painting or drawing background, as he studied sculpture while in college and graduate school. He used charcoal for his illustrations in his earlier works because that was the extent of his drawing knowledge.

Fritz, a bull terrier, is a common illustration that appears in all of Chris Van Allsburg’s books. He was first portrayed as a character in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. The character is modeled after his nephew’s bull terrier, Winston. After Winston died, Chris decided to put an image of the dog in all of his books. Fritz has been portrayed a child’s toy, a car decal, food, and other creative images.

Bibliography

·      The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (1979, Caldecott Honor Book)

·      Jumanji (1981, Caldecott Medal winner)

·      Ben’s Dream (1982, The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books)

·      The Wreck of the Zephyr (1983, A New York Times Best Illustrated Book)

·      The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984, A New York Times Best Illustrated Book)

·      The Stranger (1986, A New York Times Best Illustrated Book)

·      The Z Was Zapped (1987)

·      Two Bad Ants (1988, Maryland Children's Book Award Winner)

·      Just a Dream (1990)

·      The Wretched Stone (1991)

·      The Widow’s Broom (1992)

·      The Sweeting Fig (1993, Rhode Island Children's Book Award Winner)

·      Bad Day at Riverbend (1995)

·      Zathura (2002)

·      Probuditi! (2006)

·      Queen of the Falls (2010)

Criticism

According to reviews found on Goodreads.com, some readers thought Zathura, a follow-up to Van Allsburg’s Jumanji, was repetitive, as it shares a similar plot to its’ predecessor. Reviews of The Stranger, as written by Goodreads.com reviewers, found that the plot of the text and some of the key details of the story are too abstract for young readers.

Other Information

Jumanji, Zathura, and The Polar Express have been adapted into movies. The 30th anniversary edition of Jumanji comes with an audio recording of the book. The book is read by Robin Williams, the main character of the original movie adaptation.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provides teaching guides for his books.

Sources

https://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/biography.html

https://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/faqs.html

https://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/books.html

https://hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/awards.html

http://polarexpress.com/schools-libraries/