Chris Van Allsburg Author Study By Debra Wingate

Chris Van Allsburg Author Study By: Debra Wingate FRMS 7331 Summer 2008

Chris Van Allsburg • Born: June 18, 1949 • Birthplace: Grand Rapids, Michigan • Best Known As: The author of the The Polar Express

Chris Van Allsburg won Caldecott Medals for his lavishly illustrated books Jumanji (1982) and The Polar Express (1986). Chris Van Allsburg book’s are know for their mysterious stories and whimsically dreamy images. He was on of the most prolific and successful children’s illustrators of the 1980 s and 1990 s. Chris Van Allsburg has drawn readers into a magical, even surreal, world through his illustrated picture books.

Chris Van Allsburg Websites • http: //www. chrisvanallsburg. com/flash. html • http: //media. barnesandnoble. com • http: //www. houghtonmifflinbooks. com/catalo g/authordetail

To Introduce the Author • I will ask the students if they have read any of Chris Van Allsburg’s books. • The students will then look at a Chris Van Allsburg poster and will tell if they have read any of the books on the poster. • The students will be given a writer/illustrator handout to read with partners or in small groups. • The students will complete an “Author Study Scavenger Hunt” using the article about Chris Van Allsburg.

Annotation #1 The Garden of Abdul Gasazi tells the story of a young boy whose curious dog, a white bull terrier that has gone on to become something of a signature for Van Allsburg, runs away into the bizarre garden of a magician that is filled with topiary creatures. C

Annotation #2 Jumanji Puzzles and magic as well as a white bull terrier find their way into Van Allsburg’s second picture book. In Jumanji a decidedly uncooperative magic intrudes into the domesticity of a suburban home when bored siblings Judy and Peter suddenly get more action than they bargained for while playing a board game. The two dimensional jungle adventures of the game become real, with lions materializing in the living room and monkeys in the kitchen. The game comes to an end when Judy finally reaches the Golden City, the goal of the game. Finally the magical game board Judy and Peter deposited at the park is being carried off by pair of brothers, Danny and Walter Budwing.

Annotation #3 Zathura In Zathura: A Space Adventure the Budwing brothers open the box, and find, under the Jumanji game a second game decorated with flying saucers, space ships, and planets. Although readers are not caught unawares, Danny and Walter are when they suddenly find themselves hurled into a space adventure after a single roll of the dice, and Van Allsburg’s heavily textured and patterned pencil drawings “create a claustrophobic intimacy that magnifies the danger” of being lost forever.

Response Strategies • The students will create a story quilt which includes the book title, the author and illustrator’s name; favorite quote from the book, and a sketch. The students will also write their connection with the book. • The students will compare and contrast Jumanji and Zathura. • The students will write a “What if” ending on one of the following topics: What if they were left with the problems created: two feet of water in the house, lions, pythons and monkeys, and the volcano? Devise solutions to each problem other than finishing the game. What if six kids had played the game? What's on the other squares that would come to life?

References • http: //www. chrisvanallsburg. com/flash. html • http: //media. barnesandnoble. com • http: //www. houghtonmifflinbooks. com/catalo g/authordetail