Chris%20Van%20Allsburg%20Author%20Study

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Chris Van Allsburg Author Study

• By Debra Wingate
• FRMS 7331
• Summer 2008

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Chris Van Allsburg

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

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

• http//www.chrisvanallsburg.com/flash.html
• http//media.barnesandnoble.com
• http//www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/author
  detail

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To Introduce the Author

• I will ask the students if they have read any of
  Chris Van Allsburgs 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.

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Annotation 1 The Garden of Abdul Gasazi 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
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Annotation 2 Jumanji Puzzles and magic as well
as a white bull terrier find their way into Van
Allsburgs 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.
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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
Allsburgs heavily textured and patterned pencil
drawings create a claustrophobic intimacy that
magnifies the danger of being lost forever.
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Response Strategies

• The students will create a story quilt which
  includes the book title, the author and
  illustrators 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?

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References

• http//www.chrisvanallsburg.com/flash.html
• http//media.barnesandnoble.com
• http//www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/author
  detail