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“ At first , I see a picture of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself.

Chris Van Allsburg: An Author to Study. “ At first , I see a picture of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself. I guess you might call it the “what if – and what then” approach to writing and illustration . ”.

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“ At first , I see a picture of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself.

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  1. Chris Van Allsburg: An Author to Study “At first , I see a picture of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself. I guess you might call it the “what if – and what then” approach to writing and illustration.” Gloria Torres, EDUC 584, Saint Joseph College

  2. Biography Van Allsburg loved drawing as a child, but remembers “certain peer pressures encouraged little fingers to hold a football instead of a crayon.” It was not until he entered the University of Michigan and took a freshman course in drawing that he re-discovered his love of art. Learn more about Chris Van Allsburg’s early life and how he creates stories. Print this getting to know you worksheet to jot down some important facts and compare his life with yours!

  3. His First Book! The Garden of Abdul Gasazi Alan Mitz is dog sitting for Miss Hester’s naughty dog, Fritz. While out for a walk Alan stops to read a sign that declares, “ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO DOGS ALLOWED IN THIS GARDEN,” signed by the mysterious Abdul Gasazi, retired magician. Just then, Fritz breaks free and runs past the sign and through the door to the garden. Alan bravely goes in after him. Do you believe in magic? Your belief will be challenged when you read this book to find out what happens to Fritz! Check out Chris Van Allsburg in a video clip on channel 2 talking about this book. Now you have a chance to become Alan. Click here to create a simulated journal entry after being reunited with Fritz. From The New York Times "This is without question one of the best -- and most original -- picture books in years." Why not learn some cool magic tricks?

  4. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick This book is prefaced with a letter from Chris Van Allsburg himself, explaining the book’s origins. “I first saw the drawings in this book a year ago, in the home of a man named Peter Wenders,” Van Allsburg begins. He goes on to explain that many years earlier, a man named Harris Burdick stopped by the office of Peter Wenders, who then worked for a publisher of children’s books choosing stories and pictures to be made into books. Burdick brought one drawing from each of fourteen stories he had written as a sample for Mr. Wenders. Fascinated by the drawings, Wenders told Burdick he wanted to see the rest of his work as soon as possible. Promising to bring the stories in the next day, Burdick left – never to be seen again. Mr. Wenders held onto the pictures and captions until Mr. Van Allsburg saw them himself. He reproduced the pictures and captions hoping to inspire many other children to write stories as well. Click here to take a look inside the book.

  5. You be the Writer! Here are a few of Harris Burdick’s pictures and captions. Look at the picture and read the title and caption. A Strange Day in July Mr. Linden’s Library The House on Maple Street Under the Rug Two weeks passed and it happened again. He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. We had warned her about the book. Now it was too late. It was a perfect lift-off. Try to think of “what if and what then” questions when you are looking at the pictures. Complete a graphic organizer. Print the graphic organizer and use it to write a short story. I will be submitting your final drafts to a “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick” website.

  6. Zathura (The Sequel to Jumanji) On the last page of the Caledcott-winning book Jumanji, young Danny Budwing is seen running after his brother, Walter, with a game tucked under his arm. Twenty years later, Chris Van Allsburg is ready to reveal what happens when Danny and Walter roll the dice. This time the name of the game is Zathura and the battling Budwing boys are in for the ride of their lives. Learn more about meteors. Click here to learn about the black hole. You can also learn about a robotic arm. Listen to Chris Van Allsburgtalking about Zathura.

  7. The Polar Express! Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of the reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home, the bell is lost. Read this book to find out what happens to those who really believe! Ponder one of the passages from The Polar Express. Check out some of this video clip of actor Lou Diamond Phillips reading The Polar Express. Choose the windows, small format. www.storylineonline.net/storyline/polarexpress/content.vsml.

  8. Find Fritz Fritz is the bull terrier with the dark eye patch that first appeared in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. While Chris Van Allsburg does not own a dog, his brother-in-law once owned an English bull terrier very similar to Fritz, and that dog served as an inspiration for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. Can YOU find Fritz in every book? I don’t want to give away all of Fritz’s hiding places, but I will get you started. In The Polar Express he is the puppet on the bedknob on the first page. That’s it, no more hints. But, I guarantee, if YOU look hard enough, you’ll find Fritz. Click here to print out your Find Fritz worksheet. Check out Chris Van Allsburg talking about Fritz on channel 5.

  9. Author Study Activites You compared your life to Chris Van Allsburg’s interesting life. You had a chance to become Alan Mitz from The Garden of Abdul Gasazi and create a simulated journal entry about when you were reunited with Frtiz. Abdul Gasazi isn’t the only magician, you had a chance to learn some cool magic tricks! You utilized Chris Van Allsburg’s “what if and what then approach” to create a short story based on one of the pictures and illustrations from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Zathura will definitely be on your bedside table since you’ve learned more about meteor showers, the black hole, and robotic arms. Your beliefs were challenged when you pondered an important passage from The Polar Express. And, there’s no way we could study Chris Van Allsburg without finding Fritz! Boy, YOU have good eyes!

  10. Resources Van Allsburg, Chris. (1985). The Polar Express. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/ authorhome.jhtml?aut http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com http://www.eduplace.com/author/vanallsburg/biography.html http://www.eyeonbooks.com/ibp.php?ISBN=0618253963 http://www.kidzone.ws/magic/ http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?lc=en-us http://www.storylineonline.net/storyline/polarexpress/ content.vsml\ http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/

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