The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

by Chris Van Allsburg

Overview

Fourteen black-and-white drawings, each accompanied by a title and a caption, entice readers to make up his or her own story. "Layered in mystery, this extraordinary book will stun imaginative readers of all ages." -- School Library Journal, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395827840
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	10/28/1996
Edition description:	Portfolio Edition
Pages:	16
Sales rank:	167,773
Product dimensions:	12.10(w) x 16.10(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Chris Van Allsburg is the winner of two Caldecott Medals, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, as well as the recipient of a Caldecott Honor Book for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. The author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children, he has also been awarded the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children’s literature. In 1982, Jumanji was nominated for a National Book Award and in 1996, it was made into a popular feature film. Chris Van Allsburg is a former instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design. Visit him at chrisvanallsburg.com. 

Hometown:

Providence, Rhode Island

Date of Birth:

June 18, 1949

Place of Birth:

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Education:

University of Michigan College of Architecture & Design, 1972; Rhode Island School of Design, MFA, 1975

Website:

http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com

Editorial Reviews

A new portfolio edition offers the artwork from Chris Van Allsburg's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, originally published in 1984, in loose oversized sheets. The enigmatic black-and-white drawings are each accompanied by a title and brief caption: for example, a picture of a nun placidly sitting in a chair floating in a cathedral is labeled "THE SEVEN CHAIRS: The fifth one ended up in France." The portfolio also includes a 15th drawing, discovered under circumstances as mysterious as the original set. A new Internet site, set to launch on October 28, will encourage the use of the pictures to seed creative writing assignments.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

What do a mysterious illustrator, a glowing pumpkin, and a levitating nun have in common? Each appears in Chris Van Allsburg's gorgeously-illustrated yet cryptic picture book. The author and illustrator of such seminal picture books as Jumanji and The Polar Express, Van Allsburg creates a moody, atmospheric black-and-white world of seemingly unrelated images in the pages of this work. The book opens with the mysterious conditions under which the images appeared. The images also incorporate the cryptic nature of the introduction, which informs the reader of Harris Burdick's back story. Birds fly off printed wallpaper, boats sail toward unknown locations, and seemingly innocuous homes prepare for liftoff. Each image appears with a small caption. For instance, the image of a young boy sleeping in his room is accompanied by a caption that reads, "ARCHIE SMITH, WONDER BOY: A tiny voice asked, ‘is he the one?'" Because no clear narrative links the images together, parents will have the opportunity to create millions of bedtime stories based on the intriguing images and their captions. Creative writers of all ages can use the images as the starting point for their writings. Like Van Allsburg's better-known works, this one ranks as a must-have picture book for school and home libraries alike. Reviewer: Allen Ball

Children's Literature - Allen Ball

"Layered in mystery, this extraordinary book will stun imaginative readers of all ages." School Library Journal, Starred

From the Publisher