More Books
Let your imagination roam! Chris Van Allsburg's innovative, award-winning books capture the imagination, pique the senses, and amaze the mind.
Publication date: 1985
• Caldecott Medal winner, 1986
• 5 million copies sold worldwide
• New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
• New York Times Bestseller
A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa. The book includes a silver foil border, a CD audio recording read by Liam Neeson, a note from Chris Van Allsburg, and a silvery keepsake All Aboard ornament.
The Polar Express Discussion Guide
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Jumanji
Publication date: 1982
• Caldecott Medal winner 1982
• New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award
• School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• IRA/CBC Children's Choice
• 1995 blockbuster movie starring Robin Williams
An ordinary-looking game plunges two children into the most exciting and bizarre adventure of their lives.
"A beautiful simplicity of design, balance, texture, and a subtle intelligence beyond the call of illustration." —New York Times Book Review
Jumanji Dicussion Guide
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Zathura
Publication date: 2003
• New York Times Bestseller
"Van Allsburg illustrates the surreal events in a grainy charcoal-black that seems to shimmer on a rough cream-colored background . . . with each new threat, the book seems to hold its breath." —Publishers Weekly
Zathura Discussion Guide
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Publication date: 1986
• ALA Notable Book for Children
"It's a book that starts with one point of view and steps into another. The average bildungsroman accomplishes this kind of transition in several hundred pages: Van Allsburg does it in thirty-two." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Bad Day at Riverbend Discussion Guide
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Ben's Dream
Publication date: 1982
• New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
• ALA Notable Book for Children
"[Van Allsburg's] skill in the lost art and subtle fine points of sculptural line drawing is nothing less than remarkable." —Art Express
Ben's Dream Discussion Guide
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Publication date: 1979
• Caldecott Honor Book 1980
• New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
• Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Reading Rainbow Review Book
• First book by Chris Van Allsburg
"This is without question one of the best — and most original — picture books in years." —New York Times Book Review
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi Discussion Guide
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Just a Dream
Publication date: 1990
"Van Allsburg reaches a new pinnacle of excellence in both illustration and storytelling . . . His fable builds to an urgent plea for action as it sends a rousing message of hope." —Publishers Weekly
Just a Dream Discussion Guide
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The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Publication date: 1984
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
• Horn Book Fanfare Selection
• New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
"His remarkable pictures suggest mysterious worlds unseen but impending." —People
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Discussion Guide
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The Stranger
Publication date: 1986
• Horn Book Fanfare Selection
• New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
"How marvelous that this master painter and storyteller has added a new dimension to his consistently original and enchanting body of work." —New York Times Book Review
The Stranger Discussion Guide
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The Sweetest Fig
Publication date: 1993
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
"Van Allsburg swings back into his most mystifying mode with this enigmatic, visually sophisticated tale . . . A significant achievement." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
The Sweetest Fig Discussion Guide
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Two Bad Ants
Publication date: 1988
• IRA/CBC Children's Choice
"Children will be fascinated by the ant-eye view that Van Allsburg provides of common everyday items." —Booklist
Two Bad Ants Discussion Guide
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The Widow's Broom
Publication date: 1992
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner
• Horn Book Fanfare Selection
• IRA/CBC Children's Choice
• School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.
The Widow's Broom Discussion Guide
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The Wreck of the Zephyr
Publication date: 1983
• New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• IRA Teachers' Choice
"The full-color pastel drawings are the work of a master: stunning, luminescent, and conveying a sense of the mystical and magical." —Publishers Weekly
The Wreck of the Zephyr Discussion Guide
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The Wretched Stone
Publication date: 1991
• IRA/CBC Children's Choice
"As always, Van Allsburg's paintings are magnificent. Cool, clear colors, boldly executed, and unusual perspective accentuate the story's mystery." —Booklist
The Wretched Stone Discussion Guide
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The Z Was Zapped
Publication date: 1987
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
A dramatic black-and- white presentation of the alphabet in which the three-time Caldecott medalist depicts a mysterious transformation of each letter.
The Z Was Zapped Discussion Guide
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