AIP: Chris Van Allsburg

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Author/Illustrator:

Chris Van Allsburg

Wesbite:

http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/home.html

Born:

June 18^th, 1949

Education:

Undergrad degree from the U of Michigan

& Graduates degree from R.I. School of Design.

Family:

His wife Lisa and two daughters Anna and Sophie.

Written and Illustrated:

15 books, while illustrating 3 more for Mark Helprin

Awards Won:

Over 34 awards total & 3 Caldecott awards.

Best known for:

“Jumanji” and “Polar express”

My Thoughts.

I have fallen in love with the work of Chris Van Allsburg! Going into this assignment, I was late to get the sign up sheet, so I just picked a name that sounded fun. Once I started researching him and his works, I realized that I was familiar with some of his pieces. I was so excited to see his name for the author/illustrator of “Jumanji” & “Polar Express”, two incredible books that I just adored. I then spent some more time getting to know some of his other picture books, and found that same deep appreciation for his other work. I have now read 6 of his 15 books, and I was thrilled about all of them. Two of my new favorites are “The Widow’s Broom” & “Just a Dream”. Both, very different, tell fantastic imaginary stories that captivated my full attention. Not only are his stories wonderful, but also looking through his illustrations just brings everything together! He is just so talented, and I am a huge fan!

How to use in classroom.

Well, since I was studying several of his books, I thought I would give an idea for each book I studied. 

• Jumanji: In class, we could talk about the fun of writing, and try to write our own adventure stories, or, we could watch the movie and discuss the similarities and differences between the two.

• Just a Dream: After reading this book aloud, as a class, the children could be prompted to think of their own ways to positively contribute to the environment. Perhaps, as a class, a group service project could be planned and performed, such as, picking up litter on the school grounds, or donating money to plant a class tree.

• Ben’s Dream: This book could be used to help start off a geography unit on the wonders of the world, or it could also be used in an art lesson.

• The Widow’s Broom:  If, in your classroom, you noticed bullying or outcasting, this book would be a great tool to start off the corrective conversation. By reading this book aloud to the class, you could then prompt the class with questions regarding the themes of judgment and acceptance.

• Zathura: This would be a great book to use when studying space. There is a lot of terminology used in the book that could aid in the study. What a fun, simple way to start off the space unit.

There are so many ways to incorporate these books in your classroom. Van Allsburg is just so easy to teach off of! I hope you enjoy the works of Chris Van Allsburg, I think he is marvelous!