Chris Van Allsburg

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Chris Van Allsburg
Chris van Allsburg - Northborough MA 12-2011.jpg
Van Allsburg in 2011
Born (1949-06-18) June 18, 1949 (age 75)
East Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
OccupationWriter, illustrator
Alma mater University of Michigan
Rhode Island School of Design
Genre Children's picture books
Notable works
Notable awards Caldecott Medal
1982, 1986
Spouse
Lisa Van Allsburg
(m. 1974)
Children2
Website
chris-van-allsburg.harpercollins.com/home

Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for Jumanji (1981) and The Polar Express (1985), both of which he also wrote, and were later adapted as successful motion pictures. He was also a Caldecott runner-up in 1980 for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi . [1] [2] For his contribution as a children's illustrator, he was a 1986 U.S. nominee for the biennial International Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition for creators of children's books. [3] He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Michigan in April 2012.

Contents

Life and career

Van Allsburg was born on June 18, 1949, to a Dutch family in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, the second child of Doris Christianen and Richard Van Allsburg. [4] He has an older sister named Karen, born in 1947. Van Allsburg and his family lived in an old farmhouse, but when he was three years old, they moved to a Grand Rapids home near an elementary school so that Chris was able to walk to class. His family moved again to East Grand Rapids where he attended middle school and high school. [5]

Van Allsburg attended the College of Architecture and Design at the University of Michigan, which at that time included an art school. He majored in sculpture, learning bronze casting, wood carving, resin molding, and other techniques. [6]

Van Allsburg graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972 and continued his education at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), graduating with a master's degree in sculpture in 1975. After graduation, Van Allsburg set up a sculpture studio. [6]

Van Allsburg struggled for a time with his sculpture studio. At home, Van Allsburg began a series of sketches that his wife Lisa thought would be suitable for children's books. She showed his work to an editor who contracted his first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi , in 1979. [7]

As of 2022, Van Allsburg has written and/or illustrated 21 books. His art has also been featured on the covers of an edition of C. S. Lewis's series The Chronicles of Narnia , published by HarperCollins in 1994, as well as in three children's books written by Mark Helprin.

Personal life

Van Allsburg lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with his wife Lisa. They have two daughters, Sophia and Anna. Van Allsburg converted to Judaism, his spouse's faith. [8]

Work

Picture children's books:

Adaptations

Films

Related Research Articles

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<i>Jumanji</i> (picture book) Childrens book by Chris Van Allsburg

Jumanji is a 1981 fantasy children's picture book written and illustrated by American author Chris Van Allsburg. The book is about an enchanted board game that implements wild animals and other jungle elements as the game is played in real life. The book was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name and spawned a franchise that includes three sequels and an animated series.

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The Polar Express is a 1985 fantasy children's picture book written and illustrated by American author Chris Van Allsburg. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline. For the work, Van Allsburg won the annual Caldecott Medal for illustration of an American children's picture book in 1986, his second after Jumanji.

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Zathura is a 2002 science fiction children's picture book written and illustrated by American author Chris Van Allsburg. In the story, implied to be set in the 1950s, two brothers; Danny and Walter Budwing are drawn into an intergalactic space adventure when their house is magically hurled through space. The book is a sequel to the 1981 children's book Jumanji, also by Van Allsburg, and visual and textual references are made to "Jumanji" in the story. The book was adapted into a film, titled Zathura: A Space Adventure, in 2005.

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<i>The Mysteries of Harris Burdick</i> 1984 picture book by Van Allsburg

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a 1984 picture book by the American author Chris Van Allsburg. It consists of a series of images, ostensibly created by Harris Burdick, a man who has mysteriously disappeared. Each image is accompanied by a title and a single line of text, which encourage readers to create their own stories. Many famous writers have tried to put their own twists on the pictures.

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Zathura: A Space Adventure is a 2005 American science fiction action-adventure film directed by Jon Favreau. It is an adaptation of the 2002 children's book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, author of the 1981 children's book Jumanji. It is a standalone spin-off of the 1995 film Jumanji and the second installment of the Jumanji franchise. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, and Tim Robbins.

<i>Jumanji</i> 1995 film directed by Joe Johnston

Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain, based on the 1981 children's picture book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is the first installment in the Jumanji film series and stars Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, and Bebe Neuwirth. The story centers on a supernatural board game that releases jungle-based hazards on its players with every turn they take.

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (ISBN 0-395-27804-X) is a best-selling children's picture book written in 1979 by the American author Chris Van Allsburg. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi was the first book written by Van Allsburg, for which he won a Caldecott Honor in 1980.

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<i>Jumanji</i> (franchise) American media franchise

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References

  1. "Chris Van Allsburg". Scholastic.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  2. "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Library Association (ALA).
      "The Randolph Caldecott Medal". ALSC. ALA. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  3. "Candidates for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 1956–2002". The Hans Christian Andersen Awards, 1956–2002. IBBY. Gyldendal. 2002. Pages 110–18. Hosted by Austrian Literature Online (literature.at). Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  4. Mehren, Elizabeth (December 12, 1995). "'Jumanji' Author Getting Aboard Hollywood Express". Los Angeles Times.
  5. "Biography". ChrisVanAllsburg.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Illustrators, Society of (February 22, 2011). Illustrators 52. Harper Collins. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-06-200460-4.
  7. "Chris Van Allsburg – The Polar Express". Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  8. Bloom, Nate (November 12, 2004). "Celebrity Jews" . Retrieved November 18, 2011.