Synopses & Reviews
In 1983, beloved Caldecott-winning illustrator, Chris Van Allsburg, first invited readers to peer over the edge of a cliff to consider the wreck of a small sailboat. Had a churning sea carried the Zephyr up in a storm? Could waves ever have been so impossibly high? And what of the boy who had believedand#8212;dared to chase the windand#8212;no matter where it lead? Now, thirty years later, the winds have shifted once again and youand#8217;re invited back to the wreck of the Zephyr, to hear the story of the boy and his obsession to become the worldand#8217;s greatest sailor, and a storm that carried them to a place where boats sail on the wind, instead of on the water. Told in spare text and haunting, full-color pastels, Chris Van Allsburgand#8217;s spectral sailboats once again take impossbile flight. In illustrations so vivid one can feel the whisper of wind and hear the flutter of canvas, depart this world for another to entertain the marvelous possibility of dreams. This 30th anniversaryand#160;giftand#160;edition includes a bonus digital audio file to download, read by Chris Van Allsburg, and aand#160;stunning new jacket!
Review
"The full-color pastel drawings are the work of a master: stunning, luminescent, and conveying a sense of the mystical and magical." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Layered in mystery, this extraordinary book will stun imaginative readers of all ages." School Library Journal, Starred
Review
"Children will be fascinated by the ant-eye view that Van Allsburg provides of common everyday items." Booklist, ALA
Review
"This engaging picture book clearly presents a wealth of information." and#8212;Booklist, ALA
Review
"Mr. Van Allsburg's illustrations have a beautiful simplicity of design, balance, texture, and a subtle intelligence beyond the call of illustration." The New York Times
Review
"The author-illustrator has woven a thread of fantasy in and around his realistic illustrations to give the reader, once again, a story that stays in the imagination." Horn Book
"The author-illustrator has woven a thread of fantasy in and around his realistic illustrations to give the reader, once again, a story that stays in the imagination." Horn Book Guide
Review
"This is without question one of the best -- and most original -- picture books in years." The New York Times
Review
"The story idea, so economically carried out in the text, is illustrated in the artist's meticulous drawings, marvels of symbolism, reality, imagination, and perspective." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Van Allsburg swings back into his most mystifying mode with this enigmatic, visually sophisticated tale . . . A significant achievement." Publishers Weekly, Starred
Review
"The most succinctly nutty alphabet book in the history of mankind." The New York Times
"Whimsical, sophisticated, this should appeal to a wide audience, from those amused by mayhem in an unusual context to the many fans of this uniquely creative artist." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers
Review
On the twentieth anniversary of Jumanji, Van Allsburg picks up right where his Caldecott Medal book left off, with similarly terrifying adventure set this time in outer space.
Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"Van Allsburg illustrates the surreal events in a grainy charcoal-black that seems to shimmer on a rough, cream-colored ground...Zathura, like Jumanji, is a satisfying enigma." Publishers Weekly
and#8220;Van Allsburg is a terrific illustrator, and his images here, including one where the boys open their front door and are greeted with a breathtaking views of the cosmos, are memorable.and#8221; The New York Times Book Review
and#8220;The angles of view, are, as always, wonderfully dramaticand#8230;and#8221; Kirkus Reviews
and#8220;The shadowy black-and-white tones of Van Allsburgand#8217;s illustration recall 1950and#8217;s science-fiction filmsand#8230;and#8221; The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
and#8220;One canand#8217;t help but anticipating the encore.and#8221; School Library Journal
Review
"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
Review
"It's a book that starts with one point of view and steps into another. The average bildungsroman acoomplishes this kind of transition in several hundred pages: Van Allsburg does it in thirty-two." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers
Review
"Van Allsburg explores the nature of good and evil in this unearthly tale of a witch's broom that has fallen from the sky with its witch still on it . . . Enchanting." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"...you won't be able to put this broom away any more than Minna Shaw could. It will sweep the boards twelve months of the year." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"...will evoke pleasurable shudders..." Publishers Weekly
"...Althought not strictly for Halloween, may turn out to be as much a part of that holiday as Polar Express is of Christmas." School Library Journal
Review
"As always, Van Allsburg's paintings are magnificent. Cool, clear colors, boldly executed, and unusual perspective accentuate the story's mystery." Booklist, ALA
Review
Masterful compositions display the depth, varied viewpoints, and marvelous mixture of patterns and surfaces that readers have come to expect.
School Library Journal, Starred
Classic Van Allsburg air, like something out of a dream...hinting at mysteries lurking behind the here and now.
The Washington Post
Magnificent sepia-toned art...works magic with people, place and predicament. A delicious tale about just desserts.
The San Francisco Chronicle
A Van Allsburg book is always worth waiting for.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Imagine how tempting it might be to be able to hypnotize your little sister.
The Chicago Tribune
A rare outing from Van Allsburg, featuring as smooth a case of payback as ever was.
Kirkus Reviews
The nostalgic...sepia-tone artwork is eye-catching...it will draw kids into the story with angled, theatrical images.
Booklist, ALA
Enough of a spooky edge to the hypnotic proceedings to make the plot...intriguing even before the final twist.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The story of Probuditi!...[is] about the lure of magic.
Publishers Weekly
Van Allsburg works his magic.
Kansas City Star
Chris Van Allsburg, a master of surprise endings, wraps a captivating story in lush, warm full-page illustrations in pencil over pastels in burnt sienna that ooze the heat of a summer day in the early 1940s.
The Chicago Sun-Times
This story of magic and gullibility will keep readers guessing until the very end...sepia-tone drawings match the mid-20th century setting.
Library Media Connection
Synopsis
A 30th anniversaryand#160;giftand#160;editionand#160;to celebrate the majesty and mystery of The Wreck of the Zephyr that includes a bonus digital audio file to download, read by Chris Van Allsburg.
Synopsis
In illustrations so vivid one can feel the whisper of wind and hear the flutter of canvas, depart this world for another to entertain the marvelous possibility of dreams.
Beloved Caldecott-winning illustrator Chris Van Allsburg invites readers to peer over the edge of a cliff to consider the wreck of a small sailboat. Had a churning sea carried the Zephyr up in a storm? Could waves ever have been so impossibly high? And what of the boy who had believed--dared to chase the wind--no matter where it lead?
The winds have shifted once again, and you're invited to hear the story of the boy and his obsession to become the world's greatest sailor and a storm that carried them to a place where boats sail on the wind, instead of on the water.
Told in spare text and haunting, full-color pastels, Chris Van Allsburg's spectral sailboats take impossible flight.
Synopsis
The classic holiday favorite is now available in a newly designed gift package, featuring a dramatic reading by Liam Neeson (on both cassette and compact disk), a hardcover copy of The Polar Express, and a keepsake bell with ribbon.
Synopsis
Fourteen black-and-white drawings, each accompanied by a title and a caption, entice readers to make up his or her own story.
Synopsis
The three-time Caldecott medalist tells the tale of two ants who decide to leave the safety of the others to venture into a danger-laden kitchen.
Synopsis
A beautiful edition, including downloadable audio read by Liam Neeson, to celebrate 30 years of the magical, timeless story about a little boyand#39;s train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
Synopsis
The little house first stood in the country, but gradually the city moved closer and closer.
Synopsis
Over seventy years ago, Virginia Lee Burton built the Little House way out in the country,
and since then generations of readers have been enchanted by the story of this happy
home and her journey from bucolic hill and the pleasures of nature to the bustling
city, and back again.
This special edition features a brand-new introduction by Virginia Lee Burtonandrsquo;s son, noted sculptor Aris
Demetrios; a bonus audio CD of the story; and a foil treatment on the jacket. This
beautiful and timeless picture book is sure to be a favorite among readers for the next
seventy years, and beyond.
Synopsis
Over thirty years ago, Peter and Judy first found the gameandmdash;Jumanjiandmdash;with the instructions that once the game is started, it must be finished or it will go on foreverandmdash;and it was then, with this same wonderment, readers found Jumanji, too.
Since its original publication, Jumanji has been honored with many awards, including the Caldecott Medal, and in 1996, the surreal story was adapted to fit the big screen.
This special edition of Jumanji contains a CD of the renowned actor Robin Williams reading the timeless tale.
Synopsis
At the edge of a cliff lies the wreck of a small sailboat. How did it get there? "Waves carried it up in a storm," says an old sailor. But is it possible that waves could ever get that high? There is another story -- the story of a boy and his obsessive desire to be the greatest sailor, the story of a storm that carried the boy and his boat to a place where boats glide like gulls high above the water and not upon it. Chris Van Allsburg tells that story of the boy and his boat, the Zephyr, in words and haunting, full-color pastel paintings. His sailboats sail the night sky with the stars in pictures so vivid that the reader can almost hear the wind in the sails. Here is a work of unusual artistry that will enchant readers of all ages for many years to come.
Synopsis
The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives.
In his second book for children, Chris Van Allsburg again explores the ever-shifting line between fantasy and reality with this story about a game that comes startingly to life.
His marvelous drawings beautifully convey a mix of the everyday and the extraordinary, as a quiet house is taken over by an exotic jungle.
Synopsis
A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical trip to the North Pole . . .and#160;and#160;and#160;Through dark forests, over tall mountains, and across a desert of ice, the Polar Express makes its way to the city atop the world, where the boy will make his Christmas wish.and#160;and#160;and#160;For millions of readers worldwide, this mysterious journey to the North Pole has become a beloved classic. In this 30th anniversary edition, the inimitable artistry of Chris Van Allsburg is revealed in a never-before-seen fashion, with a new jacket design and expanded interior layout. Includes authorandrsquo;s note, downloadable audio read by Liam Neeson, and golden andquot;All Aboardandquot; ornament.and#160;and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
The enigmatic origins of the stranger that Farmer Bailey hits with his truck and brings home to recuperate seem to have a mysterious relation to the weather. Could he be Jack Frost?
Synopsis
Sometimes that very thin line between illusion and reality is not as clearly defined as we would like it to be. It certainly wasn't the day that Alan Mitz stumbled into the garden of Abdul Gasazi. For in this bizarre and eerie place -- where strange topiary trees loomed -- the evil visage of Gasazi casts its shadow. And even after Alan escaped, the spell of Gasazi still seemed to penetrate into his everyday world. In this extraordinary, unusual, and unique picture book, Chris Van Allsburg explores both the real and surreal worlds with incredible deftness. In doing so, he has created exquisite and beautiful images that will continue to haunt readers long after they have left the enchanted garden of Abdul Gasazi.
Synopsis
On a terrifically rainy day, Ben has a dream in which he and his house float by the monuments of the world, half submerged in flood-water.
Synopsis
"These figs are very special," the woman whispered. "They can make your dreams come true." -- Thus Monsieur Bibot, the cold-hearted dentist, was given two ordinary-looking figs as payment for extracting a tooth from an old woman's mouth. Monsieur Bibot refused to believe such nonsense and proceeded to eat one of the figs for a bedtime snack. Although it was possibly the finest, sweetest fig he had ever tasted, it wasn't until the next morning that Monsieur Bibot realized it indeed had the power to make his dreams come true. While dragging his poor dog, Marcel, out for his walk, he discovered that his strange dream from the night before was becoming all too real. Determined to make good use of the second fig, Monsieur Bibot learns to control is dreams. But can he control Marcel? Once again Chris Van Allsburg explores the mysterious territory between fantasy and reality in an uncanny tale that will intrigue readers of all ages.
Synopsis
A dramatic black- and- white presentation of the alphabet in which the three-time Caldecott medalist depicts a mysterious transformation of each letter.
Synopsis
On the last page of the Caldecott-winning book Jumanji, young Danny Budwing is seen running after his brother, Walter, with a game tucked under his arm. Now after twenty years, 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.
Zathura unleashes intergalactic challenges that require even the quarreling Budwing brothers to work as a team.
Zathura hit bestseller lists when it was first published in 2002 and it's sure to visit them again this fall, along with an exciting selection of six movie tie-in editions when Zathura blasts into movie theatres nationwide!
Synopsis
Young Walter litters and refuses to sort trash for recycling, until he dreams of an overcrowded and polluted future which terrifies him into taking care of the earth.
Synopsis
Riverbend was a quiet little town, the kind of place where one day was just like all the rest and nothing ever happened. Occasionally the stagecoach rolled through, but it never stopped, because no one ever came to Riverbend and no one ever left. The day the stagecoach stood motionless in the center of town, Sheriff Ned Hardy knew something was terribly wrong. What was the mysterious substance on both coach and horses? It would not come off. Soon it was everywhere in the tidy little village. Something had to be done, and Sheriff Hardy aimed to do it.
Synopsis
Since its publication in 1984, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick has stimulated the minds of readers of all ages and backgrounds. Now the original fourteen drawings are available in a large portfolio edition of loose sheets. In addition, a newly discovered fifteenth drawing, titled The Youngest Magician, has been added, as well as an updated introduction by the author. The puzzles of these mysterious drawings will be even more provocative because of the larger size and the exceptional printing quality. For the first time, the drawings can be shared with groups or displayed singly. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 1984.
Synopsis
A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.
Synopsis
In a story recounted through the daily log of Captain Allan Hope, the sailors aboard the Rita Anne become mesmerized and transformed by a mysterious glowing rock, and only music and books can restore them to normal.
Synopsis
For his birthday, Calvinand#8217;s mother gives him two tickets to see Lomax the Magnificent (magician and hypnotist extraordinaire!). Even though Mama hints that his little sister, Trudy, would love to go, Calvin doesnand#8217;t hesitate to invite his friend Rodney instead.
The boys return home greatly impressed by the magicianand#8217;s performance. When Calvinand#8217;s mother goes out, she leaves him in charge of Trudy. Itand#8217;s a job Calvin dislikes because his sister does not want to be left out of anything. So Calvin and Rodney include herand#151;by making her the first subject for their own hypnotizing machine.
Much to the boysand#8217; surprise, the machine works. But unfortunately they cannot undo what they have done. Trudy is stuck in her trance, convinced she is a dogand#151;panting, drooling, and barking at squirrels. The only problem is, Calvin canand#8217;t remember Lomaxand#8217;s magic wordand#151;Probuditi!and#151;so Trudy wonand#8217;t snap out of it!
The boys are worried and decide to take Trudy to the one man they know can solve their problemand#151;but will Lomax help them? Mama is on her way home . . . Who will have the last laugh?
About the Author
Virginia Lee Burton (1909-1968) was the talented author and illustrator of some of the most enduring books ever written for children. The winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for THE LITTLE HOUSE, Burton's books include heroes and happy endings, lively illustrations, and a dash of nostalgia. She lived with her two sons, Aristides and Michael, and her husband George Demetrios, the sculptor, in a section of Gloucester, Massachusetts, called Folly Cove. Here she taught a class in design and from it emerged the Folly Cove designers, a group of internationally known professional artisans. She is the author of many classic children's picture books, including MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL and KATY AND THE BIG SNOW.