Comprehensive information and links about Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949 in Grand Rapids, MichiganChris Van Allsburg is an author and illustrator of children's books. He won the Caldecott Medal for (1985), both of which he wrote and illustrated, and both of which were later adapted into successful motion pictures. He received the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1980 for .

He attended art school at the University of Michigan, and received his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design.

His books often depict fantastic, uncontrolled events and utilize sometimes brutal irony. Van Allsburg breaks out of the comfortable world of children's literature to explore the darker side of human nature. For example, his book is about a selfish man who is suddenly given the opportunity to make his wildest dreams come true. His greed is eventually his downfall. This is not an unusual moral for a story in children's books, but Van Allsburg's chilling characterization of the man brings a frightening tone to the narrative.

Another tale, , is a journal of a ship's captain, as his crew discovers a magical stone with transforming powers attached to it. The tale is read by many to be a metaphor for the trapping power of television and mindless entertainment.

Other literary themes include dreams, the enviornment, and items with lives of their own (like the board games in Jumanji and Zathura). Every book features Fritz, a pit bull that is based on a real-life dog owned by a friend of Chris Van Allsburg. He appears in every book, sometimes as a real dog, or a toy, or other things.

, a collection of images on one side, and one sentence on the other (meant to be 'recovered pages' of longer books) continues the themes of darker undertones and was the inspiration for a short story by author Stephen King, in his collection (as his author's note expands upon).

Mr. Van Allsburg's art has also been featured on one of the many editions of C. S. Lewis' series