Picture Book Month - Day 15 and 16

The spotlight today is on 2 wonderful author/illustrators - Chris Van Allsburg and David Wiesner.  These reknowned authors often tell their stories through art rather than words.

Chris Van Allsburg began his art career as a sculptor.  His wife, a 3rd grade teacher, encouraged him to write and illustrate a children's book . In 1979 he published his first picture book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, which won a Caldecott Honor.  He won the Caldecott Medal for 2 of his books, Jumanji and The Polar Express.  Three of his books have been made into successful feature films - Jumanji, Zathura and The Polar Express.  He is known for the realism and perspective of his illustrations and each book features a white bull terrier somewhere within.

The Polar Express is probably his best known work.  It is the story of a young boy and a magical train ride to the North Pole.  I love that it is a story about believing and that is shows the innocence of childhood.  When the book was first published in 1985, I loved reading it to 3rd and 4th graders.  Before beginning the book, I would ring a silver sleigh bell and ask if everyone could hear it.  After the story I would remind the children that they all had heard the bell and thus must believe.  The story is so well known now, especially with the feature film, but it is a book which should be reread every year.  It is our modern day, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and has become a holiday tradition at my house.  I was lucky to meet Chris Van Allsburg while I was studying at Simmons College and have an autographed copy of The Polar Express. It is a treasured possession.

Winner of the Caldecott Medal in 1982, Jumanji  is the story of 2 children and a board game that becomes all too real.  What I love about this book is the juxtaposition of the absurd and reality - rhinos run amok down a street, a jungle grows within a house.  The black and white illustrations are just beautiful. 

David Wiesner is a 3-time Caldecott Medal winner, only the second to win 3 medals.  He also has won 2 Caldecott Honors.  His books, like Van Allsburg's, combine reality and the fantastical.  Many of his stories are told in illustrations rather than words. 

Tuesday, winner of the 1992 Caldecott medal, is an almost wordless picture book. Except for pages detailing the time,  11 :21 P.M. and  4:38 A.M.,  there are only 6 words in the entire book.  "Tuesday evening, around eight."  we see frogs on lily pads flying  through the swamp and into town.  The illustrations are full of humor - a frog going through some laundry comes out wearing a superhero cape and another uses his tongue on the TV remote while an elderly lady is sleeping.  The next morning the police are shown trying to figure out why the streets are covered in lily pads.  The book continues: "Next Tuesday, 7:48 p.m."  and we are shown flying pigs.  This is a book to pour over as there are so many details to take in. 

Art and Max is David Wiesner's latest picture book and is a story about friendship and art.  Arthur is an artist and his friend Max wants to be an artist as well.  Max's attempts to be an artist bring the 2 on a trip through various artistic styles. It's a fun story with illustrations ranging from pencil sketches to pointillism. 

What is wonderful about both of these author's books is how much they lend themselves to discussion.  The wordless books allow a pre-reader to "read" the story and allows older readers to create their won story to fit the pictures.  These are great books to share with a child one-on-one.  Chris Van Allsburg's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick has generated so much discussion that his latest publication ,The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales,  is made up of 14 short stories by children's authors that were written to go with the illustrations in the picture book.

Treat yourself to some books by Chris Van Allsburg and David Wiesner today!