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.
Chris Van Allsburg | |
|---|---|
 Van Allsburg in 2011 | |
| Born | June 18, 1949 East Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, 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) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
| chris-van-allsburg | |
Life and career
editVan 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
editVan 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
editPicture children's books:
- The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (1979), a Caldecott runner-up
- Jumanji series:
- Jumanji (1981), a Caldecott Medal winner
- Zathura (2002)
- Ben's Dream (1982)
- The Wreck of the Zephyr (1983)
- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, or The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales (first ed., 1984; portfolio ed., 1994), with Lois Lowry, Kate DiCamillo, M. T. Anderson, Louis Sachar, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Jon Scieszka, Sherman Alexie, Gregory Maguire, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Linda Sue Park and Walter Dean Myers
- The Polar Express (1985), a Caldecott Medal winner
- The Stranger (1986)
- The Z Was Zapped (1987)
- Two Bad Ants (1988)
- Just a Dream (1990)
- The Wretched Stone (1991)
- The Widow's Broom (1992)
- The Sweetest Fig (1993)
- Bad Day at Riverbend (1995)
- Probuditi! (2006)
- Queen of the Falls (2011)
- The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie (2014)
Adaptations
edit- Jumanji (1995), film directed by Joe Johnston, based on children's book Jumanji
- Jumanji (1996–1999), animated series, based on children's book Jumanji
- The Polar Express (2004), film directed by Robert Zemeckis, based on children's book The Polar Express
- Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), film directed by Jon Favreau, based on children's book Zathura
- The Nutcracker (2024), Grand Rapids Ballet set and production designed by Chris Van Allsburg and Euguene Lee
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), film directed by Jake Kasdan, based on children's book Jumanji
- Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), film directed by Jake Kasdan, based on children's book Jumanji
- The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (TBA), film from Walt Disney Pictures & 20th Century Studios based on children’s book The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (in development)
Films
edit- The Little Mermaid (1989), visual development artist
- Jumanji (1995), screen story writer
- How to Deal (2003), executive producer
- The Polar Express (2004), executive producer
References
edit
- ^ "Chris Van Allsburg". Scholastic.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^
"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. - ^ "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.
- ^ Mehren, Elizabeth (December 12, 1995). "'Jumanji' Author Getting Aboard Hollywood Express". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Biography". ChrisVanAllsburg.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ a b Illustrators, Society of (February 22, 2011). Illustrators 52. Harper Collins. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-06-200460-4.
- ^ "Chris Van Allsburg – The Polar Express". Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Bloom, Nate (November 12, 2004). "Celebrity Jews". Retrieved November 18, 2011.
External links
edit- Official website
- Interview with Chris Van Allsburg at Developmental Studies Center
- Chris Van Allsburg at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Chris Van Allsburg at Library of Congress, with 50 library catalog records
- Chris Van Allsburg at IMDb
