"It's a stampede... run!"
A video interview with Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg is the author and illustrator of many celebrated children's books such as The Polar Express and Jumanji.
In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Chris Van
Allsburg talks about his big breakthrough, his books, and their
transformation into movies.
Chris Van Allsburg: A Caldecott Medal award-winning children's book author and illustrator, renowned for ... the stranger · probuditi. the polar express ...
www.chrisvanallsburg.com/home.htm
BIOGRAPHY
Chris
Van Allsburg still seems surprised by his own success. As a sculptor
who began drawing as a hobby, Van Allsburg never expected to find
himself in the national spotlight. But his first book won a Caldecott
Honor and his second book won the Caldecott Medal. In 1996 JumanjiThe Polar Express, is one of the bestselling children's books of all time. became a Hollywood film. Van Allsburg's most recognized book,
Since
1979, Chris Van Allsburg's books have blurred the line between fantasy
and reality. His stories leave unresolved mysteries up to the
imagination of the reader. His illustrations are beautiful and eerie,
often hinting at an alternate reality that might just be lurking behind
the next page.
The accidental illustrator
Chris
Van Allsburg was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1949. As a young
boy, he loved building things with his hands, especially model cars and
trains. Although he also enjoyed drawing the occasional picture, he
never really considered himself a talented artist.
Van
Allsburg studied sculpture at the University of Michigan and received a
master's degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. For a few
years, he successfully sold his sculptures to a New York City gallery.
On nights when it was too cold to work in his studio, Van Allsburg began
drawing pictures just to pass the time. But when his wife showed these
sketches to children's publishing houses, the editors liked his work.
They offered him stories to illustrate, but Van Allsburg preferred to
come up with his own ideas.
Van Allsburg thought of his first book as a fun, one-time venture. But when The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
received a Caldecott Honor and rave reviews, he decided to spend more
time illustrating books and less time making sculpture. "If I could do
something this well with so little experience in the art form," Van
Allsburg thought to himself, "I should try it again, because I could
probably do something better." Within six years, he had won two
prestigious Caldecott Medals for Jumanji and The Polar Express.
Van Allsburg's most recent book, Zathura, is a Jumanji sequel with a space adventure twist. His holiday classic, The Polar Express, was refashioned into a feature film in 2004.
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