Chris Van Allsburg books

Anthologies

Chris Van Allsburg Collections

Chris Van Allsburg Picture Reading Order

Chris Van Allsburg Plays

Jumanji Reading Order

Todd Strasser Children’s Reading Order

Chris Van Allsburg was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1949. He studied at the University of Michigan and earned a master’s degree in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. His wife Lisa saw his sketches at home and showed them to a children’s book editor, which led to his first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, in 1979.

Van Allsburg’s picture books are known for their detailed, often surreal illustrations and stories that blur the line between reality and imagination. Jumanji, about a board game that brings wild animals into a family’s living room, was adapted into a 1995 film starring Robin Williams and later spawned a franchise. The Polar Express, about a boy’s train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, became one of the bestselling children’s books of all time and was adapted into a 2004 animated film. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.