Van Allsburg, Chris (1949-…), is an American author and illustrator of children’s books. His style is a dreamlike combination of fantasy and reality. Van Allsburg won Caldecott Medals for his illustrations for Jumanji (1981) and The Polar Express (1985). In 1993, Van Allsburg won the Regina Medal , which honored his lifetime contribution to children’s literature.
Van Allsburg was born on June 18, 1949, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972 and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975. For many years, he taught illustration there.
Van Allsburg was working as a sculptor when his wife and a friend encouraged him to turn to children’s books. He wrote and illustrated his first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, in 1979. He also wrote and illustrated Ben’s Dream (1982), The Wreck of the Zephyr (1983), Just a Dream (1990), The Sweetest Fig (1993), Zathura (2002), Probuditi (2006), Queen of the Falls (2011), and The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie (2014). He wrote and illustrated The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984) and illustrated a sequel, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick (2011), a collection of suspense stories by 14 authors. Van Allsburg illustrated Mark Helprin’s adaptation of Swan Lake (1989), based on the ballet composed by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.
Motion pictures based on Van Allsburg’s books include Jumanji (1995) and Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005). The adventure comedy film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and its sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), are about a new set of characters who get trapped in a magical video game called Jumanji. The American actor Dwayne Johnson starred in the 2017 and 2019 films.The American actor Tom Hanks starred in The Polar Express (2004), an animated Christmas movie.
