If you aren't familiar with the name Chris Van Allsburg, then you should be. Let me refresh your memory...The Polar Express, Jumanji, and Zathura. All three of these books of Van Allsburg's were made into movies. As with all wonderful children's authors, these are hardly all his books. One such "neglected" book is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.When I was younger I was ceaselessly encouraged to go out and play, not sit around and watch TV, which has become increasingly frequent these days. We have noticed that children who watch a lot of TV have lost what we gained when we went outside - imagination. Many parents and educators are trying to entice children to read more books and bring about the excitement and imagery in books that increases imagination.
Imagine going one step further.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick has pages of Van Allsburg's wonderful illustrations. Each illustration is accompanied by a book title and one or two lines from the "story". We not only have to bring the story to life with pictures as we read...we have to come up with the story, too! What a way to create imagination! A love of reading and writing all rolled into one.
This is a fun book for all from parents telling goodnight stories, to children learning to write stories in school, to adult writers who need writing exercises. At Amazon there are 76 reviews. Seventy-four of them are 5 star. I can't wait to get my hands on it because I don't own it...yet!(hint, hint)
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