The Mysteries of Harris Burdick-by Chris Van Allsburg

 

Van Allsburg, C. (1984). The mysteries of Harris Burdick. Houghton Mifflin, United States Of America.

From the Publisher

Since its publication in 1984, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick has stimulated the minds of readers of all ages and backgrounds. Now the original fourteen drawings are available in a large portfolio edition of loose sheets. In addition, a newly discovered fifteenth drawing, titled The Youngest Magician, has been added, as well as an updated introduction by the author. The puzzles of these mysterious drawings will be even more provocative because of the larger size and the exceptional printing quality. For the first time, the drawings can be shared with groups or displayed singly. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 1984.

I personally am a huge fan of Chris Van Allsburg.  When I was an elementary classroom teacher, my students and I would do an author study of his books.  His beautiful black and white illustrations and amazing story telling always made his book a big hit in the classroom.  His talent earned him two Caldecott Medals.  His first medal was awarded in 1982 for the picture book Jumanji and the second was awarded in 1986 for The Polar Express (ALSC book & media). 

I have used this book in the past with older students to get their creative juices flowing.  Each of the illustrations in this book is accompanied by a caption.  I charge the students with coming up with a story for the illustration and its caption.  I then share Stephen King's short story with them from his book Nightmares and Dreamscapes, "The House on Maple Street" which he wrote in 1993 based on the following illustration from the book.  The caption reading "It was a perfect lift-off."  

In 2011 Houghton Mifflin published the short story collection The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales.  This collection of short stories, written by authors like Jon Scieszka, Cory Doctotow, and Linda Sue Park are all based on the original illustrations  from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is available from the three public library systems in NYC as an ebook.  

 ALSC book & media awards shelf. Alsc-Awards-Shelf.org. https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/directory/results?booklist=6