Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg has been named one of the most intriguing authors and illustrators of children's books. He has a unique style that captivates children and adults alike. Often, a person's background and experiences influence their work. Imagination has many roots into the childhood of an individual. Chris Van Allsburg grew up in a quiet suburban setting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the 1950's, when he was a child, the town was a place that seemed like a haven for any young boy. There were open fields that provided places for the children to enjoy a baseball game in the spring. The houses were not separated by fences, but rather blended together by the yards. The setting in which he grew up provided activities and locations that fostered imagination. He used to go down to the edge of a river and tried to catch tadpoles. Walking around in the wilderness that surrounded his town could be very relaxing and allow for the mind to conjure up many ideas. The child's mind has a great ability to make up stories, but when you are constantly "practicing" at make-believe, you tend to become better and better at it. You also come to develop your own unique style.
One of my favorites was the book entitled The Mysteries of Harris Bur*censored*. One dealt with a little boy who had no respect for the environment. The last picture of the book is an example of Chris Van Allsburg's style. In reading his books I could definitely see why he is so successful. In the book The Polar Express, a boy gets to meet Santa Claus and is given the first gift of Christmas. He must be a frequent dreamer, day and night, to make up such stories. They try living in a kitchen, which seems to be an ant paradise, only to find them in a load of trouble everywhere they went. Chris Van Allsburg abandoned his passion for drawing and went along with the pressures of his family and friends. Since he was a boy, he was encouraged to participate in sports more often. In school and with his family he was not encouraged to spend so much time drawing and painting. In the end, the two ants learned that they needed to keep their faith in the colony that they belonged to because they knew what was best for all of them. Incidentally, the second picture in the book title "Under the Rug" was the picture that Chris Van Allsburg astonished Walter Lorraine with. After dinner she and Chris Van Allsburg showed him some of his illustrations as part of a casual after-dinner conversation. The storyteller in him started to become evident when they became available for display in New York City.
Common topics in this essay:
Van Allsburg,
Rapids Michigan,
Ben's Dream,
Bad Ants,
Harris Bur*censored*,
Van Allsburg's,
Santa Claus,
Abdul Gasazi,
York City,
Chris Van,
chris van,
van allsburg,
chris van allsburg,
bad ants,
mysteries harris,
polar express,
mysteries harris bur*censored*,
ben's dream,
harris bur*censored*,
garden abdul gasazi,
santa claus,
gasazi 1979,
garden abdul,
enjoyed reading books,
abdul gasazi 1979,
|
Acceptance Essays
