Photo: Tim Pierce / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Chris Van Allsburg interests me because he treats children's picture books as serious, unsettling art rather than decoration. Jumanji and The Polar Express became blockbuster films, but the originals are quieter and stranger, full of that eerie stillness his two Caldecott Medals rightly recognized. Trained at the University of Michigan and raised in East Grand Rapids, he never condescends to young readers; he invites them to the edge of something uncanny and lets them look. I love work that respects a child's appetite for mystery, and his images linger in a way few illustrators manage.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Chris Van Allsburg
- Name (Japanese)
- クリス・ヴァン・オールズバーグ
- Reading
- くりす・ゔぁん・おーるずばーぐ
- Born
- June 18, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Ox
- Origin
- East Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / novelist / children's writer / screenwriter / science fiction writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- East Grand Rapids High School
- University
- University of Michigan
Awards & achievements
- 1986 Caldecott Medal
- 1993 Regina Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Jumanji | — | |
| Notable work | The Polar Express | — | |
| Notable work | Zathura | — | |
| Notable work | The Garden of Abdul Gasazi | — | |
| Notable work | The Mysteries of Harris Burdick | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Chris Van Allsburg born?
Born June 18, 1949 (age 77).
Where is Chris Van Allsburg from?
Chris Van Allsburg is from East Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States.
What does Chris Van Allsburg do?
Chris Van Allsburg works as writer, novelist, children's writer, screenwriter, science fiction writer.
What is Chris Van Allsburg known for?
Notable works include Jumanji, The Polar Express, Zathura.
Writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.