Anita Silvey, Editor
Article by Stephanie Loer
Copyright 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company

 Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Van Allsburg received his B.F.A. from the University of Michigan. He attended graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design and received his M.F.A. in sculpture. In 1977, Van Allsburg's sculptures, described as "fastidiously crafted, surreal, enigmatic and whimsical," were exhibited in New York galleries. Originally, he began drawing as a causal diversion from sculpting, and his early black-and-white drawings contained elements of sculpture--heavy, solid forms, which appear to be built with even, controlled lines and architectural perspectives.

 While The Polar Express unquestionably ranks as Van Allsburg's most popular book, it is only part of his contribution to children's books. His first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (1979), met with a variety of critical responses. The striking, pointillistic graphite drawings were hailed as "intriguing and refreshing." The story, about a young boy pursuing a dog into the topiary gardens of the magician Gasazi, was labeled ominous and disquieting by some. The book won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for illustration; it was considered an auspicious beginning.

 Van Allsburg has stated that stories begin as fragments of pictures in his mind. "Creating the story comes out of posing questions to myself. I call it the 'what if' and 'what then' approach. What if two bored children discover a board game? What then...?" That was the beginning of Jumanji (1981). As the protagonists, Judy and Peter, play the game, their house is transformed into a jungle--complete with a hungry lion, marauding monkeys, a menacing python, and an erupting volcano. The children know they must finish the game, and in a chaotic final moment all is set right when one player reaches the end. Readers are spellbound by this cautionary adventure and delight in the final page when they witness the games being discovered by two more curious children. Masterly use of light and shadow and exaggerated changes of perspective create a bizarre and mythical world that leaves one wondering whether the adventure was real or imagined.

In The Wreck of the Zephyr (1983), a story about the disasters wrought by youthful pride, the artist leaves the dramatic tonal range of grays and black and white--characteristic of previous books--and bursts into color. Using pastels, he creates vibrant, luminous landscapes. The sharp delineation of figures and objects found in earlier work is more diffused here, imbuing the illustration with a mysterious light.

 This softening of line is carried in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984), where richly shaded charcoal drawing intrigue and tantalize the imagination. The book is composed of fourteen illustrations, labeled with captions. Pictures range from whimsical to frightening, and are linked by unexplained elements or the supernatural. The book's enigmatic premise and the exquisite drawings, which speak eloquently without text, represent qualities that have become hallmarks of Van Allsburg's work.

 Magic and the supernatural in The Widow's Broom (1993) are tempered by the practical, kindly nature of the widow, who assists a witch and is given her broom. Good versus evil is the theme, but the story bubbles with humor and affection when the protective, magic broom and the widow become fast friends. Van Allsburg's artistic style is often described as surrealistic fantasy. Van Allsburg states that "he is intrigued by a setting of a normal, everyday reality where something strange or puzzling happens"; he also enjoys "creating impossible worlds." So, it is not surprising that visual illusions, created by the dramatic use of scale and perspective, are a common thread running through his books. Also characteristic of Van Allsburg's illustrations are forms and figures that--to varying degrees--appear sculptured and frozen in time. But the breadth and sophistication in his style also allow for fluid, subtle nuances in human figures and detailed facial expressions, which reflect deeper psychological interpretations of character. Whether executed in black and white or in color, Van Allsburg's illustrations never fail to fascinate the intellect, pique the senses, and emphasize the power of imagination.

 Stephanie Loer