{"title":"Chris Van Allsburg","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"chris-van-allsburg-5-books-collection-set-ages-5-8-paperback","title":"Chris Van Allsburg 5 Books Collection Set - Children's Picture Books Ages 5-8 - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitles in This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Misadventures of Sweetie Pie\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Mysteries of Harris Burdick\u003cbr\u003e\nJumanji\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Polar Express\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Wreck of the Zephyr\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition: Brand New\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Andersen Press, HMH Books for Young Readers\u003cbr\u003eAge Range: Ages 5-8 (Grades K-3)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFive unforgettable picture books by Caldecott Medal-winning author-illustrator Chris Van Allsburg come together in this paperback collection for ages 5-8 (Grades K-3). From the jungle adventure of Jumanji to the magical Christmas Eve train ride in The Polar Express, the seafaring mystery of The Wreck of the Zephyr, the imagination-sparking images of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, and the gentle animal tale of The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie, this set showcases Van Allsburg's signature blend of dreamlike storytelling and richly detailed illustration, ideal for read-aloud time or a classroom library.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis five-book paperback collection brings together some of the most celebrated picture books by Chris Van Allsburg, an author-illustrator known for his moody, richly detailed artwork and stories that blur the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Jumanji follows two bored siblings whose jungle-themed board game unleashes real, wild hazards into their living room. The Polar Express follows a doubting boy aboard a magical midnight train bound for the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The Wreck of the Zephyr tells the haunting tale of a boy who dares a sailboat to fly above the waves. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick presents fourteen mysterious illustrations, each with only a title and caption, inviting readers to invent their own stories. The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie follows a hamster's journey from pet shop to backyard adventure and back home again. Together, these five titles highlight Van Allsburg's gift for pairing atmospheric art with spare, evocative text that rewards slow, close reading and repeat visits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFive celebrated picture books by two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Van Allsburg in one set\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes modern classics like Jumanji and The Polar Express\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtmospheric, richly detailed illustrations that reward slow, close reading\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEncourages imagination and visual literacy through open-ended narratives\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA ready-made gift set for birthdays, holidays, or a home reading collection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat for read-aloud time, classroom libraries, or independent early readers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook-by-Book Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Misadventures of Sweetie Pie — A pet-shop hamster ventures outdoors before returning home.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Mysteries of Harris Burdick — Fourteen mysterious images invite readers to imagine the stories behind them.\u003cbr\u003e\nJumanji — A jungle-themed board game brings real, wild hazards into two siblings' living room.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Polar Express — A doubting boy boards a magical midnight train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Wreck of the Zephyr — A boy dares a sailboat to fly above the waves, framed by a lingering mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nChris Van Allsburg is an American author-illustrator celebrated for his distinctive, atmospheric picture books. He has won the Caldecott Medal twice, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, and received a Caldecott Honor for The Wreck of the Zephyr. Known for his richly textured illustrations and stories that blend everyday settings with subtle mystery, Van Allsburg is one of the most influential picture-book creators of his generation. His work has been adapted for film, most notably The Polar Express and Jumanji.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis collection gathers five of Chris Van Allsburg's most beloved picture books into one giftable paperback set, perfect for birthdays, holiday stockings, or building a home reading nook. With Caldecott Medal-winning storytelling and unforgettable artwork, it's an ideal gift for young readers who love adventure, mystery, and a little Christmas Eve magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chris Van Allsburg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57110776021366,"sku":"MAN-RVS-U2904-9789124194956","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/6587\/2211\/files\/chris-van-allsburg-5-books-collection-set-paperback.jpg?v=1785775126"},{"product_id":"chris-van-allsburg-5-books-collection-set-jumanji-polar-express-ages-3-8-paperback","title":"Chris Van Allsburg 5 Books Collection Set - Jumanji, The Polar Express \u0026 More - Ages 3-8 - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitles in This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Misadventures of Sweetie Pie\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Mysteries of Harris Burdick\u003cbr\u003e\nJumanji\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Polar Express\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Wreck of the Zephyr\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition: Brand New\u003cbr\u003e\nFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\nPublisher: Andersen Press, HMH Books for Young Readers\u003cbr\u003e\nAge Range: Ages 3-8 (Preschool-Grade 3)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nStep into the extraordinary world of Chris Van Allsburg with this five-book paperback collection, a treasury of imagination for readers ages 3 to 8. Gathered here are two Caldecott Medal winners alongside three of his most beloved illustrated tales, each rendered in Van Allsburg's signature graphite and pastel artwork that turns ordinary settings into something magical. From a jungle board game come to life to a midnight train bound for the North Pole, these stories invite children to wonder what might be hiding just beyond the everyday. A perfect introduction to a true master of the modern picture book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis collection brings together five of Chris Van Allsburg's most enduring picture books, each built around a single unsettling question: what if the impossible were true? Across these stories, ordinary objects and places quietly tip into the fantastic. A board game left in the woods turns a living room into a stampeding jungle in Jumanji. A train appears on the tracks outside a sleeping boy's window in The Polar Express, waiting to carry him to the North Pole. A stack of mysterious drawings with only a title and a single caption, in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, dares readers to invent the rest of the story themselves. A toy sailboat becomes capable of flight above the waves in The Wreck of the Zephyr, and a small hamster longs for a life beyond the glass walls of his cage in The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie. What unites all five titles is Van Allsburg's meticulous, cinematic illustration style, built on years of training as a sculptor, which lends even the strangest events a startling sense of realism. His pacing is deliberate, his endings often ambiguous, trusting young readers to sit with mystery rather than have everything explained. Teachers and librarians have long used these books to spark creative writing and classroom discussion because they reward rereading and close looking at every page. Parents will find these five paperbacks equally suited to quiet bedtime reading and livelier read-aloud sessions where children guess what happens next.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo Caldecott Medal-winning classics, Jumanji and The Polar Express, included in one set\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFive separate paperback picture books, perfect for building a starter home library\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChris Van Allsburg's signature graphite and pastel illustrations on every page\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStories that spark imagination, creative writing, and rich classroom or bedtime discussion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdeal gift for birthdays, holidays, or back-to-school reading for ages 3-8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTimeless titles that reward rereading and hold up across generations of readers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook-by-Book Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Misadventures of Sweetie Pie — a pet hamster named Sweetie Pie is passed from owner to owner, his story quietly exploring captivity, longing, and what it means to belong somewhere.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Mysteries of Harris Burdick — fourteen haunting drawings, each with only a title and one line of text, invite readers to dream up the untold story behind every image.\u003cbr\u003e\nJumanji — bored siblings Peter and Judy discover a jungle-adventure board game that brings lions, monkeys, and monsoons crashing vividly into their own living room.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Polar Express — on Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train bound for the North Pole to receive the first gift of Christmas from Santa Claus himself.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Wreck of the Zephyr — an old sailor recalls the story of a reckless young boy whose small sailboat once soared above the waves, until pride led to a shipwreck.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nChris Van Allsburg is an American writer and illustrator, born in 1949 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He trained as a sculptor at the University of Michigan and the Rhode Island School of Design before turning to picture books, bringing a sculptor's eye for light and shadow to every illustration. Van Allsburg has won the Caldecott Medal twice, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, a distinction shared by only a handful of authors. His books are known for graphite and pastel artwork paired with spare, atmospheric text that leaves room for young readers to imagine what lies just outside the frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis collection is perfect for building a home or classroom library that lasts, pairing two Caldecott Medal winners with three equally imaginative companions. It makes a thoughtful birthday gift, a memorable holiday present, or a rewarding addition to summer reading, letting kids revisit mysterious, beautifully illustrated worlds again and again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chris Van Allsburg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57220754440566,"sku":"FBA-9124194956","price":29.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/6587\/2211\/files\/van-allsburg-5-books-collection-chris-van-allsburg-paperback.jpg?v=1785881156"}],"url":"https:\/\/skymartbooks.com\/collections\/chris-van-allsburg.oembed","provider":"Skymart Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}