{"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\/products\/chris-van-allsburg-5-books-collection-set-jumanji-polar-express-ages-3-8-paperback","provider":"Skymart Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}