8 Quotes & Sayings By Chris Van Allsburg

On March 3, 1979, the first day of spring break, Chris Van Allsburg was born. The fourth of six children and the first to be born in the family home, Chris grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was surrounded by books and art. He especially loved his grandfather's stories about the old country, and his father's "jokes that would make grown men weep". In 1990 he began working as an illustrator for children's books Read more

In 1993 he illustrated his first picture book--the Caldecott Honor-winning Jumanji. This same year he also received a Caldecott Honor for Goodnight Moon from the Association for Library Service to Children. His other books include The Polar Express, The Berenstain Bears Go to School, The Day the Dinosaurs Died, One Little Door, and The Polar Express: A Holiday Story.

Visit his website at www.chrisvanallsburg.com

1
At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe. Chris Van Allsburg
2
Book lovers love books! " her mother announced. "There's romance about the books- even having them seems to have a kind of excitement."from Mr. Linden's Library by Walter Dean Myers Chris Van Allsburg
3
Santa is our culture's only mythic figure truly believed in by a large percentage of the population. It's a fact that most of the true believers are under eight years old, and that's a pity. Chris Van Allsburg
4
The crudest thing I've done as a teacher was to require students to write a national anthem for their country and sing it themselves. Chris Van Allsburg
5
I don't like to travel. Yet all my books seem to involve a journey. Chris Van Allsburg
6
The Polar Express is about faith, and the power of imagination to sustain faith. It's also about the desire to reside in a world where magic can happen, the kind of world we all believed in as children, but one that disappears as we grow older. Chris Van Allsburg
7
The general effect of viewing 'Jumanji' is thrilling. I was able to see on film a thing that at one point had only existed in my imagination. I got to see the images from my book come alive. Chris Van Allsburg