The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Chris Van Allsburg

Thanks to Fuse #8 it has come to my attention that there is a new Harris Burdick book coming this fall. Some of you may remember that Chris Van Allsburg's wordless The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is one of my all-time favorite books for kick-starting young imaginations.

It can also kick-start not-so-young imaginations, as it turns out. The new book, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, will feature stories inspired by the Harris Burdick illustrations. Check out the list of heavy-hitting contributing authors. Whooowie!

This inspired collection of short stories features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children's literature: Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, and Chris Van Allsburg himself.

Find out more at Publisher's Weekly.

Chris Van Allsburg: The Sweetest Fig

Since I've been on a Chris Van Allsburg kick lately, I thought I might as well feature my very favorite Chris Van Allsburg book.

Of course I love The Polar Express and Jumanji and all the other stunning, breathtaking books that Mr. Van Allsburg has created. And people may think I'm crazy to even name a favorite (and especially a favorite that is not The Polar Express). But The Sweetest Fig is so charming and funny and surprising, I just can't help it.

The story takes place in Paris and begins in the office of Monsieur Bibot, a very unsympathetic, unkind dentist. An old woman comes in with a toothache, and after Bibot extracts the offending tooth, she explains that she does not have any money. All she can offer are 3 magic figs that will make his dreams come true. Angrily, Monsieur Bibot sends her out of the office, refusing to give her any medication for the pain.

I won't spoil the charm of the story, but, as you can imagine, the figs really *do* make his dreams come true, and the ending is a real zinger! Almost every child I've read this book to has asked to read it again immediately after the book has been closed.

Definitely grab this one from the library or your local bookstore. You can find used copies on Amazon for about 3-5 dollars. (And of course, if you have budding young writers in your midst, you should encourage them to try their hand at Chris Van Allsburg's Mysteries of Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest.)

Chris Van Allsburg: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest

I mentioned in a previous post that some of my Songwriting for Kids students got their song inspirations from the gorgeous Chris Van Allsburg book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. First of all, let me describe how very cool this book is.

In the foreword, Mr. Van Allsburg (of The Polar Express fame) tells the story of a man named Harris Burdick, who brings a set of drawings to a publisher. Each drawing has a title and a caption (like "The Seven Chairs: The fifth one ended up in France"). Shortly after this meeting with the publisher, Mr. Burdick disappears, leaving only the illustrations behind. (You can read the full story behind the illustrations at Chris Van Allsburg's website.)

You cannot help being swept up into this book. Look through it with a child of any age (or even an adult like me) and the questions come flying: Who are those children? Where are they sailing to? Why? How did they get there? What are they trying to get away from? And inevitably the stories start forming: Maybe they're traveling to an enchanted kingdom. Because they need to find something. It could be a special healing stone. No, they're looking for their parents. Maybe their parents are there and they have the stone...

The stunning pictures and intriguing captions make The Mysteries of Harris Burdick a perfect tool for story-writing (and songwriting!) inspiration.

So... it was with much excitement that I came across Chris Van Allsburg's new project: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest. Now all those kids who've been inadvertently writing their own stories for these illustrations can write them down and submit them, and possibly win the entire Chris Van Allsburg library!

Entries are due in January 2008, so there is plenty of time...I think this would be a great project for any kid to get involved in. It's a great way to inspire creativity and practice writing skills, and the contest format creates a goal and a deadline and something fun to be involved in, no matter what the outcome.

If you'd like to hear the Harris Burdick-inspired songs "The Magical Harp" and "Mystery" that my summer students wrote, you can hear them in the Songwriting for Kids Listening Room.

Grab Bag Friday: More Songs By Kids

Today is the last day of this year's summer Songwriting for Kids workshops. It has been so much fun watching the kids (ages 5-8) work together to create their own songs. They do everything...melody, words, even a little arranging (like when the harp cries "No!" let's all shout for emphasis!) The best part is always how they come together as a group and become true collaborators by the end of the week.

This year, we recorded each class song, and you can hear the kids singing them and read the lyrics online at www.songwritingforkids.com. The first group incorporated all their wildest dreams into a song called "I Wish". The second two groups used pictures from the very cool book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick for their inspiration.

Ok, I'm off to get ready for our final concert and "World Premiere" of "The Magical Harp." Have a great day and always leave 'em singing...