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From two-time Caldecott winner Chris Van Allsburg, creator of Jumanji and The Polar Express, comes a poignant story of one hamster's struggle with destiny. Being a pet store hamster isn't much fun for Sweetie Pie, but life in human homes proves downright perilous. As Sweetie Pie longingly gazes out of his cage at the squirrels frolicking in the trees, he wonders if he'll ever have the chance to feel the wind in his fur. Allsburg's expressive, soft-hued illustrations artfully capture a hamster's-eye view of the wide and wonderful world where maybe, just maybe, Sweetie Pie could someday run free.
About the author
Chris Van Allsburg is one of America’s most innovative picture book creators. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Jumanji and The Polar Express and received a Caldecott Honor for his very first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. He has received the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children’s literature, a National Book Award, and a Society of Illustrators Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors. He lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Visit him at chrisvanallsburg.com.
Chris Van Allsburg is one of America’s most innovative picture book creators. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Jumanji and The Polar Express and received a Caldecott Honor for his very first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. He has received the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children’s literature, a National Book Award, and a Society of Illustrators Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors. He lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Visit him at chrisvanallsburg.com.
Summary
From two-time Caldecott winner Chris Van Allsburg, creator of Jumanji and The Polar Express, comes a poignant story of one hamster’s struggle with destiny.
Being a pet store hamster isn’t much fun for Sweetie Pie, but life in human homes proves downright perilous. As Sweetie Pie longingly gazes out of his cage at the squirrels frolicking in the trees, he wonders if he’ll ever have the chance to feel the wind in his fur.
Allsburg’s expressive, soft-hued illustrations artfully capture a hamster’s-eye view of the wide and wonderful world where maybe, just maybe, Sweetie Pie could someday run free.
Report
Jumanji
- Caldecott Medal winner 1982
- New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
- Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award
- School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
- ALA Notable Book for Children
- Booklist Editors' Choice
- IRA/CBC Children's Choice
- 1995 blockbuster movie starring Robin Williams
"A beautiful simplicity of design, balance, texture, and a subtle intelligence beyond the call of illustration." - New York Times Book Review
The Polar Express
- Caldecott Medal winner, 1986
- 9 million copies sold worldwide
- New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
- New York Times Bestseller
- 2004 blockbuster movie starring Tom Hanks
"The Polar Express is magic indeed." - The New York Times
"This is one of Van Allsburg's most treasured visions." - Newsweek
Zathura
A New York Times Bestseller
A major motion picture in 2005
"On the twentieth anniversary of Jumanji, Van Allsburg picks up right where his Caldecott Medal book left off, with similarly terrifying adventure set this time in outer space." - Booklist , starred
"Van Allsburg illustrates the surreal events in a grainy charcoal-black that seems to shimmer on a rough, cream-colored ground...Zathura, like Jumanji, is a satisfying enigma" - Publisher's Weekly
"Van Allsburg is a terrific illustrator, and his images here, including one where the boys open their front door and are greeted with a breathtaking view of the cosmos, are memorable." - The New York Times Book Review
The Chronicles of Harris Burdick
"This star-studded exercise in creative writing tests the wits of favorite authors and shows readers how even the big shots hone their craft."- Publishers Weekly , starred review
"Engaging, with strokes of brilliance"- Kirkus
"The stories embrace a range of styles and subjects, but, like their enigmatic and mysterious inspirations, each touches on the strange, the odd, and the fantastic."- The Horn Book Magazine
"While the stories are distinct-by turns funny, sinister, and touching-they have much in common, sharing an arch tone, a curious metaphysicality, and some familiar folk-tale tropes, and the authors' commitment to the original conceit gives the volume additional cohesion."- Booklist
Queen of the Falls
"Van Allsburg's foray into nonfiction is filled with the same suspense, surrealism, and menace that have thrilled readers of his fiction."- School Library Journal, starred review
"In this unromantic and bittersweet account, Van Allsburg presents the feat as born as much out of need as of courage, with Taylor portrayed as a hardheaded eccentric and an unlikely queen."- Publishers Weekly , starred review
"A daredevil story is an easy sell for almost any kid audience, and a daredevil story by a beloved storyteller is just about as good as it gets."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"An odd, unsettling meditation on fame."- Kirkus Reviews
"This illustrated biography climaxes beautifully with a double-page spread of the great falls, a tiny barrel bobbing in the current, and a powerful one-line text: '"Oh, Lord," she whispered, and then she was gone.'"- The Horn Book
