Author Lecture - Chris Van Allsburg

This past Saturday, I had the honor of introducing Chris Van Allsburg at the my library's central branch.  I'm a HUGE CVA fan, so I was incredibly excited to meet Mr. Van Allsburg (and slightly terrified that I was going to spaz out and scare the tuna salad out of him).  Thankfully, I did not scare him and it was a great lecture regarding his career and inspirations.  Here are some pictures from the day:

Here I am introducing Chris Van Allsburg in our auditorium.  The thought in my head right now:  "Don't mess up.  Don't mess up.  Don't mess up."

Chris Van Allsburg takes the stage. 

Mr. Van Allsburg's fascination with topiaries at the time was the catalyst for the creation of The Garden of Abdul Gasazi.

The juxtaposition of wild animals in a suburban home amused the author and provided inspiration for Jumanji.

Originally created for Cricket magazine, this image inspired the book, The Wreck of the Zephyr.

Hunting through flea market stalls caused The Mysteries of Harris Burdick to become a reality.

Mr. Van Allsburg created maquettes of each stage seen in The Z was Zapped. The only artistic license taken was the addition of the lightning bolts hitting the letter Z.

Bad Day at Riverbend was the result of a coloring book owned by Van Allsburgh's daughter. A picture of a radically-colored Tigerlily from Peter Pan inspired the story.

Queen of the Falls is Mr. Van Allsburg's first nonfiction book.  This is the first biography on Annie Edson Taylor written for children. 

Mr. Van Allsburg discussed his new book, The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie.  This is his first book illustrated with watercolors. 

The signing line was long, but it was worth the wait! 

Here is a link to the podcast of his lecture.  It's worth listening to!