This was an incredible book, way before Hollywood took a ten-minute story and stretched it out to an hour and a half of stiff animation. Unfortunately, there’s a whole generation of kids that only know the movie and are usually a bit disappointed because the book doesn’t have dancing waiters or a sinister hobo or a roller coaster ride. I used to love reading this classic – until the film came out. It’s a terrific story, though, proving the maxim that you can’t judge a book by its movie. The text in the book is spare for a Van Allsburg story, but every word is well chosen and placed with precision. The author/illustrator also won the Caldecott Medal for best illustrations with this tale and deservedly so. There are many excellent books by Chris Van Allsburg, including Jumanji (again – forget the movies), The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, Two Bad Ants, Zathura (a Jumanji sequel, sort of), The Sweetest Fig, The Wreck of the Zephyr, and many more.
Mr. Haack Recommends 