---
product_id: 2395673
title: "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick: From the Caldecott medal-winning creator of Jumanji―mysterious images and captions invite kids to invent their own stories"
price: "$54.95"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/2395673-the-mysteries-of-harris-burdick-from-the-caldecott-medal-winning
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# The Mysteries of Harris Burdick: From the Caldecott medal-winning creator of Jumanji―mysterious images and captions invite kids to invent their own stories

**Price:** $54.95
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Mysteries of Harris Burdick: From the Caldecott medal-winning creator of Jumanji―mysterious images and captions invite kids to invent their own stories
- **How much does it cost?** $54.95 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/2395673-the-mysteries-of-harris-burdick-from-the-caldecott-medal-winning)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
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## Description

The award-winning author of Jumanji and The Polar Express , Chris Van Allsburg, challenges young readers to use their creativity and imagination in this one-of-a-kind book that asks readers to finish the story. When author-illustrator extraordinaire Harris Burdick goes missing, all he’s left behind are a series of images with accompanying captions, ideas for separate picture books. But what can a picture of a nun quietly sitting in a chair floating in a cathedral have to do with a caption that says, “THE SEVEN CHAIRS: The fifth one ended up in France?” Enticed to come up with their own endings, readers will marvel at the mystery behind these lasting drawings and the charm of an everchanging narrative. Caldecott medal winner Chris Van Allsburg’s call for readers to write their own stories will enthrall young minds again and again.

Review: Mesmerizing, intriguing pictures that give flight to one's imagination - I've been a long-time fan of Chris Van Allsburg's works, and have been sharing his books with my first grader. This is one of our favorites, as each browsing gives us a chance to come up with our own storyline and enables our imaginations to take flight. The book contains fourteen pictures, with captions attached to each. Now these are not ordinary pictures, but feature something out of the ordinary, with equally mysterious captions that make one wonder at the various possibilities for a story! For example, one of my favorite pictures features a young girl sound asleep with a vine creeping out of a book with the title "Mr. Linden's Library" and the caption "He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late." I confess that my imagination took a macabre turn here! My first grader on the other hand imagined something along the lines of Jack (or Jill in this case) and the Beanstalk with the girl waking up and finding a tree growing in her room and going off on an adventure not unlike Jack/Jill. I've also used this book with my students, and they absolutely love the chance to create a story and come up with their own interpretations. Another charm of this book is that the pictures can be used to imagine stories of various genres such as science fiction, horror, mystery, adventure, fantasy, etc. This is a treasure trove of ideas, a great educational resource, and a wonderful way to keep one's brain meaningfully engaged!
Review: Inspirational for all Your Creative Writing Desires - I have always admired Chris Van Allsburg's picture books. From the festive "Polar Express" to the evocative "Jumanji," they all inspire the reader with simple language and rich lush illustration. "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" is no exception. Here are 14 unrelated pictures with 14 unrelated titles and attention grabbing sentences. One shows a pirate ship, another a house rocketing off into space, and still another a woman falling asleep reading a book that has suddenly become alive. A recent edition has come out with short stories attached by the author as well as other writers like Louis Sachar and Stephen King, but I think the portfolio edition should satisfy all your inspirational story crafting needs. This book is great grist for the mind mill. It will have you thinking and guessing what next long after the final page is turned. So whether you're a creative writer or a teacher at any level of writing or even art (I know all my teachers and friends just couldn't get enough of this) you'll want to check this book out. Also, be sure to buy the portfolio edition which includes an extra 15th drawing tying it to one of the others in the collection. Again, great stories come from the molten core of the imagination, and great pictures to supplement them and get the mind going are always welcome. Happy writing and good luck!

## Features

- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
- Chris Van Allsburg
- Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
- children's book
- plot your own story

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #27,924 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #56 in Children's Mystery & Detective Comics & Graphic Novels #105 in Children's Art Fiction #109 in Children's Fantasy Comics & Graphic Novels |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,013 Reviews |

## Images

![The Mysteries of Harris Burdick: From the Caldecott medal-winning creator of Jumanji―mysterious images and captions invite kids to invent their own stories - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71oKDVQH61L.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mesmerizing, intriguing pictures that give flight to one's imagination
*by Z***S on December 4, 2011*

I've been a long-time fan of Chris Van Allsburg's works, and have been sharing his books with my first grader. This is one of our favorites, as each browsing gives us a chance to come up with our own storyline and enables our imaginations to take flight. The book contains fourteen pictures, with captions attached to each. Now these are not ordinary pictures, but feature something out of the ordinary, with equally mysterious captions that make one wonder at the various possibilities for a story! For example, one of my favorite pictures features a young girl sound asleep with a vine creeping out of a book with the title "Mr. Linden's Library" and the caption "He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late." I confess that my imagination took a macabre turn here! My first grader on the other hand imagined something along the lines of Jack (or Jill in this case) and the Beanstalk with the girl waking up and finding a tree growing in her room and going off on an adventure not unlike Jack/Jill. I've also used this book with my students, and they absolutely love the chance to create a story and come up with their own interpretations. Another charm of this book is that the pictures can be used to imagine stories of various genres such as science fiction, horror, mystery, adventure, fantasy, etc. This is a treasure trove of ideas, a great educational resource, and a wonderful way to keep one's brain meaningfully engaged!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inspirational for all Your Creative Writing Desires
*by J***H on December 23, 2011*

I have always admired Chris Van Allsburg's picture books. From the festive "Polar Express" to the evocative "Jumanji," they all inspire the reader with simple language and rich lush illustration. "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" is no exception. Here are 14 unrelated pictures with 14 unrelated titles and attention grabbing sentences. One shows a pirate ship, another a house rocketing off into space, and still another a woman falling asleep reading a book that has suddenly become alive. A recent edition has come out with short stories attached by the author as well as other writers like Louis Sachar and Stephen King, but I think the portfolio edition should satisfy all your inspirational story crafting needs. This book is great grist for the mind mill. It will have you thinking and guessing what next long after the final page is turned. So whether you're a creative writer or a teacher at any level of writing or even art (I know all my teachers and friends just couldn't get enough of this) you'll want to check this book out. Also, be sure to buy the portfolio edition which includes an extra 15th drawing tying it to one of the others in the collection. Again, great stories come from the molten core of the imagination, and great pictures to supplement them and get the mind going are always welcome. Happy writing and good luck!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great tool for writing prompts
*by A***R on September 11, 2016*

I love this book! I teach in an elementary school where at least once a week we do a quick write. At this time students are given a short prompt, usually a sentence, and are expected to write off of it for a short length of time. As soon as this activity was brought into our curriculum, this book came to mind. Each page shows a beautiful black and white picture depicting some sort of mysterious occurrence. Instead of having each linked to each other, every picture tells its own story and has with it only one sentence, which adds to the mystery of the images. Not only does this make it a great tool for English Language Learners and visual learners, but the content of the artwork has been very engaging for my students and their creative writing. This is one of those unique books that can be truly interactive. Beyond just writing prompts, it’s great for discussion and story telling. I've even seen it used up in high school leveled English classes to encourage creativity from students.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
- The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales / With an Introduction by Lemony Snicket
- The Stranger

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-09-12*