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The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
- By Chris Van Allsburg
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
Terrific drawings star in imaginative tale.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the lesson of what happens when one disregards warnings is soft-pedaled.
What's the story?
Positively No Dogs Allowed, reads the sign in front of the magician's garden, but Fritz breaks free from Alan and disappears among the mysterious topiary bushes and paths. What happens to the dog? Chris Van Allsburg's award-winning drawings lead readers to the answer.
Is it any good?
Spooky houses and gardens populate every child's neighborhood, and in this story, the hero must face his fears to retrieve the bad dog he's responsible for. The lesson of what happens when one disregards warnings is soft-pedaled. Readers may be confused about what Chris Van Allsburg was trying to say: Is this about the consequences of breaking the rules, or is it simply about a child's sense of enchantment? Maybe both.
However, Van Allsburg's drawings are clearly terrific. Drawn in black and white and all shades between, the pictures have depth and grandeur -- like the one of the magician's house, which rises high into the sky. Van Allsburg has captured the story's eeriness with shadowed paths, looming topiary, and an imposing magician.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the consequences of breaking the rules. Kids: When have you broken the rules? What happened?
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Kid, 12 years old
November 9, 2011
AGE
not a perfect van allsburg book (with the usage of drugs), but a great one
If there's one book that stands out from all of C.V. Allsburg's others, it's Abdul Gasazi. This book surprisingly got a 4th-grade level at my old school, although even the most take-time-to-comprehend kind of people could leaf it through in not even five minutes. A good book with the same amazing illustrations as usual, with twists and turns along the way that finally settle at the bewildering ending. But there is some drug use in the book. In one illustration, Abdul the magician is seen smoking like any cartoon smoker would: smoke travels from the cigarette like a chimney, and he puffs circle after circle of smoke from his mouth. But this doesn't stop the book from being a major success that people of all ages should enjoy and adore.
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| Author: | Chris Van Allsburg |
| Illustrator: | Chris Van Allsburg |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin Children's Books |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1979 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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