Want personalized picks that fit your family?
Set preferences to see our top age-appropriate picks for your kids.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Common Sense says
Parents say
Kids say
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that only a mysterious title and an ambiguous caption accompany each mesmerizing illustration, leaving readers to complete the unfinished tales.
Stay up to date on new reviews.
User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
harris burdick review
What's the story?
Floating bubbles of light hover over a sleeping boy. A strange lump reappears under the carpet in a man's room. A skipping stone acts like a boomerang. These are just the first few of fourteen exceedingly odd images conjured by children's illustrator Chris Van Allsburg. Children--and adults--can exercise their fancy by wrapping their own story around each one.
Is it any good?
This gorgeously illustrated volume is a must-have for Van Allsburg's fans, for young writers, and for any child who enjoys the fantastical. Chris Van Allsburg is known for his often unsettling tales, from the benign but dreamlike Christmas fable The Polar Express to the eerie Jumanji. But here, readers are left with only hints about the stories that surround these graphite-gray images -- it's up to readers to craft the tales these puzzling pictures imply. And what enchanting hints they are! Imaginative children (and their parents) can't resist the urge to script their own interpretations of what happens next.
Each dreamlike illustration is drawn with a slightly fuzzy quality that nevertheless makes magical use of light and shadow to convey a palpable sense of mystery, and period clothing and other artifacts enhance the classic style of the colorless but lush and subtly shaded drawings.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the seeds of stories. Think of a few possible stories for one of the pictures, exploring different genres.
Book details
- Author: Chris Van Allsburg
- Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
- Genre: Mystery
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
- Publication date: January 1, 1984
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 12
- Number of pages: 29
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.